The Elusive Escape: Fiction, Confinement & the High-Stakes Search for Transcendence | Michael Clune, C.J. Farley + Wally Lamb Moderated by: Beth Ann Fennelly 

What does it look like when the systems designed to help us manage—be they medical, digital, or judicial—become the very cages we must transcend? For an adolescent who believes the Greek god Pan might be trapped in his body, for a young Black tech worker who discovers a terrible secret about her employer’s A.I.-powered product-in-development, and for an incarcerated suburban dad who seeks forgiveness for his tragic mistake, the high-stakes search for escape is elusive. Authors Michael Clune, C.J. Farley, and Wally Lamb get to the heart of the matter with fiction that considers the very nature of transcendence. The New Orleans Book Festival brings the world’s leading authors to Tulane University for a multi-day celebration of their works. The Festival features both fiction and non-fiction and convenes readings, panel discussions, symposia and keynote speeches. It provides an opportunity for outlets, authors and readers to interact with each other in one of the most vibrant and culturally diverse cities in the world.