Keith O'Brien

Keith O'Brien is The New York Times bestselling author of "Charlie Hustle," "Paradise Falls," "Fly Girls," and "Outside Shot." He has won the 2025 PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld award for biography, has been a finalist for the PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing, and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, NPR, and This American Life. A native of Ohio, he now lives in New Hampshire. His latest book is "Heartland."

Visit website |

Awards: PEN Literary Award, Winner of the 2025 PEN America award for best biography; winner of the 2025 Ohio Book Awards; finalist PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sportswriting; longlisted for Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction

Friends and Sponsors Only: Hot Off the Press

Sponsors and Friends of the Festival are invited to a books launch party with authors in attendance.

Campus Store - Hot Off the Press (Seats 250, Wheelchair accessible)  
Sat, Mar 14, 8:00 am - 9:00 am

Panelists: David Blumenthal, C.J. Box, Elle Cosimano, Elon Green, Adib Khorram, T Kira Madden, Loubna Mrie, Megan Kate Nelson, Keith O'Brien, Caroline Paul

An American Journey Through Sports

Sports are deeply rooted in our nation's history. Lacrosse has been played in North America for more than a thousand years. Basketball is woven into all aspects of our more recent cultural narrative. And yes, from the beginning, gambling has always been a part of our relationship with sports.

Koffler Room 218 (Seats 142, Wheelchair accessible)  
Sat, Mar 14, 11:30 am - 12:25 pm
Sports
Signing area: Sales & Signing Koffler/Commons (following presentation)

Panelists: Danny Funt, Keith O'Brien, Scott Price
Moderator: Tony Perkins

If You Like Basketball

Tucson loves basketball, and in this session we'll go behind the scenes with some of the sport's greatest stars: Larry Bird, Moses Malone, Julius Erving and Caitlin Clark. In addition to their athletic achievements, the panel will delve into the players' origin stories and their winning teams.

UA Mall Tent (Seats 250)  
Sat, Mar 14, 2:30 pm - 3:25 pm
Sports
Signing area: Sales & Signing Area - Central Mall (following presentation)  

Panelists: Christine Brennan, Luke Epplin, Keith O'Brien
Moderator: Dana Cooper
Sponsor: Session made possible courtesy of Lynn and Leonard Snyder

Books:

Heartland

Sports
Atria Books
March 2026
ISBN 9781668211700
320 pages
Buy now