Winter Institute 2026 is officially kicking off in Pittsburgh today, with attendance likely to be affected by a blizzard currently dumping snow up and down the Eastern Seaboard. The extent of the storm’s impact is not yet known, though it may affect publishers, who are concentrated in New York City, more than booksellers. (WI was last dampened by inclement weather at its 2013 edition in Kansas City.)
Ray Daniels, the American Booksellers Association’s chief communications officer, told PW Sunday evening that only one author had canceled to date—Derrick Palmer, who was scheduled to sign copies of his book, Handbook for the Revolution (AUWA, May), at the Ignite reception following the Sunday afternoon pre-con. Daniels said he had not heard about any booksellers canceling their plans.
A number of the 1,000 booksellers registered to attend WI2026 beat the blizzard and arrived in Pittsburgh over the weekend, where they only had to deal with snow flurries. This reporter spotted booksellers on her Saturday flight from Minneapolis, and, on Sunday, spotted more booksellers visiting local bookstores. Several hundred BIPOC booksellers attended the Ignite pre-con on Sunday afternoon, where media were not allowed. The program concluded with an author and editor reception early Sunday evening.
WI2026 is getting started with two big outings for attendees: five busloads of booksellers will visit a dozen of the 39 indie bookstores currently operating in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area, while another group will take a field trip to Book Country’s remainders warehouse. In addition, prospective booksellers will attend Paz & Associates’ all-day seminar on best practices when opening a bookstore, and this afternoon, the Independent Publishers Caucus will hold its annual summit.
All of the WI2026 booksellers are invited this afternoon to attend the ABA’s presentation, “Bookselling in 2026: the Big Questions," followed by an opening reception, which will be held at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center.
