For aspiring writers, book fairs are an excellent way to meet industry insiders and other writers, as well as gain useful insight to improve their own crafts and efforts. In-person, these international events can often be difficult to get to, but the silver lining this year has been the expanded access to these events for all authors, agents and editors alike. And this week, the 39th Annual Miami Book Fair has become the latest book fair to go virtual.

While some book fairs have been postponed to 2021 amid the pandemic, others, like the Miami Book Fair, have been able to foster online streaming to make their author conversations, workshops and vendors accessible internationally to attendees. This year’s Miami Book Fair will feature over 300 authors. Most of its events are free to watch, while others have admissions costs, such as purchasing a ticket or the hosting author’s novel.

The event kicked off yesterday, Nov. 15th, and will be continuing through the 22nd. Here are some highlights from the first day of the event:

Fantasy fiction authors V. E. Schwab and Leigh Bardugo discussed their recent novel releases and their experiences writing and getting published in the fantasy genre.

One viewer even transcribed her favorite moment of the talk, where Bardugo gave advice and comfort to young, aspiring writers:

Author Margaret Atwood discussed her most recent title, Dearly, with New York Times Review Editor and author, Pamela Paul.

And, author Kent Russell answered questions about his book, In the Land of Good Living, during a live Q&A session, hosted by fellow author Craig Pittman.

Later in the evening, Tony Award-winning actress Julie White hosted an intimate author talk with authors Ann Patchett and Emma Straub, where Patchett and Straub discussed their writing experiences and the impact of literature on creating book-loving communities.

Throughout this week, authors from numerous communities will be discussing their experiences writing and being published this year. Poet Richard Blanco shared an event he’ll be cohosting this Friday, Nov. 20, with fellow authors Elisa Albo and Caridad Moro-Gronlier, “Grabbed: Poets & Writers on Sexual Assault, Empowerment & Healing.”

For more information about this week’s schedule, visit miamibookfair.com. You can still register to attend the upcoming events this week, either there or at miamibookfaironline.com. Once you’re signed on, you can curate your own custom watchlist of Miami Book Fair events, similar to how you would on YouTube, Netflix and other streaming platforms. Check out Miami Book Fair’s guide to signing up below: