Country Music Star Kenny Chesney to Appear at Miami Book Fair with Debut Book

Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Miami Book Fair announced today country music superstar Kenny Chesney will be a headliner at this year’s Fair, taking place Nov. 16-23, 2025. The eight-time Entertainer of the Year and 2025 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee will discuss his debut book, “Heart • Life • Music” (to be released Nov. 4 by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers), which explores his path from small town East Tennessee to becoming the sound of a generation.

“An Evening With Kenny Chesney” will take place on Sunday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. at the MDC Wolfson Campus, Chapman Conference Center. He will be joined by award-winning music critic and co-author Holly Gleason to discuss his career, the thrill of meeting and making friends with heroes, turning points and the lessons that shaped his music and life.

“Heart • Life • Music” tells Kenny’s story as a kid from beyond the city limits with a dream fueled by the sports and music around him. Chesney shares his quest to find himself as an artist and a man after college, from his early days in Nashville’s vibrant creative scene to rocking stadiums and the evolution of No Shoes Nation, his devoted fan community united by music, freedom and a beach-loving spirit described by Variety as “a concert going community rivaled perhaps only by Parrotheads and Deadheads.”

One of contemporary American music’s most enduring stars, Chesney has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and earned his reputation as a stadium headliner for more than 20 years. With 33 No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, the most on that chart since its inception, he became the first country artist to headline Sphere in Las Vegas.

“Kenny Chesney’s participation in this year’s Miami Book Fair gives our audience a chance to connect with him beyond the music,” said Lissette Mendez, Miami Book Fair’s executive director. “He has always been a storyteller through his songs, and this book offers a more personal side of that storytelling. It’s surprising, heartfelt and will resonate with longtime fans as well as anyone who appreciates an inspiring journey.”

In addition to Chesney, the Miami Book Fair will host Evenings With events featuring acclaimed authors Daniel Silva, Barry Diller, Dr. Theodore Schwartz, Sally Mann, Bill McKibben, Arthur Sze, Mercedes Ron and Lihi Lapid.

Tickets are $35 for the general public and $22.66 for Friends of the Fair. Friends members will receive access to  tickets first, beginning Sept. 26 at 10 a.m ET. General public ticket sales open Friday, October 13. Tickets will be available at www.miamibookfair.com. Tickets  include a copy of “Heart • Life • Music.”

Now in its 42nd year, Miami Book Fair is the nation’s longest-running literary festival. The 2025 edition will feature nearly 550 authors from more than 35 countries, including 453 English-language and 93 Spanish-language presenters. Chesney’s appearance emphasizes the Fair’s wide-ranging programming, bringing together voices from literature, music, film, and beyond.

WHAT: An Evening With Kenny Chesney at the Miami Book Fair

WHEN: Sunday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m.

WHERE: MDC Wolfson Campus, Chapman Conference Center-3210; 254 NE 4th St. Bldg. 3, Miami, FL 33132

About Miami Book Fair

Founded in 1984 by Miami Dade College and partners, Miami Book Fair engages the community through inclusive, accessible programs that promote reading and support writers year-round. The annual eight-day festival has grown into the largest and most comprehensive community-rooted literary gathering in the United States, generating discourse on contemporary literature and current issues of international importance. Year-round programming includes The Little Haiti Book Festival; creative writing and publishing workshops; author presentations; reading campaigns; and Books for Free, a partnership with The Children’s Trust that distributes more than 150,000 free books annually to children in Miami-Dade County. Miami Book Fair programming is made possible through generous support from the State of Florida, National Endowment for the Arts, City of Miami, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, Miami Downtown Development Authority, and Friends of the Fair, as well as many corporate partners. Follow @miamibookfair #miamireads.