Everyone loves reading, right? So, why does it increasingly feel like people are afraid of it? This is the question that former New York Times film critic A.O. Scott asks in his recently published essay on the importance of reading, its impending crisis, and the multifarious forces at play. After 23 years as a film critic, A.O. Scott joined The New York Times Book Review in 2023 as a Critic at Large, contributing essays and reviews on literature, culture and society. He is the author of Better Living Through Criticism: How To Think About Art, Pleasure Beauty, and Truth. He is joined in conversation by Wenda Harris Millard, Festival Board member.