Below, you'll find the complete guide to everything virtual at Lit Fest 2024, curated specifically for the online audience so you can find exactly the right fit for you. Choose intensives, seminars, and events á la carte, or sign up for one of our festival passes for the full experience. A note on class format: courses marked “Virtual” are held entirely via Zoom. All participants and the instructor will be attending virtually. Virtual courses are fully participatory. Courses marked “Livestream” will be available virtually as an option, but there will be many attendees in person, and the instructor will be lecturing in person. Participation is more limited in this format, though moderators will do their best to relay questions from the chat.
Two-Day Intensives
June 8-9, 9:00-12:00 PM MST
TWO-DAY INTENSIVE: FUNNY PERSONAL ESSAYS (V)
Elissa Bassist
In this two-day intensive, discuss the many ways to make a reader laugh and how to turn an anecdote into an essay that’s funny and publishable.
June 8-9, 9:00-12:00 PM MST
TWO-DAY INTENSIVE: MODULATION—YOUR VOICE AND HOW TO USE IT (V)
William Haywood Henderson
In this intensive, you'll steal from excellent examples, add layers and new tricks to your voice, and learn how to modulate your voice for pacing, mood, variety, and complexity.
June 10-11, 4:00-7:00 PM MST
TWO-DAY INTENSIVE: DEEP REVISION—USING THE REVISION PROCESS TO FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR WORK AGAIN (V)
Lauren Markham
Through a combination of readings, exercises, and discussions, this course will offer insight and strategies toward revision that help writers better understand their own work and what they are trying to do—and that can help them fall back in love with their projects.
Craft Seminars, Business Panels, and Evening Events
Friday, June 8
Morning Session (9:00 to 11:00 AM MST)
- TAPPING INTO YOUR WEIRDNESS (V) with Alexander Lumans
- RESEARCH AS WRITERLY PRACTICE: NONFICTION WRITING FROM INQUIRY AND FACT (V) with Lauren Markham
Lunchtime Session (12:00-1:00 PM MST)
- LUNCHTIME BUSINESS PANEL: AGENTS 101 (LIVESTREAM) with Shana Kelly, Renèe Jarvis, Mira Landry, Paige Terlip, Rebecca Shaevitz
Afternoon Session (1:30 to 3:30 PM MST)
- SLAYING THE YA NOVEL (V) with Olivia Chada
Early Evening Session (4:00-6:00 PM MST)
- HOPEFUL MONSTERS (LIVESTREAM) with Alexandra Kleeman
Saturday, June 9
Morning Session (9:00 to 11:00 AM MST)
- CLOCKING IN: HOW TO WRITE ABOUT JOBS (V) with Alexander Lumans
- WRITING THE MINORITIZED EXPERIENCE (V) with Natalie Hodges
Lunchtime Session (12:00-1:00 PM MST)
- LUNCHTIME BUSINESS PANEL: DEBUTS (LIVESTREAM) with Joel H. Morris, Christine Lai, Gina DeMillo Wagner, Minda Honey, Elizabeth DeMeo
Afternoon Session (1:30 to 3:30 PM MST)
- THE BURNING HEART: FINDING THE ENERGY IN SHORT FICTION (V) with Karen Auvinen
Evening Session (7:00-8:15 PM MST)
Sunday, June 10
Morning Session (9:00 to 11:00 AM MST)
- HOMING IN: UNCOVERING THE ARC YOUR MEMOIR (V) with Karen Auvinen
Lunchtime Session (12:00-1:00 PM MST)
- LUNCHTIME BUSINESS PANEL: CONTESTS, RESIDENCIES, AND MORE—WAYS TO GET OUT THERE (LIVESTREAM) with Jenny Shank, Radha Marcum, Jenèe Skinner, Angie Chuang
Afternoon Session (1:30 to 3:30 PM MST)
- THE LAUNDRY LINE (V) with Michael Pollan
- LATTICE AS LADDER (LIVESTREAM) with Jane Hirschfield
- SUPERHERO POETICS (V) with Cynthia Manick
Monday, June 11
Morning Session (9:00 to 11:00 AM MST)
- TAKING THE PANDEMIC TO THE PAGE (V) with Ellen Blum Barish
Lunchtime Session (12:00-1:00 PM MST)
- LUNCHTIME BUSINESS PANEL: SELLING YOUR BOOK—THE QUERY LETTER, ELEVATOR PITCH, AND MORE (LIVESTREAM) with Anna Qu, Sarah Gerard, Jan Thomas, Elissa Bassist, Abby Walters, and Marin Takikawa
Afternoon Session (1:30 to 3:30 PM MST)
- (RE)WRITING HISTORY: THE QUESTIONS, CONUNDRUMS, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND DELIGHTS OF WRITING FICTION ABOUT THE PAST (LIVESTREAM) with Claire Messud
- SYMBOLISM AND METAPHOR: THEY AREN'T JUST FOR FICTION (V) with Angelique Stevens
- POETRY FROM THE EARTH (V) with Caryn Mirriam Goldberg
Early Evening Session (4:00-6:00 PM MST)
- CREATING ART IN DARK TIMES (V) with R. Alan Brooks
- POETRY AS ARTIVISM: A LOVE LANGUAGE FOR THE FUTURE (V) with Suzi Q. Smith
- THE ART OF DESCRIPTION (LIVESTREAM) with Mark Doty
Tuesday, June 12
Morning Session (9:00 to 11:00 AM MST)
- WHAT A MOMENT HOLDS: ESSAYS THAT CAPTURE A SPARK (V) with Ellen Blum Barish
Lunchtime Session (12:00-1:00 PM MST)
- LUNCHTIME BUSINESS PANEL: LITERARY JOURNALS—THE INSIDE SCOOP (LIVESTREAM) with Dino Enrique Piacentini, Angela Flores, Jenny Wortman, Allison Wright, Alexander Lumans, and Allison Wright
Afternoon Session (1:30 to 3:30 PM MST)
- EVERYTHING BUT PLOT: BUILDING SUSPENSE ON THE LINE LEVEL (LIVESTREAM) with T Kira Māhealani Madden
- LONG NIGHT'S JOURNEY INTO DAY: WRITING ABOUT SERIOUS ILLNESS (V) with Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg
Early Evening Session (4:00-6:00 PM MST)
- TIME MACHINE: CRAFTING TIME IN FICTION (V) with Clementine Guirado
- ROMANCE YOUR LIFE (V) with Minda Honey
- A KIDLIT PUBLISHING PRACTICUM (V) with Rachel Werner
Evening Session (7:00-8:15 PM MST)
Wednesday, June 13
Morning Session (9:00 to 11:00 AM MST)
- HAIKU AS MINDFULNESS PRACTICE (V) with Ladane Nasseri
- CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOKS: USING DUMMIES/STORYBOARDS (V) with Denise Vega
Lunchtime Session (12:00-1:00 PM MST)
- LUNCHTIME BUSINESS PANEL: STATE OF THE INDUSTRY (LIVESTREAM) with Shana Kelly, Dean Bakopoulos, Danielle Bukowski, Kayla Lightner, Amy Bishop-Wycisk, Allison Wright
Afternoon Session (1:30 to 3:30 PM MST)
- GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY (V) with Alyse Knorr
- ON DEFAMILIARIZATION: A LESSON IN 10 SENTENCES (LIVESTREAM) with Jenny Offill
- WHEN LIFE DOESN'T LIVE UP TO THE HYPE: WRINGING ESSAYS FROM DISAPPOINTMENT (V) with Minda Honey
- THE ART OF SELF-PORTRAITS (V) with Cynthia Manick
Early Evening Session (4:00-6:00 PM MST)
- TIME MACHINE II: CRAFTING TIME IN FICTION (V) with Clementine Guirdao
- ABCS AND 123S: MAKING THE PERSONAL MATTER (LIVESTREAM) with Emily Rapp Black
- TRUTH OR DARE: WRITING FAMILY STORIES (V) with Karen Auvinen
- THE POETIC LINE (V) with Suzi Q. Smith
Evening Session (7:00-8:15 PM MST)
Thursday, June 14
Morning Session (9:00 to 11:00 AM MST)
- ART OF CREATIVE RESEARCH (V) with Ladane Nassari
Lunchtime Session (12:00-1:00 PM MST)
- LUNCHTIME BUSINESS PANEL: ONLINE LANDSCAPE FOR WRITERS (LIVESTREAM) with Mitzi Rapkin, Robbie Crouch, Courtney Maun, Erika Wurth, R.Alan Brooks
Afternoon Session (1:30 to 3:30 PM MST)
- CHARACTERIZATION THROUGH CONTRAST (LIVESTREAM) with Danielle Evans
- REVISING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE (V) with Angelique Stevens
- THE ART OF THE LINE BREAK (V) with Alyse Knorr
- CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK STORY VS SHORT STORY (V) with Denise Vega
Early Evening Session (4:00-6:00 PM MST)
- EMBRACING THE SHADOW (V) with Courtney Morgan
- TIME MACHINE III: MODELING MARY GAITSKILL'S TIME CRAFT (V) with Clementine Guirado
- WRITING WITH IMAGES (V) with Christine Lai
- THE "I" CLUB: HOW TO WRITE USING A THRILLING FIRST PERSON (V) with Javier Sinay
Evening Session (7:00-8:15 PM MST)
Friday, June 15
Morning Session (9:00 to 11:00 AM MST)
- LETTERS TO A STRANGER (V) with Alexander Lumans
Lunchtime Session (12:00-1:00 PM MST)
- LUNCHTIME BUSINESS PANEL: PERFECT PAIRING (LIVESTREAM) with Sandra Bond, Sarah Bowlin, Wendy Chen, Shelly Read, Shana Kelly
Afternoon Session (1:30 to 3:30 PM MST)
- MINING MEMORIES (V) with Alyse Knorr
