Lit Fest is an eight-day celebration of writers and readers, an extravaganza of weeklong and weekend advanced workshops, craft seminars, readings, salons, business panels, agent meetings, and parties. Stay tuned for details regarding Lit Fest 2026.
Applications for weeklong and weekend workshops will open January of 2026.
Choose workshops and events à la carte or sign up for one of our festival passes for the full experience. Click here to browse the 2025 guide to get a sense of the programming. The full schedule will be released in early April.
Visiting Authors for 2025 included fiction writers Steve Almond, Paul Harding (late addition), Mat Johnson, Katie Kitamura, Elizabeth McCracken, Helen Phillips, and Tony Tulathimutte; nonfiction writers Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Nicole Chung, Claire Dederer, Alex Marzano-Lesnevitch, and Eileen Myles; poets Eduardo Corral, Solmaz Sharif, and Matthew Zapruder!
Fellowships in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry were judged by Megha Majumdar, Mark Sundeen, and Rowan Ricardo Phillips.
Visiting agents and editors at past Lit Fests have included Amelia Atlas (CAA), Sarah Bowlin (Aevitas), Michelle Brower (Trellis Literary), Elizabeth DeMeo (Tin House), Susan Golomb (Writers House), Kayla Lightner (Ayesha Pande), Alane Salierno Mason (W.W. Norton & Company), Kristin Nelson (Nelson Literary), Rayhané Sanders (Massie & McQuilkin), Melissa Rechter (Crooked Lane Books), Jade Wong-Baxter (Frances Goldin), Monika Woods (Triangle Literary). Lit Fest passholders have the option of meeting one-on-one with an agent or editor during Lit Fest.
Have questions? Visit our Lit Fest FAQs or give us a call at 303.297.1185.
Advanced Workshops
Lit Fest features advanced weeklong and weekend courses taught by visiting authors of the highest caliber. Participation is by application only, and classes are limited to 10 (prose) or 12 (poetry and generative workshops) students each. Applications will open January, 2026.
Fellowships
Our Lit Fest Fellowships for Emerging Writers and LARKK Fellowships for Writers with Physical Disabilities help defray the costs of a weeklong or weekend advanced workshop for writers with financial need. Applications will open January, 2026.
Craft Seminars
Lit Fest craft seminars give writers of all levels the chance to gain new insight into particular topics, techniques, or genres. Whether you’re interested in learning more about breaking into blogging, creating colorful characters, or perfecting that fight scene, we’ve got a class for you.
Salons + Readings
Stick around after class for our nighttime salons, which feature author panels on a variety of literary topics. Or stay to hear a free reading from Lit Fest participants and instructors, including our visiting authors.
Agent Consultations
Need publishing advice? Our Full-Access Business Pass gets you a one-on-one consultation with Lit Fest's visiting literary agents and editors. Visiting agents and editors will be announced in April.
Weekend Intensives
Want to learn more about a specific element of craft? Dive into the work of a certain writer? Lit Fest weekend intensives offer participants the chance to spend one or two weekends in focused study on a particular topic.
Business Panels
How do you submit to literary magazines? What’s the best way to find an agent? Our daily lunchtime Business Panels provide the advice you need to master the publishing side of writing. Bring a lunch and join us.
Sponsor Lit Fest
Learn how to connect with our community and make an impact on the Lit Fest experience.
Passes
We have passes available for every type of festival goer, from the Glitterati Pass for evening events to full-access passes to seminars and panels.