Lit Fest 2025

Research is a fundamental part of long-form writing projects. Knowing where to find the information and how to access it is a key skill for writers across genres. Background information, facts, and anecdotes all make a story richer and more authoritative. Drawing from journalism and the oral history tradition, this class provides tools for writers working on essays, profiles, memoirs, or novels. We'll create a roadmap for our research and discuss how to prepare and conduct interviews to collect information professionally, responsibly, and ethically.

An accident. A cancer diagnosis. A bold decision. A life saved. A loved one lost. That moment when you saw yourself clearly. These are defining moments—marker moments because they make a mark in which nothing is the same afterward. Marker stories can be written in a variety of nonfiction formats: personal essay, memoir-in-essays, letter, speech, a story for stage or a recording. In this two-hour craft workshop, we’ll read and listen to excerpts from marker stories in each a variety of genres, unpack what makes them poignant and talk about how to get started on our own.

Working on a long poem, story, essay, play, or book? What will it take to finish? Can we do it—or at least create an actionable plan to finish—in a weekend? This intensive will provide solutions and strategies in the form of planning sessions, readings, discussions, writing exercises, charts, and other resources. We’ll cover the role of editors and feedback; myths and benefits of breaks; how to bypass blocks, fears and resistances; and where planning meets plain old knuckling down. Any genre welcome. This may be most useful for work between midway and “almost there.” Let’s find our way to the finish line together.

Are you feeling overwhelmed at how to narrow down which agents might be a good fit for you? Are you querying to no avail? Just wondering how it all works? Join four agents as they tell the candid story of what they do. They’ll share tips and strategies for successfully targeting and querying agents, and give you insights into turnoffs and what not to do. Each agent will share one thing you absolutely must know; you’ll leave with an understanding of the inner workings of publishing and how you can best begin your publishing journey.

ChatGPT is awful. It’s a plagiarist, it lies and fabricates, it will run us out of our jobs… but it’s also free, exploitable, non-human labor! AI can be the answer to our harried dreams: a sometimes-reliable entity to perform research, consolidation, organization, and administrative tasks that would otherwise take us hours or months to do. What are the many ways a writer can use recent technologies to save ourselves valuable time and labor? How much can we trust it, and what are the ways we really shouldn’t? No technical knowledge needed; your instructor doesn’t have any, either.

Discussing his background as a traveling Himalayan poet, our instructor shall share his efforts to build bridges across continents despite being from a small nation. The lecture will explore the unique Himalayan tradition of traveling saints and bards, who played a vital role in shaping the instructor’s world and helping him develop the resilience and inner spirituality needed to establish his niche as a poet. The lecture will turn to the universal, covering how to develop a unique voice, cultivate a clear identity, and position oneself within the literary world.

Hear your favorite visiting author perform their recent works. Shop at the Lit Fest pop-up bookstore operated by The Bookies and get your book signed afterward.