Loading…
Lit Fest 2025
Type: Nonfiction/Memoir clear filter
arrow_back View All Dates
Tuesday, June 10
 

9:00am MDT

The Radical Four-Act Eastern Storytelling Structure (V)
Tuesday June 10, 2025 9:00am - 11:00am MDT
Zoom
Register
Discussions in the West around diversity in the arts often focus on the identities of characters and creators. However, true diversity is about more than just plopping different faces into stories that are 100 percent Western in spirit; it can―and should―encompass diverse structures, themes, and values. The program explores how storytelling staples in the West, such as the three-act structure and themes of empowerment and change, are far from universal. It introduces viewers to the East Asian four-act story structure and explains how Eastern value systems such as collectivism can dictate form.
Speakers
avatar for Henry Lien

Henry Lien

Instructor
Henry Lien is a 2012 graduate of Clarion West Writers Workshop, Seattle. He is the author of the critically-acclaimed and award-winning Peasprout Chen middle grade fantasy series, which he began writing under the guidance of George R.R. Martin, Kelly Link, and Chuck Palahniuk at Clarion... Read More →
Tuesday June 10, 2025 9:00am - 11:00am MDT
Zoom
  Fiction   Nonfiction/Memoir   Poetry   Dramatic Writing   YA/Children's

1:30pm MDT

Diving Into the Wreck—Finding Your Obsessions
Tuesday June 10, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm MDT
Lighthouse
Register
Denis Johnson said, “The stories of the fallen world lay inside us. That’s the interesting stuff.” At our best, we all write about that slice of experience and knowledge that haunts and obsesses us. Does it have to be dark or fallen? No. But it has to be true to the deepest corners of your consciousness. In this seminar, we’ll look at what you write about and why. We’ll find the richest avenues for you to pursue, to set you off from the pack.
Speakers
avatar for William Haywood Henderson

William Haywood Henderson

Instructor
William Haywood Henderson earned a BA in English from the University of California at Berkeley, an MA in creative writing from Brown University, and attended Stanford University as a Wallace Stegner Fellow in Creative Writing. He is the author of three novels: Native, The Rest of... Read More →
Tuesday June 10, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm MDT
Lighthouse 3870 York Street Denver, CO 80205
  Fiction   Nonfiction/Memoir   Poetry   Hybrid   Dramatic Writing

1:30pm MDT

The Art of Literary Submission
Tuesday June 10, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm MDT
Lighthouse
Register
You've been polishing your writing and you're ready to submit it to literary journals, but just how do you do that? In this seminar, we'll learn about many of the journals waiting for your work. We'll discuss cover letters, tracking your submissions, useful websites, how to gauge whether you received a "good" rejection, and how to know when to keep submitting a piece, pull it for revisions, or put it in the recycle pile. By the end of this seminar, you'll be armed with a thick-anti-rejection hide and a list of journals to submit your work to.
Speakers
avatar for Jenny Shank

Jenny Shank

Instructor
Jenny Shank's short story collection, Mixed Company, won the George Garrett Fiction Prize and is a finalist for the Colorado Book Award (General Fiction). Jenny Shank's novel, The Ringer, won the High Plains Book Award in fiction, was a finalist for the Mountains & Plains Independent... Read More →
Tuesday June 10, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm MDT
Lighthouse 3870 York Street Denver, CO 80205
  Fiction   Nonfiction/Memoir   Poetry   Hybrid   Publishing/Career

1:30pm MDT

Letter to a Stranger
Tuesday June 10, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm MDT
Lighthouse
Register
Each of us is haunted, in both great and odd ways, by the people we meet. And it so often happens that the person is a total stranger—one who then unexpectedly changes us—that we never see again. But if you had the chance to speak to this stranger today, what would you say? This class, inspired by the anthology Letter to a Stranger, will guide you through the process of considering how a stranger has impacted you. Then, we’ll draft a letter to this stranger, a letter that will explore how they unknowingly redirected the river of your life.
Speakers
avatar for Alexander Lumans

Alexander Lumans

Instructor
Alexander Lumans was awarded a 2018 NEA Creative Writing Grant in Fiction. He received fellowships in 2015 and 2024 for expeditions with The Arctic Circle Residency and he was the Spring 2014 Philip Roth Resident at Bucknell University. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in... Read More →
Tuesday June 10, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm MDT
Lighthouse 3870 York Street Denver, CO 80205
  Nonfiction/Memoir

4:00pm MDT

Place-Based Writing (V)
Tuesday June 10, 2025 4:00pm - 6:00pm MDT
Zoom
Register
Place is deeper than setting; instead it articulates a unique landscape that is both emotional and physical. This workshop offers practices for infusing your stories and essays with a sense of place. How do we evoke it and how can we infuse our work with the power of place?
Speakers
avatar for Karen Auvinen

Karen Auvinen

Instructor
Karen Auvinen (she/her/hers) is poet, mountain woman, life-long westerner, writer, and the author of the memoir Rough Beauty: Forty Seasons of Mountain Living, a finalist for the 2019 Colorado Book Award. Her body of work traverses the intersection of landscape and place, examining... Read More →
Tuesday June 10, 2025 4:00pm - 6:00pm MDT
Zoom
  Fiction   Nonfiction/Memoir

4:00pm MDT

How to Write Riveting Scenes
Tuesday June 10, 2025 4:00pm - 6:00pm MDT
Lighthouse
Register
The key to any unforgettable work of prose resides in the quality of its scenes. In this class, we’ll examine some of the best scenes ever written by writers such as Megha Majumdar and Grace Talusan and investigate what it takes to write a scene that deepens our sense of character and conflict and escalates the action. Then we’ll work on an exercise to bring the lessons home.
Speakers
avatar for Steve Almond

Steve Almond

Visiting Author
Steve Almond [www.stevealmondjoy.org] is the author of a dozen books, including the New York Times bestsellers Candyfreak and Against Football. His first novel, Which Brings Me to You (co-written with Julianna Baggott) was made into a major motion picture starring Lucy Hale. His second... Read More →
Tuesday June 10, 2025 4:00pm - 6:00pm MDT
Lighthouse 3870 York Street Denver, CO 80205
  Fiction   Nonfiction/Memoir   Hybrid

4:00pm MDT

Find Your Unique Style
Tuesday June 10, 2025 4:00pm - 6:00pm MDT
Lighthouse
Register
Your style is yours alone. Readers will return to your writing again and again because they like the way you shape consciousness on the page. In this seminar, we’ll dig into your style, decide on what sets you apart, then hone your unique voice. You’ll come away with a clear sense of your true self on the page.
Speakers
avatar for William Haywood Henderson

William Haywood Henderson

Instructor
William Haywood Henderson earned a BA in English from the University of California at Berkeley, an MA in creative writing from Brown University, and attended Stanford University as a Wallace Stegner Fellow in Creative Writing. He is the author of three novels: Native, The Rest of... Read More →
Tuesday June 10, 2025 4:00pm - 6:00pm MDT
Lighthouse 3870 York Street Denver, CO 80205
  Fiction   Nonfiction/Memoir   Poetry   Hybrid   Dramatic Writing   YA/Children's

4:00pm MDT

To Outline or Blast Ahead? That is the Question
Tuesday June 10, 2025 4:00pm - 6:00pm MDT
Lighthouse
Register
Many novelist and memoirists swear by the outlining method, touting its efficiency and speed. Other writers feel constricted by the outlining process and prefer to write “by the seat of their pants.” How do you determine the best method for your novel or memoir? In this seminar, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of both methods, look at how they might apply to your particular project, and explore key questions to help you determine the best path forward for your individual situation.
Speakers
CS
Tuesday June 10, 2025 4:00pm - 6:00pm MDT
Lighthouse 3870 York Street Denver, CO 80205
  Fiction   Nonfiction/Memoir   YA/Children's

4:30pm MDT

Lit Fest Fellows Reading
Tuesday June 10, 2025 4:30pm - 6:00pm MDT
Lighthouse
Register
Help us celebrate the exceptional talent among this year’s Lit Fest Fellowship finalists and winners. Happy hour beverages and snacks available.

Our lineup so far:

Fellowship for Emerging Writers
Poetry: Sydney Mayes (selected by Rowan Ricardo Phillips)
Fiction: Mika Taylor (selected by Megha Majumdar)
Nonfiction: T Abeyta (selected by Mark Sundeen)

Veteran Writing Awardees (selected by Benjamin Hertwig):
Enrique Gautier
Matt Gallagher

LARRK Fellowship Winners:
Shelby Pinkham
Iggy Shuler

Speakers
MI
Tuesday June 10, 2025 4:30pm - 6:00pm MDT
Lighthouse 3870 York Street Denver, CO 80205
  Fiction   Nonfiction/Memoir   Hybrid   Poetry

7:00pm MDT

Visiting Authors Reading: Steve Almond, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Eduardo Corral, and Paul Harding
Tuesday June 10, 2025 7:00pm - 8:15pm MDT
Lighthouse
Register
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.
Speakers
MI
Tuesday June 10, 2025 7:00pm - 8:15pm MDT
Lighthouse 3870 York Street Denver, CO 80205
  Fiction   Nonfiction/Memoir   Hybrid   Poetry

7:00pm MDT

Visiting Authors Reading: Steve Almond, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Eduardo Corral, and Paul Harding (Livestream)
Tuesday June 10, 2025 7:00pm - 8:15pm MDT
Zoom
Register
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.
Speakers
MI
Tuesday June 10, 2025 7:00pm - 8:15pm MDT
Zoom
  Fiction   Nonfiction/Memoir   Hybrid   Poetry
 
Share Modal

Share this link via

Or copy link

Filter sessions
Apply filters to sessions.
Filtered by Date - 
Clear filter
Friday, June 6
Saturday, June 7
Sunday, June 8
Monday, June 9
Tuesday, June 10
Wednesday, June 11
Thursday, June 12
Friday, June 13
Lighthouse
Zoom
  • All Genres
  • Dramatic Writing
  • Fiction
  • Hybrid
  • Nonfiction/Memoir
  • Poetry
  • Publishing/Career
  • YA/Children's
  • Audience
  • Advanced Workshop
  • Craft Seminar
  • Event
  • Lunchtime Business Panel
  • Two-Day Intensive