Wilkes University will host the third annual LitFest, sponsored by the Maslow Family Graduate Program in Creative Writing, from June 17 to 22 as part of the program’s annual June residency.
The celebration of the written word features literary readings and book signings from program alumni, faculty and guest artists.
“Journey of the Book” kicks off LitFest on Saturday, June 17, with a discussion and celebration of the origin, development and publication of recent releases from faculty mentors Philip Brady, Shanta Lee and Nisha Sharma. The evening, held in the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts, will be hosted by program alumna Julie Sidoni Yelen.
The week-long event features a Juneteenth celebration of Black authors on Monday, June 19, with interviews and readings from graphic novelist R. Alan Brooks, essayist Robin McCrary, and spoken word artist Angelique Palmer. While enjoying the evening on the Fenner Quadrangle, guests can purchase a meal from Sammy’s Caribbean Grill food truck. Beer and wine will be available for purchase for those 21+.
LitFest wraps on Thursday, June 22, on the Fenner Quadrangle, with readings from guest artists Alexis Paige, Ursula Villarreal-Moura, and Alexander Chee.
Additional highlights from LitFest include:
- Alumni readings and a poetic tribute to late alumna Jennifer Diskin featuring Dawn Colangelo Leas, Maxwell Baumann and Suzanne Ohlmann on Sunday, June 18, on the Fenner Quadrangle.
- Faculty readings featuring Christine Gelineau, Kaylie Jones, Robert Mooney and Jeff Talarigo on Tuesday, June 20, on the Fenner Quadrangle.
- Playwrights’ Night featuring staged readings of original works by faculty mentor Bonnie Culver and alumni Matthew Hinton and Juliette Dunn, on Wednesday, June 21, at the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts.
All readings begin at 7 p.m. LitFest events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit wilkes.edu/cw.
