Literary festival
Encyclopedia
A literary festival, also known as a book festival or writers' festival, is a regular gathering of writer
s and readers, typically on an annual basis in a particular city. A literary festival usually features a variety of presentations and readings by authors, as well as other events, delivered over a period of several days, with the primary objectives of promoting the authors' books and fostering a love of literature and writing.
Writers' conferences are sometimes designed to provide an intellectual and academic focus for groups of writers without the involvement of the general public.
There are many literary festivals held around the world. A non-exhaustive list is set out below, including dates when a festival is usually held (where available).
Asia-Pacific
Europe
Middle East
North America
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
s and readers, typically on an annual basis in a particular city. A literary festival usually features a variety of presentations and readings by authors, as well as other events, delivered over a period of several days, with the primary objectives of promoting the authors' books and fostering a love of literature and writing.
Writers' conferences are sometimes designed to provide an intellectual and academic focus for groups of writers without the involvement of the general public.
There are many literary festivals held around the world. A non-exhaustive list is set out below, including dates when a festival is usually held (where available).
Asia-PacificAsia-PacificAsia-Pacific or Asia Pacific is the part of the world in or near the Western Pacific Ocean...
- Jaipur Literary Festival, January 21-25
- Galle Literary Festival, Sri Lanka, January 27-30
- Adelaide Writers' WeekAdelaide Writers' WeekAdelaide Writers' Week, held in the capital of South Australia and considered one of the world's pre-eminent literary events, is a traditional part of the Adelaide Festival of Arts fortnight where attendees meet and discuss literature with Australian and international writers in "Meet the Author"...
, held during the Adelaide Festival of ArtsAdelaide Festival of ArtsThe Adelaide Festival of Arts is an arts festival held biennially in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Although locally considered to be one of the world's greatest celebrations of the arts, that is internationally renowned and the pre-eminent cultural event in Australia, it is actually... - BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
Writers' Festival, September 29 - October 2 - Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
Book Festival, November 17 - 19, 24 - 26 - Hong Kong Literature Festival, June 30 - July 16
- Hong Kong International Literary FestivalHong Kong International Literary FestivalThe Hong Kong International Literary Festival is an international literary festival held annually in Hong Kong. In recent years the title sponsor of the festival has been Man Investments, a division of Man Group, title sponsor of the Man Booker Prize...
, March 7 - 15 - Karachi Literature FestivalKarachi Literature FestivalKarachi Literature Festival is an annual international literary festival held in Karachi, Pakistan. It is the first festival of its kind in the country. It is one of the world's youngest and fastest growing literary festivals.-Founders :...
, February 5 & 6, 2011. - Kitab in India (see Pablo GanguliPablo GanguliPablo Ganguli is a cultural entrepreneur and impresario who has created and directed several international festivals of arts, literature, media, film, fashion and culture, through his organisation...
) - Kuala LumpurKuala LumpurKuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
International Literary Festival, July 29 - 31 - MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
Writers' Festival, August 19 - 28 - Newcastle, New South WalesNewcastle, New South WalesThe Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
National Young Writers' Festival, September 28 - October 2 - Shanghai International Literary FestivalShanghai International Literary FestivalThe Shanghai International Literary Festival is an annual event held each March in China's largest city, Shanghai.-21st century's new literary event:...
- PerthPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
Writers' Week, February 23 - 1 March - SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
Writers' Festival, October 24 - November 1 - SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
Writers' Festival, May 23 - 29 - Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, October 6 - 10, 2010
- Williamstown Literary FestivalWilliamstown Literary FestivalStarting in 2003, the annual Williamstown Literary Festival has grown into one of Melbourne’s most respected wordfests, attracting some of Australia's best-loved authors....
April 26 - May 1, 2011
EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
- Rencontres aubracRencontres aubracLes Rencontres d'Aubrac is a French literary festival. This event has taken place every last weekend of August in Aubrac, Aveyron , France since 1994.- History :Les Rencontres d'Aubrac is an event aimed both at a specialized and a non-specialized public...
, France, Aveyron - Arty Malta Festival, Valletta (see Pablo GanguliPablo GanguliPablo Ganguli is a cultural entrepreneur and impresario who has created and directed several international festivals of arts, literature, media, film, fashion and culture, through his organisation...
) - Asia House Festival of Asian LiteratureAsia House Festival of Asian LiteratureThe Asia House Festival of Asian Literature, is the first and only Literary festival in the UK dedicated to writing about Asia.The Festival focuses on the newest and best books about Asia or Asians in an annual series of talks and discussions...
, Asia HouseAsia HouseAsia House, is a non-profit, non-political Pan-Asian organisation in the UK. It was founded in 1996 by a small group led by Sir Peter Wakefield, a former diplomat who died aged 89 in December 2010...
, London, May - International Literature Festival BerlinInternational literature festival berlinright|alt=alt text|logo ILB|thumb|ILB logoThe International Literature Festival Berlin also known as ILB,is an annual event based in Berlin. The festival takes place in early autumn and its purpose is to present contemporary developments in prose and poetry from all around the world...
- Cheltenham Literature FestivalCheltenham Literature FestivalThe Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, a large-scale international festival of literature in the Spa town of Cheltenham, and part of Cheltenham Festivals: also responsible for the Jazz, Music and Science Festivals that run every year....
, October 6-15 - Chester Literature FestivalChester Literature FestivalThe Chester Literature Festival is a literary festival held in Chester, UK every October since 1989.The 2009 Shell Chester Literature Festival, is a festival now in its twenty-first year...
, October - Correntes d'Escritas, Póvoa de VarzimPóvoa de VarzimPóvoa de Varzim is a Portuguese city in the Norte Region and sub-region of Greater Porto, with a 2011 estimated population of 63,364. According to the 2001 census, there were 63,470 inhabitants with 42,396 living in the city proper. The urban area expanded, southwards, to Vila do Conde, and there...
, Second half of February (the largest literary festival in Portugal, gathers writers from the Portuguese and Spanish speaking world (Iberian Peninsula, Central and South America and Africa) - Edinburgh International Book FestivalEdinburgh International Book FestivalThe Edinburgh International Book Festival, is a book festival that takes place in the last three weeks of August every year in Charlotte Square, in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital...
, August 13-29, coinciding with the general Edinburgh FestivalEdinburgh FestivalThe Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August... - FestivalandCoFestivalandCoFestivalandCo is a Shakespeare themed literary festival held in Paris, France at the Shakespeare and Company bookstore.Sylvia Whitman founded the biennial festival and FestivalandCo has hosted such writers as Paul Auster, Siri Hustvedt, Jeanette Winterson, David Hare, Jung Chang and Marjane...
, Shakespeare themed literary festival held in Paris, France at the Shakespeare and CompanyShakespeare and Company (bookshop)Shakespeare and Company is the name of two independent bookstores on Paris' Left Bank. The first was opened by Sylvia Beach on 17 November 1919 at 8 rue Dupuytren before moving to larger premises at 12 rue de l'Odéon in the 6th arrondissement in 1922. During the 1920s, it was a gathering place for...
bookstore - FestivaletteraturaFestivaletteraturaFestivaletteratura is a literary fair, held in Mantua, Italy, since 1997. Its peculiar formula is to host five days of small-sized lectures by authors from all over the world. The event is run mostly by volunteers, numbering around 700 in total. The lectures are hosted in historical places and...
, held in Mantova, Italy, at the beginning of September - FolkestoneFolkestoneFolkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
Literary Festival, September 20-25 - The HayHay-on-WyeHay-on-Wye , often described as "the town of books", is a small market town and community in Powys, Wales.-Location:The town lies on the east bank of the River Wye and is within the Brecon Beacons National Park, just north of the Black Mountains...
Festival, May 27-June 5 - Venice Incroci di Civiltà: Incontri internazionali di letteratura a Venezia / Crossings of Civilizations: Literary Meetings in Venice April 13-16, 2011
- Kosmopolis. Amplified Literature Festival. Center of Contemporary Culture. Barcelona. Spain. Oct 23, 2010. March 2011.
- OxfordOxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
Literary Festival, April 10-17 - Peak Literary FestivalPeak Literary FestivalThe Peak Literary Festival is held in the Peak District National Park annually in the Spring and Autumn.-Dates and venues:The Spring Festival is held in May and the Autumn Festival in October...
, October 25 -Nov 5 /May 25 -June6 - Prague Writers FestivalPrague Writers FestivalThe Prague Writers´ Festival is a internationally acknowledged social occasion for great thinkers and eager readers to share important philosophical ideas. The festival takes place annually in springtime in Prague. In 2005 it had its second brief appearance in Vienna, and it has aspirations to...
, June 3-10 - Reykjavík International Literary Festival, (Bókmenntahátíd), since 2000
- Runnymede International Literary Festival, since 2006
- TartuTartuTartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
Literature Festival Prima Vista, Estonia, since 2004 - Word About Town, HastingsHastingsHastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
, November 15-20 - Wordfringe, Festival of New Writing in Aberdeen and North-East Scotland http://www.wordfringe.co.uk/
- Jewel of Russia, St Petersburg(see Pablo GanguliPablo GanguliPablo Ganguli is a cultural entrepreneur and impresario who has created and directed several international festivals of arts, literature, media, film, fashion and culture, through his organisation...
) - AngloMockBa, Moscow (see Pablo GanguliPablo GanguliPablo Ganguli is a cultural entrepreneur and impresario who has created and directed several international festivals of arts, literature, media, film, fashion and culture, through his organisation...
) - International Istanbul Poetry Festival, May 11-16 http://istanbulpoetryfestival.org/
- Istanbul Tanpınar Literature FestivalIstanbul Tanpınar Literature FestivalThe Istanbul Tanpınar Literature Festival, named after the famous modernist Turkish poet, novelist, essayist, and critic Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, is an international literary event held in the city of Istanbul to focus on a variety of genres, and to bring together writers, publishers, literary...
, held in IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey, at the beginning of November http://www.itef.com.tr/en/
Middle EastMiddle EastThe Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
- Istancool (see Pablo GanguliPablo GanguliPablo Ganguli is a cultural entrepreneur and impresario who has created and directed several international festivals of arts, literature, media, film, fashion and culture, through his organisation...
) - Majestic Petra (see Pablo GanguliPablo GanguliPablo Ganguli is a cultural entrepreneur and impresario who has created and directed several international festivals of arts, literature, media, film, fashion and culture, through his organisation...
) - BAI - Dubai International Arts and Literary Festival (see Pablo GanguliPablo GanguliPablo Ganguli is a cultural entrepreneur and impresario who has created and directed several international festivals of arts, literature, media, film, fashion and culture, through his organisation...
)
North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
- AJC Decatur Book Festival, Decatur, GeorgiaDecatur, GeorgiaDecatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...
, September 1–3, 2006 - Antigua and Barbuda International Literary Festival, since 2006, Antigua, West Indies, Nov. 7-9, 2008
- Baltimore Book Festival, since 1996, Baltimore, Maryland, Sept. 25-27, 2009
- Banff Mountain Book FestivalBanff Mountain Book FestivalThe Banff Mountain Book Festival is an annual book festival held at the Banff Centre in Banff, Canada.The following prizes are awarded:*Grand Prize of Canada*Best Book — Mountain Literature*Best Book — Mountain Image*Best Book — Adventure Travel...
, October 31–November 2, 2007 - Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival, April 30-May 3, 2008
- BrattleboroBrattleboro, VermontBrattleboro, originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located in the southeast corner of the state, along the state line with New Hampshire. The population was 12,046 at the 2010 census...
Literary Festival, October 1-3, 2010 - BurlingtonBurlington, VermontBurlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
Book Festival, September 15–17 2006 - Calabash International Literary Festival, since 2001, Jamaica
- The Curwood FestivalCurwood FestivalThe Curwood Festival is a celebration of the American novelist James Oliver Curwood in Owosso, Michigan. Many of his novels were written in Curwood Castle on the banks of the Shiawassee River.-History:...
celebrates the life and writings of James Oliver Curwood the first weeekend of June in Owosso, MI. - Edmonton International Literary Festival, since 2002, Canada’s only Creative Non-fiction Festival
- The Frye Festival, Moncton, New Brunswick, April 23 -27 2008. Honouring Northrop Frye. International cast.
- Greater Reading (PA) Literary Festival "Reading Reads," October, 2009,http://www.ReadingReads.org
- Guadalajara International Book FairGuadalajara International Book FairThe Guadalajara International Book Fair, better known as the FIL is the most important annual event of its kind in the Spanish-speaking world, and the second largest book fair in the world after Frankfurt's. Created in 1987, the FIL is put on by the University of Guadalajara...
, November 27-December 05 2010 - Hollywood Book FestivalHollywood Book FestivalHollywood Book Festival is an annual book festival in Hollywood, California. The festival honors books that deserve greater recognition from the film, television, video gaming and multimedia communities...
, July 28, 2007 - LitquakeLitquakeLitquake is San Francisco's annual literary festival. Originally starting out as Litstock for a single day on July 16, 1999, it ran for two years under the same name before going dark in 2001 after 9/11...
, since 2002, San Francisco, annually in October - Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
Festival of BooksLos Angeles Times Festival of BooksThe Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is a free, public festival celebrating the written word. Started in 1996, the Festival is held on the last weekend of April hosted by the University of Southern California and features vendors, authors and publishers...
, UCLA, Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, late April/early May - Miami Book Fair InternationalMiami Book Fair InternationalThe Miami Book Fair International is an annual literary festival event realized in Miami by Miami Dade College.First called Books by the Bay in 1984, the two-day street fair take place since then at the Florida Center for the Literary Arts in Wolfson Campus...
, DowntownDowntown MiamiDowntown Miami is an urban residential neighborhood, and the central business district of Miami, Miami-Dade County, and South Florida in the United States...
Miami, FloridaMiami, FloridaMiami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
- November - Midwest Literary Festival, Aurora, IllinoisAurora, IllinoisAurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
, 2nd weekend of September [2005, 2006, 2007] - PEN World Voices, the New York Festival of International Literature, New York
- Saskatchewan Festival of Words annually since 1997, Moose Jaw, SK, Canada (July 15-18, 2010)
- Spring Literary Festival, Ohio UniversityOhio UniversityOhio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
, three days, held in May, since 1986 - Ohioana Book Festival, Columbus, OhioColumbus, OhioColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, held in May, since 2007 - Ottawa International Writers Festival, since 1997, twice annually since 2004, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
International Festival of Authors, annually in October - Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival, annually in October
- Virginia Festival of the Book, Charlottesville, VirginiaCharlottesville, VirginiaCharlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
, March 26–30, 2008 - Tennessee Williams/ New Orleans Literary FestivalTennessee Williams/ New Orleans Literary FestivalThe Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival is an annual five-day literary festival in the city of New Orleans. The festival is dedicated to the Pulitzer prize-winning American playwright Tennessee Williams...
, New OrleansNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, annually in March. - Winnipeg International Writers FestivalWinnipeg International Writers FestivalThe Winnipeg International Writers Festival is a Winnipeg, Manitoba based organization that puts together an annual literary festival known as THIN AIR. The festival program runs for a week each fall, and there are also several off-season events regularly occurring throughout the year. Programming...
- Women Writers ConferenceWomen Writers ConferenceThe Kentucky Women Writers Conference had its beginnings in 1979 as a celebration of women writers at the University of Kentucky. That first year featured Maya Angelou, Toni Cade Bambara, Ruth Stone, Alice Walker, and Ruth Whitman...
, The, Lexington, KentuckyLexington, KentuckyLexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, September 11-13, 2008 - Words Alive Literary Festival, since 2007, Sharon, OntarioSharon, OntarioSharon is a former village which has been incorporated into the municipality of the Town of East Gwillimbury, Ontario, Canada, formerly the Township of East Gwillimbury...
at the Sharon TempleSharon TempleThe Temple of the Children of Peace is located in the village of Sharon, Ontario. Generally it is known as the Sharon Temple. It was constructed between 1825 and 1831 by a schismatic Quaker sect led by David Willson on whose property it was built...
National Historic Site and Museum. Next event: September 18, 2010 (corrected date). - Wordstock, in downtown Collingwood, OntarioCollingwood, OntarioCollingwood is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern point of Georgian Bay.-History:...
. Inaugural event: September 11, 2010. - Maine Literary Festival, since 2006, Camden, MaineCamden, MaineCamden is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,254 at the 2000 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is a famous summer colony in the Mid-Coast region of Maine...
, November 7-9, 2008 - Aspen Summer Words, since 1976, Aspen, ColoradoAspen, ColoradoThe City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
, June 20-25, 2010