Get your drink of choice prepared and get ready to play this virtual and new literature-themed drinking game- Litraturally (lit·er·a·ture·al·ly) Buzzed! Adult fun that combined books and booze and was sure to keep participants hydrated! This new game was perfect for kicking off, spicing up, or polishing off your evening with some book-themed activity!

In partnership with the Clements Center for Southwest Studies.

With opening remarks by the Dean of SMU’s Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Thomas DiPiero.

Writers' words should speak loudly and readers should heal, gain knowledge, stay resilient, escape within the pages of a book, and come together to celebrate the literary arts. David Treuer, author of The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee and DaMaris B. Hill, author of Breath Better Spent, opened the first in-person revival of the Dallas Literary Festival, presented by SMU.

Hosted by the Dallas Public Libraries

A discussion of Romance novels & Feminism was held with these professional romance readers. Led by Melody Carlisle, host of the nationally acclaimed romance podcast- Heaving Bosoms, joined by Leah Koch, owner of the first-ever all romance book store- The Ripped Bodice, Professor Jayashree Kamblé, Associate Professor of English at LaGuardia Community College and Nisha Sharma, author of Dating Dr. Dil, coming out March 15!

Hosted by the Dallas Public Libraries

We listened to poet Alejandra Ramos Gómez as she discussed her experiences with using poetry and spoken word as a method for self-empowerment. She also be recited some of her work from her debut bilingual poetry book, Imperfecta. The program was geared towards teens and adults. It was a bilingual event. The Dallas Public Library would like to thank the Office of Arts and Culture for having made this program possible.

Hosted by the Dallas Public Libraries

We visited the Pleasant Grove Branch Library for a special art workshop where we took recycled book pages and created poetry through negative space. The theme for inspiration is resilience. Free and fun for all ages. Art supplies were provided in English and Spanish. Participants were able to take their creations home or leave them for special poetry month display at the library for April.

Hosted by the Dallas Public Libraries

Editing: Doing it yourself? Doing it for others? Or having someone do it for you? This program covered all three approaches to editing and editing short samples of work to demonstrate the processes.

Local young adult author of Secrets of the Casa Rosada spoke about her new book Half Outlaw, which will be released in July, 2022.

Hosted by the Dallas Public Libraries

Ever wanted to create your own story? Many picked up a story-building kit and started creating their own literary adventure. Notebook, pencils and author guides were included in the kit. Many reserved their set to start writing their amazing stories.

Hosted by the Dallas Public Libraries

A choose your own adventure walk that takes you on a Shakespearian adventure around downtown. Begin at the library and follow the clues. Clues will take you to different businesses around downtown, all determined by the choices you make. Stop to shop or have a snack along your walk if you like. Some paths lead to prizes! Which adventure will you choose?

Hosted by the South Dallas Cultural Center

We celebrated National Women’s History Month by discovering poetry written by and for women of the African Diaspora. In this 90-minute adult workshop, guests learned about the life and times, what influenced the writing styles of Alice Walker and Nikki Giovanni, and how their work have inspired contemporary artist. Lastly, participants created their own works of poetry.

Started in 2016 by Courtney Marie and Sebastián H. Páramo, Deep Ellum Lit Hop is back and was excited to have joined Dallas Literary Festival to highlight local and internationally celebrated authors. This was an evening of word and hop around from Trinity Cider, Kettle Art, Deep Vellum Bookstore, and more. Click on the event to learn more.

Hosted by the SMU Friends of the Library

The Tables of Content fundraising dinner featured round tables of engaging discussion with fascinating table hosts on a variety of topics. The evening celebrated the presentation of the Literati Award, honoring individuals who have used the written word to advance the ideals of creativity, conviction, innovation and scholarship and who have had a significant impact on culture and the community through their work.

Author Alysia Harris conversed with Artstillery founder, Ilknur Ozgur, Artstillery core team member, Morgana Wilborn, and CEO of the Dallas Poetry Slam, Sherrie Zantea. Artstillery is a community organization founded in 2016 and based in Dallas, Texas that creates performances centered around issues of racial, cultural, and social injustice. Dallas Poetry Slam is an inclusive space for literary artists, providing a platform that highlights poetry in both the local and National communities since 1994.

Agents Ali Kominsky and Austin Miller (Dupree Miller and Associates) discussed how to find a good agent, and answered all your questions about the process during an extended Q&A session.

Dr. Sharron Conrad (mod) conversed with Dr. Randal Jelks, author of Letters to Martin: Meditations on Democracy in Black America; Brittany K. Barnett, attorney and author of A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom; and Erin I. Kelly, co-author of Chasing Me To My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South (also authored by, and telling the story of, Winfred Rembert).

PEN America held an intimate conversation with, Deb Olin Unferth, Randall Horton, and Caits Meissner as they explored writing's power to facilitate a creative life during and after prison, and what those of us on the outside can learn from writers who have either experienced or are currently involved in America's injustice system, through the lens of their recently released books.

Lisa Renee Johnson, author of Surviving the Chase (mod) conversed with Janis Faye Kearney, author of Mahalia: Orphan Queen and Sojourner for Truth; Lolita Allen, Owner/Founder of Dallas’ “Divas Read 2” book club; and Richard Gonzales, author of Raza Rising, Chicanos in North Texas and Deer Dancer.

Veteran journalist and professor Neil Foote conversed with Gordy Sauer, author of Child in the Valley; Catherine Jean Prendergast, author of The Gilded Edge; and Dionne Bremyer, author of Quint: A Novel.

Lee Barrett, Attorney and author of Barge Pilot: A Novel, conversed with Dallas-based attorney Brian Cuban. Cuban’s newest book, The Ambulance Chaser, was the #1 debut selling debut paperback thriller upon its release in December of 2021.

Cole Lavalais, author of Summer of the Cicadas and Kimbilio fellow (mod), conversed with Rosalyn Story (Kimbilio), author of Sing Her Name; Randall Horton (Cave Canem), author of Dead Weight: A Memoir in Essays; and Roger Reeves (Cave Canem), author of Best Barbarian: Poems.

Poet and educator Kim Nall, conversed with Dustin Pearson, author of A Season in Hell with Rimbaud and Darius Frasure, author of Of Stone and Rope.

Donovan Lewis, The Ticket Radio Co-Host, “The Great Donovan,” or “Donnie-Doo,” conversed with Eric Dickerson -- NFL Hall of Fame Running Back, Sports Analyst, and, now, Author. After a prolific, and often contentious, career, Dickerson is ready to tell his side of the story in his new book, Watch My Smoke – and he held nothing back.

In Partnership with #TeenWritersProject

Moderated by Stacey Megally, Contest Editor, and Delmetria Millener, #TeenWritersProject Founder. Winners were announced during this event.

Scott Branks conversed with Morgan Christie, author of These Bodies; Reyes Ramirez, author of The Book of Wanderers; M Shelly Conner, author of everyman, and Leticia Urieta, author of Las Criaturas.

In partnership with SMU’s J.S. Bridwell Library

An exploration of forms of writing, reading, literary consciousness, literacy, and books as they are inspired by, or attached to, geographic spaces and landscapes; emphasizing human versus naturally made environments. With Anthony Elia, composer and J.S. Bridwell Foundation Endowed Librarian and Director of Bridwell Library.

Vanessa Sims conversed with Andrea Laurent Simpson, author of Just Like Family: How Companion Animals Joined the Household; W. Bruce Cameron, author of A Dog’s Purpose; and Flint Mitchell, author of Seeking Authenticity.

Author Richard Gonzales (mod) conversed with Rachel Pilcher, publisher at Sleeping Panther Press; Sylvana Avila Alonzo, contributor to and editor of Voces: A Lyric Anthology de Nuestro Pueblo; and Louie T. McClain II, author of Brick by Brick: A Snippet of the Life of Booker T. Washington.

Lexie Okeke (mod) conversed with Jewel Shelton, author of Tribulations of the Heart: An Over the Top Love Story; Rudy Ruiz, author of The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez.

In partnership with the SMU Student Senate and the Tate Lecture Series

A Lecture from Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and author of The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story and 2021 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work-Nonfiction, Nikole Hannah-Jones.

Moderated by Executive Director of the Dallas Literary Festival and award-winning author of the novel, Mourner’s Bench, Sanderia Faye Smith.

In bestselling biographies, historian and author Walter Isaacson explored the brilliance of disruptors as varied as Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs. In his latest book, The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race (2021), Isaacson offered a gripping account of the pioneering research in CRISPR gene editing by the Nobel Prize-winning biochemist and her collaborators, including their recent work in developing and sharing COVID-19 diagnostic tools.

Southwest Review presents an evening with two Texas films as part of the Dallas Literary Festival. The first is a classic of the 1970s New Hollywood era. Set in a small, dying town in North Texas, The Last Picture Show was adapted from a 1966 novel by Larry McMurtry.

On the second half of the bill is Josh David Jordan’s This World Won’t Break. A Q & A with the director and the novelist (and SwR movie columnist) William Boyle will follow the screening. The evening will close with a concert by Greg Schroeder, the actor and real-life musician who plays the role of Wes in the film.

Professor and scholar Dr. David D. Doyle conversed with Nathan Harris, author of The Sweetness of Water. Harris’ debut novel was selected to be part of Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club and was long-listed for the Booker Prize and the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Nathan Harris is also the recipient of the Ernest Gaines J. Award for Literary Excellence.

Arts writer and critic Lauren Smart conversed with Elisa Shua Dusapin whose book Winter in Sokcho won the 2021 National Book Award for Translated Literature; Simon Han, author of Nights When Nothing Happened; and James Wade, author of River, Sing Out.

Poet Jerriod Avant (mod) conversed with Roger Reeves, author of Best Barbarian: Poems; Mag Gabbert, author of Minml Poems; and Tomás Morín, author of Machete: Poems.

Tamera Hurdle (mod) conversed with Jonathan Norton, playwright for Penny Candy, and Kendra Allen, author of The Collection Plate.

Author Brian Fehler (mod) conversed with Clay G. Small, author of The Forger’s Forgery; Kathleen Kent, author of The Pledge; and David Searcy, author of The Tiny Bee that Hovers at the Center of the World.  

Lori Feathers, Interabang Books, conversed with Javier Garcia del Moral, The Wild Detectives; Cicely Renee Carr, Kindred Spirits; and Claudia Vega, Whose Books.

Author, activist, and founder of Black Images Book Bazaar, Emma Rodgers (mod) conversed with Jim Schutze, author of The Accommodation and commissioner John Wiley Price.

Author Alex Temblador (mod) conversed with Zac Crain, author of I See You Big German; Dalia Azim, author of Country of Origin; and Sophia Terazawa, author of Winter Phoenix.

This free event was held as part of the Dallas Literary Festival presented by SMU, featuring Dawnie Wilson and her powerful debut novel, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, named a “Best Book of 2021” by Barack Obama, NPR, the Washington Post, and more.

Donna Wilhelm Family President and Executive Director of TACA (The Arts Community Alliance), Terry Loftis interviewed author Daniel Black. Black’s newest work, Don’t Cry for Me, tells the story of a Black father who makes amends with his gay son while on his deathbed.

Hannah Waltz, the U.S. Free Expression Coordinator for PEN America, (mod) conversed with journalist and author of The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto, Charles Blow; acclaimed journalist and op-ed columnist for the New York Times who appears frequently on CNN, Tom Huang; and National President of the Society of Professional Journalists, and Rebecca Aguilar, National President of the Society of Professional Journalist.

Journalist and Professor Karen Thomas moderated a conversation with chef and author Adrian Miller, Texas Monthly’s José Ralat, author of American Tacos: A History and Guide, and Brent Reaves, owner of Smokey John’s Barbeque, about the history of African Americans and the United States of barbeque.

Founder of Interabang Books and Republic of Consciousness Prize Judge, Lori Feathers (mod) conversed with Ben Fountain, author of Beautiful Country Burn Again and fellow Republic of Consciousness Judge; Joe Milazzo, Editor-in-Chief of Surveyor Books; and Rosalyn Story, author of Sing Her Name.

Author Susan Norman (mod) conversed with Lori Stephens, author of Blue Running and Novalee and the Spider Secret; Samantha Mabry, author of Tigers, Not Daughters; Lyla Lee, author of I’ll Be the One; and Christopher John Farley, author of Zero O’Clock.

Zuri Bryant (mod) conversed with Kevin Dedner, author of The Joy of the Disinherited: Essays on Trauma, Oppression, and Black Mental Health; Ivan Maisel, author of I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye; and Jonathan Malesic, author of The End of Burnout.

Poet R. Flowers Rivera conversed with Mark D. McCoy, archaeologist and author of Maps for Time Travelers: How Archaeologists Use Technology to Bring Us Closer to the Past; scholar and author Toni Muñoz-Hunt; Robin Myrick, author of I Am This State of Emergency; and Chris George, author of The Occultation.