festivals

Join indie author Edie Rhoads as she showcases the local literary treasures of one of America’s most picturesque cities.

Adam Ross, author of the New York Times Notable Book Mr. Peanut, takes us on a tour of his beloved Nashville, "a great secret, cool as all get-out but never self-consciously hip or competitive," with a literary life as vibrant as its musical one.

Author and Tin House Magazine editor Michelle Wildgen serves as our guide to the literary locales of Madison, Wisconsin, a city whose lofty earnestness in everything from food to literature inspired her two novels.

Before heading to the Iowa Summer Writing Festival, held throughout June and July, get acquainted with the reading series, bars, landmarks, and people—including our guide Jan Weissmiller, co-owner of indie bookseller Prairie Lights Books—of designated City of Literature Iowa City. 

As literature concerned with today’s often-grim realities gains new prominence, a handful of literary organizations are highlighting the connection between poetry and politics and strengthening the network of socially conscious writers. 

On his writers tour of Portland, Maine, award-winning author Ron Currie Jr. sets out to "dispel the persistent notion that Maine is intellectually DOA" by showcasing the city's thriving literary scene.

Native New Orleanian John Biguenet, author of seven books and many prizewinning plays, highlights postflood literary New Orleans—"a palimpsest" on which "the past bleeds through the fresh culture now being inscribed over the submerged text, centuries old."

New York Times best-selling author Carolyn Parkhurst shares the bookstores, reading series, and other literary landmarks of Washington, D.C., that make it “a beautiful, vibrant, creative city.”