The 35th annual Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival, which celebrates contemporary literature, theater, culture, and the works of playwright Tennessee Williams, will take place March 19-21 and March 24-28. The COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the event in 2020, but this year, it was decided to incorporate the innovative idea of turning the normally in-person celebration into a virtual one.
The first session of the two-weekend event includes a writer's retreat that incorporates writing workshops, marathons, and author events, as well as an agent pitch bootcamp and a presentation by Kindle Direct Publishing. This first weekend also has writer Robert Jones Jr. as a keynote speaker, who will be discussing his debut novel The Prophets. Other authors participating in this first weekend include C. Morgan Babst, Michael Bourne, Ethan Brown, and many more. The event runs from 2 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on March 19, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on March 20, and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 21.
The second weekend will showcase festival traditions with talks and performances by over 100 writers and artists, including Megan Abbott, Matthew Griffin, Randy Fertel, and various others. The weekend will open with a performance by Vieux Carré Cabaret featuring Visantos, LadyBeast, and Franky. Attendees will also have the opportunity to watch an interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright John Patrick Shanley. The event runs from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on March 24, 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on March 25, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on March 26, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on March 27, and 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on March 28.
The virtual festival will also showcase content from its partners: The Historical New Orleans Collection, Garden District Book Shop, and the Diana Pinckley Prizes for Crime Fiction. The eight-day literary arts event, referred to as TWFest, advertises itself as a place to "nurture your artistic spirit," which is perfect for writers, readers, theater aficionados, and anyone who enjoys New Orleans's unique and magical culture.
For
more information and to purchase tickets, visit tennesseewilliams.net.
