Courtesy of The Writer’s Garret
Audio By Carbonatix
The Dallas Is Lit! literary festival, presented by local nonprofit The Writer’s Garret, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year from Thursday, May 15 to Sunday, May 18.
The organization is moving forward with the annual festival despite recent setbacks, as it is one of several local arts organizations that lost federal funding this year.
The festival kicks off on Thursday night with Hear Me, See Me, a multilingual poetry performance hosted by the Oak Cliff Assembly. The showcase will feature 11 performers, set to blend poetry and spoken word with music and movement. Tickets to Hear Me, See Me are $25.
The festival’s marquee event will take place on Friday at the Texas Theatre, where former United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo will be joined by Dallas’ Jodi Voice Yellowfish for a conversation. Harjo is the first Native American to hold the title of U.S. Poet Laureate in the nation’s history. Tickets to see Harjo are $30.
Following the conversation with Harjo, festivalgoers can stick around the Texas Theatre for Late Night Lit, a live poetry slam competition that begins at 10 p.m. Eight poets will compete in a two-round competition for a $500 cash prize. Tickets are $25.
Saturday, May 17, is set to be an all-day celebration of literature at the Oak Cliff Assembly and Apprentice Creative Space. From 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., a series of free events will take place inside the space, including a book and author fair, a teaching artist panel discussion, a children’s storytime in Spanish, a community open mic and a Hot Ones-style event with four authors eating hot sauces while being interviewed.
Beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday, the Oak Cliff Assembly reopens for a live recital of Langston Hughes’ seminal 1959 Weary Blues album, in which the influential poet read poems over a soft jazz accompaniment. An all-star band of jazz musicians and poets will recreate the album live to close out Saturday’s festivities. General admission tickets are available for $50, while VIP tables are $140 for two people or $250 for four people.
Finally, the festival will come to a close on Sunday, starting with a rom-com brunch beginning at 11 a.m. at the Turner House in Oak Cliff, with tickets available for $50. Later at 5 p.m., the Writer’s Garret will hold a special celebration for its 30th anniversary, followed by a public poetry reading contest at 7 p.m. Both events will be free to attend and held at the Turner House.
For the first time, the festival is offering literati passes in limited quantities. The four-day-long festival pass, which costs $100, saves attendees $30 with tickets to Hear Me, See Me, Joy Harjo, Late Night Lit and Langston Hughes’ Weary Blues. The VIP literati festival pass costs $200 and includes reserved seating at the aforementioned events, plus entry into the rom-com brunch and 10 raffle tickets.
