When we say Lit Fest 2019 is a two-week celebration of literature, we mean the full two-weeks—day and night. No sleep till Brooklyn June 22!
After your craft seminar or your work/family/daytime obligations, join us for some after hours literary fun at Lit Fest at Night. We'll be hosting parties, free readings, salons, a movie night, and more alongside plenty of good food, good drink, and good people. Salons and parties are both ticketed; choose your favorites below and purchase tickets (or RSVP) to reserve a seat. If you're planning on attend several (or all) of the events, we humbly suggest purchasing a Glitterati Pass.
PARTIES
You can't throw a festival and not have a kickoff and closing party. Admission is $20 for members and $30 for non-members and includes a catered dinner, live music, games, and much more.
Friday, June 7 @ 6:30 to 9:00 PM
Kickoff Party
Come celebrate the kickoff of Lit Fest 2019! We’ll welcome participants and instructors to Denver, and enjoy a catered dinner from Cuba Cuba Cafe and Bar.
Friday, June 21 @ 6:30 to 9:00 PM
Closing Party
Say bon voyage to a great two weeks—in style. We’ll commemorate with a catered dinner from Biju's Little Curry Shop, beer and wine, performances, a photo booth, and a dance floor in the tent. Eat, drink, and be merry, for this is the final day of Lit Fest 2019! (Fainting couches on site.)
FREE READINGS
These events and readings are the best price: free! And open to anyone and everyone, so bring friends, significant others, and (preferably) dogs. Drinks, snacks, food trucks, and lively banter included.
Monday, June 10 @ 8:15 to 9:15 PM
The Lighthouse Reading Show (Week One)
The Lighthouse Reading Show celebrates the diverse talent in the Lighthouse community, featuring the Lit Fest 2019 Emerging Writers Fellows and writers from our youth programs, community engagement programs, and members of our faculty.
Tuesday, June 11 @ 8:15 to 9:15 PM
Lighthouse Faculty and Members Reading (Week One)
Hear from recently published works by Lighthouse faculty and members Cinelle Barnes, Lindsey Drager, Richard Froude, Erika Krouse, R.L. Maizes, Diana Khoi Nguyen, David J. Rothman, and David Heska Wanbli Weiden.
Wednesday, June 12 @ 5:00 to 6:30 PM
The Poetry Collective Reading
Come celebrate the hard work of the Poetry Collective class of 2019 graduates with a reading and ceremony.
Wednesday, June 12 @ 7:00 to 8:30 PM
Visiting Authors Reading (Week One)
Our most popular event! This week’s author reading will feature Rachel Cusk, Melissa Febos, Ross Gay, Sheila Heti, Helen Macdonald, and Donald Margulies.
Thursday, June 13 @ 5:30 to 6:45 PM
The Book Project Reading (Week One)
Come celebrate the hard work of the Book Project class of 2019 graduates with a reading and ceremony.
Friday, June 14 @ 5:30 to 6:45 PM
Open Mic Reading
Join fellow Lit Fest 2019 participants for an opportunity to read a brief contribution in the tent.
Monday, June 17 @ 8:15 to 9:15 PM
The Lighthouse Reading Show (Week Two)
The Lighthouse Reading Show celebrates the diverse talent in the Lighthouse community, featuring the Lit Fest 2019 Emerging Writers Fellows and writers from our youth programs, community engagement programs, and members of our faculty.
Tuesday, June 18 @ 8:15 to 9:15 PM
Lighthouse Faculty and Members Reading (Week Two)
Hear from recently published works by Lighthouse faculty and members Elissa Bassist, Andrea Bobotis, Elisa Gabbert, Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Wendy J. Fox, and Jennifer Wortman.
Wednesday, June 19 @ 7:00 to 8:30 PM
Visiting Authors Reading (Week Two)
Our most popular event! This week’s author reading will feature Julie Buntin, Alexander Chee, Gabe Habash, Amitava Kumar, and Mary Ruefle.
Thursday, June 20 @ 5:30 to 6:45 PM
The Book Project Reading (Week Two)
Come celebrate the hard work of the Book Project class of 2019 graduates with a reading and ceremony.
SALONS
Salons are informal, dynamic discussions and performances featuring three or more speakers with varying perspectives on a theme. Admission is $20 for members and $30 for non-members, and includes a catered meal and beverages. Come 30 to 45 minutes early to eat and grab a spot!
Saturday, June 8 @ 7:00 to 8:00 PM
Is It Really All About You? with Steve Almond, Christopher Castellani, and Diana Khoi Nguyen
Even if Virginia Woolf claims that all writing is autobiographical, most artists deal with real-life influences in nuanced ways—some directly, some indirectly, and some avoid it altogether. With this lively group of thinkers and writers, we’ll explore the ups, downs, ins, outs, high times, and doldrums of writing from life. We’ll begin the night with a short reading from each author’s work. Includes catering from Biju's Little Curry Shop; vegan and gluten free options available.
Monday, June 10 @ 7:00 to 8:00 PM
Writing/Thinking/Flowing/Weeping with Dan Beachy-Quick, Rachel Cusk, Melissa Febos, and Sheila Heti
This panel of writers—known for being deep thinkers—will tackle the problems of intellect vs. feeling, the conceptual vs. the intuitive, and what to do when these swirling impulses create artistic breakdowns. There will likely be laughter, some crying, and lots of pondering. Includes catering from Watercourse Foods. (It's meat-free Monday, so all options will be vegetarian; vegan and gluten free options available.)
Tuesday, June 11 @ 7:00 to 8:00 PM
Storytelling Night with Raconteur Denver: Family with Mario Acevedo, Carleen Brice, and Nadia Bolz-Weber
Join Lighthouse and Raconteur Denver for a night of lively storytelling with some of our funniest, most engaging presenters riffing on the theme of family. Enjoy these unforgettable tales and then share your own story (in three minutes or less) during the flash audience segment. Includes catering from Jerusalem Restaurant; vegan and gluten free options available.
Thursday, June 13 @ 7:00 to 8:00 PM
The Not-So-Secret Garden with Ross Gay, Alexander Lumans, Helen Macdonald, and Sasha Steensen
From gardens to urban parks to remote wilderness, the natural world has long served as a refuge for writers, bringing delight and inspiration. Today, we’re facing a fallen world: the wild is imperiled and that refuge is increasingly threatened by climate change. Our panelists will talk (or stress out about) wildness and literature, and the influence apocalyptic climate change has on writing. Includes catering from Onefold; vegan and gluten free options available.
Friday, June 14 @ 7:00 to 9:30 PM
Movie Night: “The End of the Tour” Screening + The Art of Adaptation with Diane Bell and Donald Margulies
Join Pulitzer Prize-winning screenwriter Donald Margulies and independent filmmaker Diane Bell for a discussion about the challenges and opportunities of adapting books and stories to film. Before the discussion, there’ll be a screening of the acclaimed film “The End of the Tour,” which Margulies adapted from David Lipsky’s bestselling memoir, Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace. Includes catering from Saucy Bombay; vegan and gluten free options available.
Saturday, June 15 @ 7:00 to 8:00 PM
Edge of Laughter with Sommer Browning, Sloane Crosley, Erika L. Sánchez, and Curtis Sittenfeld
Humor can bring great depth to the fraught things in life (and writing). Panelists will read a short contribution from their own work and then discuss the contours of humor in writing: the funny end result, but just as importantly, the darker elements that get you there. Includes catering from Illegal Pete's; vegan and gluten free options available.
Monday, June 17 @ 7:00 to 8:00 PM
Dumpster Fyre: Money in Literature with Julie Buntin, John Cotter, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, and Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
Is it all a scam? A mirage? The elephant in the room? You can’t always see it, but you know it’s there. From paltry freelance checks and on-your-own-dime book tours to six-figure advances and New York Times reviews, the literary world reflects greater trends of inequality, luck, and hustling to make art. Our panelists will explore how money works in capital-L Literature, how it doesn’t, and ways to succeed with or without it. Includes catering from Watercourse Foods. (It's meat-free Monday, so all options will be vegetarian; vegan and gluten free options available.)
Tuesday, June 18 @ 7:00 to 8:00 PM
To Tweet or Not to Tweet with Elisa Gabbert, Gabe Habash, Diana Khoi Nguyen, and Mary Ruefle
Is “only connect!” still a worthy mantra of the contemporary writer? We now face distractions and news and factoids and memes on a scale we’ve never seen before. Is it our duty and opportunity to engage more fully with the world? Or is constant connectivity an obstacle to the kind of focus and privacy required to make lasting art? (What does Google say?) Our panelists will debate the necessary evils of engaging with the world or shutting it out in the service of writing. Includes catering from No Ke Aloha; vegan and gluten free options available.
Thursday, June 20 @ 7:00 to 8:00 PM
Storytelling Night with The Narrators Denver: My Misspent Youth with Elissa Bassist, Alexander Chee, Amitava Kumar, and Amanda Rea
Join Lighthouse and The Narrators Denver for a night of lively storytelling with featured presenters who will tell tales of being nerdy, embarrassing, overly sensitive teens who had no choice but to become writers. Sit back and enjoy these cringe-worthy tales, and share one of your own! Includes catering from Sexy Pizza; vegan and gluten free options available.
And in case you missed it, we've got Lit Fest 2019 guides for dramatic writing, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and YA/MG. See you in June!
