Lit Fest

    Lit Fest is an eight-day celebration of writers and readers, an extravaganza of weeklong and weekend advanced workshops, craft seminars, readings, salons, business panels, agent meetings, and parties. In 2024, Lit Fest takes place June 7–14.

    Choose workshops and events à la carte or sign up for one of our festival passes for the full experience. Click here to browse the 2023 catalog to get a sense of the programming.

    Visiting Authors for 2024 include fiction writers Steve Almond, Danielle Evans, Vanessa Hua, Alexandra Kleeman, Claire Messud, Jenny Offill, and Maurice Carlos Ruffin; nonfiction writers Emily Rapp Black, Amitava Kumar, T Kira Māhealani Madden, Beth Nguyen, and Meghan O'Rourke; poets Mark Doty, Jane Hirshfield, and Rowan Ricardo Phillips; and novelist/screenwriter Dean Bakopoulos! (The priority deadline to work with these writers has passed, but you can still apply for the waitlist, and they'll all teach separate craft sessions you can join when registration opens.)

    Fellowships in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry will be judged by Tiphanie Yanique, Nadia Owusu, and Forrest Gander

    Visiting agents will be announced in spring 2024. Past visiting agents have included Anna Stein (Curtis Brown), Marya Spence (Janklow & Nesbit), Sarah Fuentes (Fletcher & Co.), Jenny Bent (The Bent Agency), Michelle Brower (Aevitas Creative), Alexa Stark (Trident Media Group), Kristin Nelson (Nelson Literary), Chris Parris-Lamb (Gernert), Duvall Osteen (Aragi), Sally Wofford-Girand (Union), and Tanusri Prasanna (DeFiore & Co.). Lit Fest passholders have the option of meeting one-on-one with an agent during Lit Fest.

    Have questions? Visit our Lit Fest FAQs or give us a call at 303.297.1185.

    Sponsor Lit Fest

    Learn how to connect with our community and make an impact on the Lit Fest experience.

    Advanced Workshops

    Lit Fest features advanced weeklong and weekend courses taught by visiting authors of the highest caliber. Participation is by application only, and classes are limited to 10 (prose) or 12 (poetry and generative workshops) students each. Applications opened on January 2, and while the priority deadline has passed, the waitlist is open for applications.

    Craft Seminars

    Lit Fest craft seminars give writers of all levels the chance to gain new insight into particular topics, techniques, or genres. Whether you’re interested in learning more about breaking into blogging, creating colorful characters, or perfecting that fight scene, we’ve got a class for you.

    Salons + Readings

    Stick around after class for our nighttime salons, which feature author panels on a variety of literary topics. Or stay to hear a free reading from Lit Fest participants and instructors, including our visiting authors.

    Agent Consultations

    Need publishing advice? Our Full-Access Business Pass gets you a one-on-one consultation with Lit Fest's visiting literary agents and editors. Visiting agents and editors will be announced in April.

    Weekend Intensives

    Want to learn more about a specific element of craft? Dive into the work of a certain writer? Lit Fest weekend intensives offer participants the chance to spend one or two weekends in focused study on a particular topic.

    Business Panels

    How do you submit to literary magazines? What’s the best way to find an agent? Our daily lunchtime Business Panels provide the advice you need to master the publishing side of writing. Bring a lunch and join us.

    Fellowships

    Our Lit Fest Fellowships for Emerging Writers help defray the costs of a weeklong or weekend advanced workshop for writers with financial need. Applications will open January 2.

    Passes

    We have passes available for every type of festival goer, from the Glitterati Pass for evening events to full-access passes to seminars and panels. Passes for Lit Fest will be available in April, 2024.

    I’ve learned that Lighthouse thrives on rigor and quality, but never on exclusivity. As is true of how I feel about many things I’ve come to love in Denver, I both do and don’t hope that the rest of the country discovers the power of what exists here.
    —Carrie Esposito