Beacon LitFest 2024 at the Howland Cultural Center

The second-annual Beacon LitFest at Howland Cultural Center is a three-day celebration of the literary arts, including readings, performances, workshops, and much more. The idea of this festival is to expose audiences to outstanding writers and introduce fresh literary voices. This year's event will run June 7 – 9.

Click here to see the festival schedule and to purchase tickets.

The festival opens on June 7 with a party with food, drinks and entertainment featuring Core Improv and local writers Caroline Eisner, Terry Nelson, Marjorie Lewit, and Magda Schonfeld.

The main program on June 8 will feature a curated program that include readings, interviews, audience Q&A, and a special focus on dramatic adaptations and interpretations of written work. The formidable group of participating writers will include Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan; attorney and multi-award winning author Jode Millman, Esq.; novelist, writer and professor Amitava Kumar, PhD; Abigail Thomas, an acclaimed author of fiction and memoir; Edwin Torres, a performance poet and audience favorite; Timothy Liu (Lui Ti Mo), an award-winning poet and editor of "An Anthology of Gay American Poetry;" Tina Cane, poet, YA author and past poet laureate of Rhode Island; and a special appearance by David Herskovits, multiple OBIE award-winner and founding Artistic Director of Target Margin Theater in NYC. The day will end with book sales and signings hosted by Stanza Books and will include a cocktail party meet-and-greet.

Three workshops are planned for June 9: "Imagination Belongs in Memoir, Too!" at 10 a.m.; "Building Blocks of Fiction" at 12 p.m.; and "Poetry Live Writing" at 2 p.m.