Amherst College will host the 9th Annual LitFest, a literary festival celebrating fiction, nonfiction, poetry and spoken-word performance, along with the College’s extraordinary literary life. Guest speakers include award-winning authors Natasha Trethewey, Paul Harding, Ed Yong, Blair Kamin ’79 P’15, Lisa Biggs ’93, and other distinguished editors and authors.

Schedule

February 22, 2024

8:00 - 10:00 pm : Spoken Word Slam for Amherst Students      
Host: Daniel Gallant         
The Powerhouse

February 23,2024

5:00 pm : A Conversation with National Book Award winner Justin Torres and finalist Paul Harding      
Moderated by Assistant Professor of English Amelia Worsley      
Introductions and remarks: President Michael Elliott; National Book Foundation Director of Programs and Partnerships, Natalie Gre    
Johnson Chapel      
In partnership with the National Book Foundation and the Jones Library

February 24, 2024

12:30 pm : Craft Talks for Amherst Students: Katie Farris & Ilya Kaminsky (combined class), Paul Harding, Natasha Trethewey and Justin Torres      
     
Converse, various classrooms

3:00 pm : Readings by Amherst Alumni Authors and The Common Student Interns      

Introductions and remarks: Olive Amdur ’23, Literary Editorial Fellow of The Common      
Amherst Alumni Authors: Lisa Biggs ’93, Blair Kamin ’79 P’15 and Anne Pierson Wiese ’85      
The Common interns: Sam Spratford ’24, Sara Wu ’25, Alma Clark ’25, Kei Lim ’25, Morry Ajao ’26, Sophie Durbin ’25      
         
Friendly Reading Room, Library

5:00 pm : Presidential Scholar Natasha Trethewey in Conversation with President Michael A. Elliott      
      
Johnson Chapel, with livestream option      
In partnership with Umass Amherst MFA Program

February 25, 2024

1:00 pm : Phosphorescence Special Edition: A Poetry Event with Ilya Kaminsky & Katie Farris      
Host: Jane Wald, Jane and Robert Keiter Family Executive Director of the Emily Dickinson Museum      
      
Friendly Reading Room, Frost Library, with livestream option

3:00 pm  : An Immense World: Reporting on Science in Challenging Times         
Ed Yong in Conversation with Cullen Murphy ’74 H’19      
     
Johnson Chapel

5:00 pm : Unreliable Narrator: Aparna Nancherla ’05 in Conversation with Jennifer Acker ’00      
      
Johnson Chapel

Date: February 22 - 25, 2024

Location: Various Venues in Amherst, MA 01002.

Click Here for more information.