Book lovers far and wide will descend on the Santa Fe Community Convention Center this month for the chance to meet their favorite authors at the Santa Fe International Literary Festival.
This year’s headliners include pioneering young adult fiction writer Judy Blume; National Book Award winner James McBride; Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson; current U.S. poet laureate Arthur Sze and former U.S. poet laureate Ada Limón; “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous†author Ocean Vuong; bestselling satirical thriller writer Carl Hiaasen; Booker Prize finalist Colm TóibÃn; and graphic novelist Alison Bechdel, among others.
Carmella Padilla, who co-founded the Santa Fe International Literary Festival with Clare Hertel and Mark Bryant, emphasized the festival’s diversity.
“We’ve got fiction and nonfiction and journalism and poetry — all these different ways of expressing ourselves in the world,†Padilla said. “… There’s really something for everyone. That sounds cliche and corny, but it’s true.â€
This year’s festival was curated by Laura Hohnhold, a longtime magazine and book editor, in collaboration with the festival’s executive director, Megan Mulry.
“As you can imagine, it’s very unscientific,†Hohnhold said of the process of selecting the authors. “… Agents help us a lot, because they can tell us what’s coming down the line that might not even be out in the open yet … and they have a sense of what might be a big book. … We also get recommendations from festival attendees. We take all of that into account.â€
WORK IN PROGRESS: Logan Royce Beitmen sits down with author Priyanka Kumar in the latest episode of Work in Progress. Coming soon, Beitmen talks to Santa Fe Literary Festival guest authors Brandon Hobson and Colm TóibÃn.
The festival officially kicks off Friday, May 15, with an opening night reception, followed by a presentation by Wilkerson, author of “The Warmth of Other Suns†and “Caste.†The festival runs through Sunday, May 17.
There are several prefestival events around town, as well. These include a full-day excursion to the D.H. Lawrence Ranch in Taos, film screenings at Santa Fe’s Sky Cinemas and free events with festival authors at local bookstores and art galleries. For a complete schedule, or to purchase tickets, visit sfinternationallitfest.org.
Some festival events are already sold out, including the May 16 talk by Bechdel, an LGBTQ+ icon who popularized the Bechdel-Wallace Test used in feminist film criticism. Bechdel will also be speaking at the South Broadway Cultural Center in Albuquerque on Wednesday, May 13, and tickets to that event may be purchased at lesbianearth.com. Additionally, there will be a reception for Bechdel on Thursday, May 14, at Daniel Cooney Fine Art, 1600 Lena St., Suite F5, in Santa Fe, which is free and open to the public.
Festival organizers said they try to balance intimacy with inclusivity.
“One of the reasons that this festival stands out is that it’s not huge,†Padilla said. “I mean, it’s huge in terms of the names we’re attracting, but you can go to other literary festivals that are huge affairs with lots and lots of people, (whereas) we’re still managing to focus on the visitor experience. Hopefully, everybody feels like they’re having a unique and intimate experience.â€
Mulry said the festival gave away 2,000 free tickets to teachers, students and librarians, and they have worked with New Mexico schools on innovative educational programming.
“With our community engagement, we now request that all of the authors be willing to meet with a school group or a community group. … And Ocean Vuong was able to do a virtual classroom visit two weeks ago. There were nearly 400 New Mexico students from all over the state who logged in for that,†Mulry said. “… People throw around the word ‘access’ a lot, but to see students be able to ask questions with these amazing authors in real time is pretty incredible.â€
Saturday’s programming begins with a morning meditation by Zen master and writer Henry Shukman. Other highlights include a screenwriting panel with Kirk Ellis (“John Adamsâ€), DezBaa’ (“Dark Windsâ€), Craig Johnson (“Longmireâ€) and Danny Rubin (“Groundhog Dayâ€), as well as a spirits tasting at Sazón and “Walk & Talk†events exploring the lives and legacies of author Willa Cather and artist Georgia O’Keeffe.
Sunday events include a free poetry panel with Leah Ollman, Rick Barot and Ama Codjoe, and a conversation about industrial pollution and serial killers, titled “Killing Us Softly,†with writers Caroline Fraser, Mariah Blake and Laura Paskus.
The final author talk, after Sunday’s farewell reception, will be a conversation between Blume and National Public Radio host Scott Simon.
Mulry read Blume’s book, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,†as a teenager and said it helped her become more comfortable with herself during those adolescent years. Later, as a mother, she read it to her children.
“Her books have had an enduring appeal across generations, cultures and genders,†Mulry said.
“In a nutshell, what Judy Blume did for American culture was to say it’s OK to be different,†she said.
Several authors are speaking on multiple days. Naturalist and “The Light between Apple Trees†author Priyanka Kumar is speaking at the festival on Saturday and is hosting a post-festival book talk at Santa Fe Botanical Garden on Monday, May 18.
Other post-festival events include guided literary walks organized by the School for Advanced Research, and a Wonder Walk at the Galisteo Basin Preserve, hosted by Commonweal Conservancy.
Padilla said nature-centered events are part of what makes the Santa Fe International Literary Festival special.
“We’re grounded in our environment,†she said, “and I think a major trademark of the festival is that we reflect that groundedness in our approach to our audience and our authors. We’re real. … And authors have responded to the authenticity of their experience here.â€
Other members of the festival team spoke about how the festival brings people together, bridging social divisions and helping them feel connected to a larger literary community.
“There’s so much divisive language flying around these days that it feels great to be able to provide a space where you can connect with people you might not otherwise have anything in common with,†Mulry said.
“Storytelling is a great unifier,†Hohnhold said. “That’s what we hope people feel when they’re at the festival — and that they come away feeling uplifted and energized.â€
