
The 10th annual Charleston Literary Festival will take place from November 6 to 15 at the historic Dock Street Theatre. The event is expected to attract more than 80 authors, including Pulitzer Prize winners and bestselling novelists, along with offerings of film, dance, music, and theater.
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This year's festival aims to pair literary events with various art forms, expanding its family-friendly programming and catering to children, students, and emerging writers. Executive director Sarah Moriarty remarked, "This year’s program is shaping up to be our best yet," highlighting a lineup that includes special programming inspired by Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group.
A notable feature will be a November 8 event focused on the Hogarth Press, co-founded by Virginia and Leonard Woolf in 1917. Other participants include Rwandan-French novelist and rapper Gaël Faye, who will speak on November 10, and Swiss author Nelio Biedermann on November 11.
Innovative programming will merge literature with live performances, such as a sold-out discussion with Barbara Kingsolver on her new novel “Partita,” which includes a live pianist. A conversation with Steven Caras, a former NYC Ballet dancer, will precede a performance by Miami City Ballet dancers on November 7.
The festival will culminate on November 15 with a staged reading of Woolf’s only play, “Freshwater: A Comedy.” This event will feature literary biographer Dame Hermione Lee, novelist Bernard Cornwell, and local comedy troupe Nameless Numberhead.
Family-focused activities will include a discussion led by prima ballerina Misty Copeland regarding her children's book “Firebird Waltz” on November 11, and an interactive literacy and music show by Eric Litwin, the original author of the “Pete the Cat” series, on November 14 after visiting local schools.
Additionally, the festival is introducing the Fiederowicz International Fellowship, bringing Ukrainian author Kateryna Yehorushkina to Charleston to conduct workshops with local students.
The festival is also recognizing local talent with the Wayland and Marion Cato Fellowship, which will award $10,000 to an emerging writer from South Carolina or North Carolina, and the Young Writers Awards for students in poetry, journalism, and short fiction. Following author discussions at the Dock Street Theatre, there will be book signings, with festival titles sold by Philosophers & Fools bookstore.
Highlights of the festival include:
- **November 6, 11 a.m.**: Susan Choi discusses her National Book Award-winning novel “Flashlight.”
- **November 7, 3 p.m.**: James Gleick presents “The Telephone: A New History.”
- **November 8, 1 p.m.**: Steven Pinker discusses how shared knowledge shapes society.
- **November 11, 10 a.m.**: Misty Copeland talks about “Firebird Waltz.”
- **November 15, 7 p.m.**: Staged reading of “Freshwater.”
For the complete program and ticket details, visit charlestonliteraryfestival.com.