StoryFest Saturday has something for everyone, with a full day of panel discussions, book signings, workshops, and live podcast recordings, headlined by an evening theatrical performance of Josh Malerman’s Incidents Around the House.
The day session is free and open to the public; register here. Tickets for Saturday night are $20 and available here.
The day session kicks off at 10 am at the Westport Museum for History & Culture’s Cobblestone Barn. The panel discussions at the Library start at 11 am and run until 5 pm.
More than 30 authors will be in attendance, including first-time in-person guests Charlie Jane Anders (All the Birds in the Sky), Christina Baker Kline (Orphan Train), and Cadwell Turnbull (No Gods, No Monsters), returning favorites Rachel Harrison (Black Sheep) and Lorien Lawrence (Fright Watch), and many, many more. There will also be a live recording of Jennifer Baker’s Minorities in Publishing podcast.
Saturday night at StoryFest will be a raucous affair. StoryFest favorite Clay McLeod Chapman kicks off the evening with a special live edition of his Verso Studios video podcast Fearmongers, live on the main stage featuring special guests, readings, spooky shenanigans, and a surprise or two.
Next, you’re in for a once-in-a-lifetime experience as New York Times best-selling author Malerman (Bird Box, Watching Evil Dead) and his theater troupe Wow Town present a theatrical reading of scenes from Malerman's instant best-seller, Incidents Around the House. Following the presentation, Malerman will sit down with best-selling author Gregory Galloway for an exclusive talk-back on the production.
Saturday Day Tickets:
Saturday Evening Tickets:
StoryFest is The Westport Library’s annual literary festival — the largest annual literary festival in Connecticut and one of the biggest in the Northeast. Now in its eighth year, StoryFest is a celebration of the story in all its forms and storytellers from across all media, each year drawing scores of authors and hundreds of readers, writers, and fans.
This year’s lineup includes Oscar-nominated filmmaker Julian Brave NoiseCat debuting his new memoir We Survived the Night on Monday, October 13; a special film and concert event on Friday, October 17, starring James Montgomery and Christine Ohlman; the Saturday day session of panel discussions and author signings; the Saturday night double feature with Chapman and Malerman; and a special evening celebrating the 10th anniversary of Year of Yes with the incomparable Shonda Rhimes on Monday, October 20. (Tickets for the Shonda Rhimes event have sold out.)
Here's a closer look at Saturday at StoryFest:
SATURDAY DAY SESSION
10 am: Spooky Stories in the Cobblestone Barn (for kids)
Story Fest Saturday morning kicks off with spooky storytelling for the whole family at the Westport Museum for History & Culture! Get in the Halloween spirit with award-winning and best-selling authors Lorien Lawrence, Cody Daigle-Orians, and Dan Poblocki, plus a special appearance by Washington Irving himself!
11 am: Writing the Self and Others: Turning Lived Experience into Art
How do writers transform personal history, their own and others, into compelling stories? Explore how writers mine the truth and histories of their own lives and the lives of others to create stories as bold as life itself. With Nabil Ayers, Cody Daigle-Orians, Mariah Fredericks, Koren Shadmi, and Bonnie Tsui. Moderator: Sonya Huber.
12 pm: Becky Spratford Presents: ‘Why I Love Horror’
Librarian and horror expert and critic Becky Siegel Spratford gathers some of the most celebrated contemporary horror writers to discuss why they love the genre. With Clay McLeod Chapman, Rachel Harrison, Josh Malerman, Hailey Piper, and EC Hanson.
1 pm: Coming of Age: Writing Youth, Identity, and the Search for Belonging
Stories of youth are stories of transformation. Hear how children’s and YA writers explore the heartbreak, hopes, hilarities, and horrors of growing up. With Charlie Jane Anders, Derrick Barnes, Lorien Lawrence, and Hailey Piper. Moderator: Charnaie Gordon.
2 pm: Working on Both Sides of the Page: Live Minorities in Publishing Podcast Recording
Publishing professionals and dynamic authors Lauren Morrow (Little Movements) and Amber Oliver (When the Music Hits) join host Jennifer Baker in Brooks Place for a fun and engaging conversation about their electrifying debut novels — both of which reflect characters experiencing the darker side of ambition — as well as the realities of balancing a writing life while working full-time in the publishing industry.
2 pm: Fiction Without Borders: Storytelling Beyond Limits
What happens when writers cross boundaries — cultural, structural, or imaginative. This panel explores fiction that resists categorization, expands perspectives, and reminds us of the limitless power of storytelling. With Martin Cahill, Jordan Castro, Gabi Coatsworth, Nalini Jones, Joan Silber, and Cadwell Turnbull. Moderator: Heather Frimmer.
3 pm: Nevertheless, She Persisted: Writing Strong Women
From trailblazers to everyday heroines, literature has long offered a space to reimagine women’s roles and voices. In this discussion, authors explore the craft of writing complex female characters who reflect resilience, vulnerability, and the full range of human experience. With Sharbari Ahmed, Christina Baker Kline, Anne Burt, Brigitte Dale, Kirsten Miller, and Sarah Stewart Taylor. Moderator: Liz Matthews.
4 pm: Ellen Datlow Presents: Night and Day
Horror’s preeminent editor and StoryFest favorite Ellen Datlow sits down with writers from her new anthology, Night and Day, with one side featuring stories about what haunts the night while the other side showcases the terrors that can exist in the light of day. With Brian Evenson, Rachel Harrison, Clay McLeod Chapman, and Josh Malerman.
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SATURDAY WORKSHOPS
12 pm: Writing Heroes & Villains: A Screenwriting Crash Course with Claire Ayoub, Writer/Director of Empire Waist
In this 90-minute session held in Room 216, screenwriter and film director Claire Ayoub will speak with attendees about their favorite films and then break those films down into a clear understanding of the hero’s journey. This session will discuss how to build a three-dimensional hero with clear wants and fears, as well as how to create challenges for that hero to go against and grow by the end of the film — including how to build a most excellent villain. Great for all ages, especially middle school and up. (Parents are invited to join the fun to tell their own stories!)
4 pm: Book Bedazzling: A Course in Creativity & Fun with Allie Joy, Board Certified Art Therapist and Licensed Counselor
Would you like to get crafty? Join us in Brooks Place and select a favorite book to bedazzle with gems, glitter, and other embellishments. Although it may not be possible to bedazzle an entire book in an hour, you will be provided with instructions to start you on your path! We simply ask that you select a book with a cover that is appropriate for bedazzling. Simpler designs with bold text or minimal details work best (think Emily Henry–style covers). You may bring an extra book option, and we will help you with your selection. De-stress, unwind, and enjoy a little fun, creative time designed for relaxation and rejuvenation!
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SATURDAY NIGHT DOUBLE FEATURE
Clay McLeod Chapman Presents: Fearmongers… LIVE at StoryFest!
The StoryFest tradition returns — Fearmongers is back on the main stage! Join Clay McLeod Chapman and friends for readings, spooky shenanigans, and even a surprise or two.
Chapman is the author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes, Kill Your Darling, Stay on the Line, What Kind of Mother, Ghost Eaters, Whisper Down the Lane, The Remaking, and miss corpus; story collections nothing untoward, commencement, and rest area; as well as The Tribe middle-grade series: Homeroom Headhunters, Camp Cannibal, and Academic Assassins.
Upcoming books include the short story collection Acquired Taste (September 2025), the YA sci-fi/horror novel Shiny Happy People (November 2025), the novella Bodies of Work (April 2026) and the Harlequin “horrormance” novel Devil Inside (August 2026).
Chapman has been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award and the Shirley Jackson Award.
Quiet Part Loud, a 12-part horror podcast from Jordan Peele/Monkeypaw Productions, written by Chapman and Mac Rogers, is available on Spotify.
Josh Malerman’s Incidents Around the House: LIVE at StoryFest!
You’re in for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as New York Times best-selling author Josh Malerman and Wow Town present a theatrical reading of scenes from Malerman's instant best-seller, Incidents Around the House.
Wow Town mixes narration, props, actors, and a live score from Jim Byrne (multi-instrumentalist), Tessa Stransky (violin), and Chad Stocker (bass). And as Malerman always reminds the troupe: "It's not a play, it's still a reading. But it's a lot more than me alone at a podium."
Stick around after the program for an exclusive talk back with Malerman and best-selling author Gregory Galloway.
Malerman is The New York Times best-selling author of Bird Box, Incidents Around the House, and Watching Evil Dead. He's also a filmmaker, cartoonist, and one of two singer-songwriters of the Michigan rock band The High Strung, whose song "The Luck You Got" can be heard as the theme song to the Showtime show "Shameless." He lives with his wife, the artist/musician Allison Laakko, and their gazillion pets.
Wow Town is a theatrical troupe co-founded by Malerman and Laakko. Thus far they've primarily done performances of almost all of Malerman's book launches, performing in chapels (Inspection), gymnasiums (Daphne), theaters, and bars. Laakko is pressing for the troupe to do a play and Malerman envisions a movie starring the entire troupe. Laakko does almost all the props, effects, stage sets, and much more, including acting and singing.
The main players are voice actor/narrator Kristi Billings, magician/actor James Driscoll Hall, actors Jeannine Coughlin and Erin Driscoll Hall, and actor/director Lilli Bishop. The theatrical readings are always scored live by Byrne and Stransky, and Byrne has written two albums worth of original songs based on the Malerman books the troupe performs.
Galloway is the author of the crime novels All We Trust and Just Thieves, as well as the Alex Award-winning As Simple As Snow. His short stories have appeared in Burning Down the House, Rush Hour, and Taking Aim. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and currently resides in northwest Connecticut.
