StoryFest is back for its seventh edition in 2024, with an accomplished lineup that features a genre-spanning cohort of some of the leading lights in letters.
The Westport Library’s annual literary festival — the largest annual literary festival in Connecticut and one of the biggest in the Northeast — will be held Friday, September 20, through Sunday, September 22, featuring acclaimed author, essayist, and editor Roxane Gay (Bad Feminist, Difficult Women), best-selling writer Christopher Golden (Hellboy, The House of Last Resort), and award-winning author Claire Messud (The Emperor’s Children, This Strange Eventful History), plus many more.
The event will also feature a special Library tribute to the late Sybil Steinberg and a PitchFest workshop delivered by Bloom Writers’ Studio. Steinberg, the former Publisher’s Weekly editor who shared her much-anticipated Sybil’s List with the Westport community every spring and winter, passed away earlier this year.
Among the authors currently scheduled to appear at StoryFest 2024 are Kirsten Bakis, Julia Bartz, Clay Chapman, May Cobb, Rachel Harrison, Isi Hendrix, Don P. Hooper, Gabino Iglesias, Hal Johnson, Chris Knapp, Ryan La Sala, Josh Malerman, GennaRose Nethercott, Anna Noyes, Courtney Preiss, Oliver Radclyffe, Ainissa Ramirez, Shannon C.F. Rogers, Hugh Ryan, Peng Shepherd, and Diana Sussman. In addition, Jennifer Baker will conduct a live recording of her podcast, Minorities in Publishing, and storied editor Ellen Datlow returns to the Library’s Trefz Forum for a panel discussion with authors from her latest anthology.
Additional attendees will be announced in the coming weeks and throughout the summer.
“Our little literary festival that could is turning 7 this fall, and it’s not so little anymore,” said StoryFest organizer and co-founder Alex Giannini, who serves as the Library’s associate director of programs and events. “StoryFest is always my favorite event of the year, and we can't wait to see friends old and new, and to talk about our favorite thing: books!”
L to R: Claire Messud, Roxane Gay, and Christopher Golden
StoryFest drew nearly 1,000 participants and more than 40 authors in 2023 — an amazing coterie of writers that included iconic author Neil Gaiman (American Gods, Coraline, The Sandman Series), Pinkalicious author/illustrator Victoria Kann, and New York Times best-selling writers Angie Kim (Happiness Falls), Stephen Graham Jones (The Only Good Indians), and Caroline Kepnes (You).
Other past participants include National Book Award finalist Jason Reynolds; Goosebumps author R.L. Stine; New York Times best-selling authors Michael Lewis and Mitch Albom; young adult superstars Nic Stone, Tiffany Jackson, and L.L. McKinney; Emmy Award winner Sheila Nevins; best-selling memoirist Isaac Fitzgerald; Kirkus Prize recipient Saeed Jones; and famed fantasy writer Naomi Novik.
“StoryFest has always been and will forever be the bar which other author conventions are judged by,” said Chapman, who will be attending StoryFest for a third consecutive year. “The awe-inspiring roster of authors, the intimacy between writers and the audience, and the level of passion both onstage and off truly sets this festival aside from all the others.”
The multi-talented Gay will kick off the festival Friday evening, in discussion with author and memoirist Radclyffe. Gay’s writing has appeared in Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, A Public Space, McSweeney’s, Tin House, Oxford American, American Short Fiction, Virginia Quarterly Review, and many others.
In addition, Gay is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and the author of the books Ayiti, An Untamed State, The New York Times best-seller Bad Feminist, the nationally best-selling Difficult Women, and The New York Times best-selling Hunger. She is also the author of World of Wakanda for Marvel.
Gay has several books forthcoming and is at work on television and film projects. She also has a newsletter, The Audacity, and previously hosted the podcast, The Roxane Gay Agenda.
Radclyffe is the author of Adult Human Male. His essays have appeared in The New York Times and Electric Lit, and his newest memoir, Frighten the Horses, is debuting in September through Roxane Gay Books.
The Saturday event honoring Steinberg will be the Westport book community’s opportunity to say goodbye to one of its most beloved members. Steinberg served as an influential and storied editor at Publisher’s Weekly for 25 years, a span that included stints as the fiction reviews editor and author interviews editor and included conversations with Annie Proulx, Salman Rushdie, John Updike, and Fay Weldon, among others.
Steinberg was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2015, served on the board of the National Book Critics Circle, and made numerous television appearances on PBS, CBS, C-SPAN, and NBC.
“Sybil was not just an icon in the public library world and industry, but also an innovator and a powerhouse who revolutionized how librarians manage book collections with her star system, which everyone else quickly emulated,” Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer said. “She also was an indelible part of the Westport literary community and a true friend to the Library. Her influence extended far beyond her 25 years as an influential editor at Publisher’s Weekly. She was a trusted source for some of the best books you could possibly read each year. We miss her terribly but look forward to honoring her, her memory, and her legacy at this year’s StoryFest.”
In addition, Saturday will feature panel discussions and conversations with the assembled writers, in addition to the live podcast taping with Baker.
Sunday’s PitchFest workshop will close out StoryFest with an opportunity for aspiring — and established — writers to learn tips and tricks on pitching their manuscripts to literary agents and publishers. Other elements covered will include writing a query letter, the best way to present material, and more.
