The largest literary festival in Connecticut returns soon to the Westport Library.
And Saturday, October 21 — the biggest day of the 3-day StoryFest — features more than 40 authors, spanning nearly every genre imaginable. They include big names like Clay McLeod Chapman, Angie Kim, Gabino Iglesias, Caroline Kepnes and Wendy Walker.
A host of panel discussions begin at 10 a.m. That’s in addition to picture book readings for children and teens, author conversations, and a special live taping of Chapman’s Fearmongers podcast (with best-seller Stephen Graham Jones and Josh Malerman, author of Netflix’s “Birdbox”).
Saturday closes with a staged reading of “Gentle Hacksaw,” the new play from Eric LaRocca.
Now in its sixth year, StoryFest is the Library’s annual celebration of reading, writing, ideas and community. This year’s event runs from Friday, October 20, through Sunday, October 22, and includes a keynote conversation with renowned author Neil Gaiman, a writers’ workshop, “Pinkalicious” author Victoria Kann, and virtuoso guitarist Gary Lucas.
Below is a closer look at the Saturday lineup for Saturday, October 21. Click here for full descriptions; click here to register for a free Saturday day pass; click here to buy tickets for the staged reading of “Gentle Hacksaw.”
Book readings for kids
10-10:30 a.m.: Tommy Greenwald and his son Charlie read from “The Rescues” (grades K-4)
10:30-11 a.m.: Stephen G. Bowling reads from the Mom’s Choice Award-winning picture book “Grandma’s House is Haunted”
11-11:30 a.m.: Sivan Hong and Sally J. Pia read from the “Super Fun Day” book series and “The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn”
Panel Discussions and Conversations
10-11 a.m.: “Peek-a-Boo, I See You: Inclusivity in Children’s Literature”
11 am to noon: “Putting It Together: Ellen Datlow Presents…”
Noon-1 p.m.: “Killer Women: Writing Crime from a Female Point of View”
1-2 p.m.: “On Leaving and Returning: Writing the Body Home”
2-3 p,m.: “Community Into View: Writing Race, Culture and Identity”
3-4 p.m.: “Scream with Me: Heartache, Humor, and Horror”
4-5 pm: The Incredibly True Adventures of… Twists and Turns on the Writer’s Path”
5-6 pm: “On the Edge of Our Seats: Writing Suspense and Anticipation”
Deep dives with authors and artists, moderated by Kerstin Rao
12-12:30 p.m.: Rowan MacColl and Connor McCann on “Comic Art”
1-1:30 p.m.: Eric LaRocca and Owen Egerton on “Writing for the Stage”
2-2:30 p.m.: Gabino Iglesias and Ellen Datlow on “Editing Anthologies”
3:30-4 p.m.: Lizzie Stark and Cassadra Khaw on “Game Writing”
Live podcast
5-6 p.m.: Clay McLeod Chapman records his “Fearmongers” podcast live, with Josh Malerman and Stephen Graham Jones.
Staged reading
7 p.m. doors; 8 p.m. show: “Gentle Hacksaw”: a startling new drama of religion, identity and violence.
Click here for more information on the entire 3 days of StoryFest.
(“06880” is Westport’s hyper-local blog. Please support our work by contributing here. Thank you!)
It’s a wonderful event – but that’s one of the weekends I 95 will be half closed in Westport. Hope people will be able to get to the events!