Inaugural Santa Fe Literary Festival connects authors and readers

Adrian Gomez, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·4 min read

May 18—A decade ago, Clare Hertel, Julia Platt Leonard and Mark Bryant planted a seed of an idea.

Each has a career within the literary world and hoped that something would come to fruition.

Beginning on Friday, May 20, the inaugural Santa Fe Literary Festival kicks off with some of the biggest names in the literary world.

The festival is a four-day, multievent gathering where local and global writers and readers will connect in a shared love of language, storytelling, books, ideas and more.

Some may ask why Santa Fe?

"The vibrant literary history of Santa Fe — and all of New Mexico — spans centuries and cultures," the trio said. "This history is filled with stories and books spoken and written in communities statewide, which literary luminaries, both native and newcomer, have long called home. A literary festival seems so obvious for Santa Fe, where art markets and cultural festivals are a major draw for locals and visitors alike. As a city that takes great pride in its multicultural traditions and landscapes, we believe it's a natural for a new festival tradition that engages and inspires people in the universal power of story and place."

In addition to whetting a reader's appetite, there will also be a culinary element to the festival.

Hertel says food writing and all that it entails is a hugely popular literary genre.

"It not only speaks to the universal need to eat, it taps into our individual culinary traditions and experiences," she says. "Growing, preparing, tasting and sharing food is a cultural and communal experience, one which New Mexicans passionately embrace. Festival visitors will have the opportunity to break bread with celebrated chefs and cookbook authors, who will discuss how the many facets of food — memory, agriculture and the environment, and the storytelling that takes place around the table — quite literally sustain us."

More information can be found at santafeliteraryfestival.com.

SANTA FE LITERARY FESTIVAL

Friday, May 20

—5-6 p.m.: Opening reception

—6-7:15 p.m.: On Stage with Colson Whitehead

Saturday, May 21

—8-9 a.m.: Morning Meditation and Author Talk with Henry Shukman

—9:15-10:30 a.m.: On Stage with Margaret Atwood

—11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: On Stage with Don Winslow

—12:30-2 p.m.: Around the Table with Bryant Terry; or Free Community Stage in the Courtyard

—2-3 p.m.: Author Talk with Phil Klay; Author Talk with Ashley C. Ford; or Walk and Talk: The Gustave Baumann Studio

—3:30-4:30 p.m.: Author Talk: Emily St. John Mandel; or Panel Discussion: Where Do We Go from Here

—4:45-5:45 p.m.: Around the Table: Honey & Co; or Around the Table: Tequila Tasting at Sazón

—5:30-6:30 p.m.: Cocktail Reception

—6:30-7:45 p.m.: On Stage with John Grisham

Sunday, May 22

—8-9 a.m.: Morning Meditation and Author Talk with Roshi Joan Halifax

—9:15-10:30 a.m.: On Stage with Lawrence Wright

—11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: On Stage with George R.R. Martin

—12:30-2 p.m.: Around the Table: Freddie Bitsoie; or Free Community Stage in the Courtyard

—2-3 p.m.: Wild Stories: On Stage with Douglas Preston and Hampton Sides; In Conversation with Valeria Luiselli; or Walk and Talk: Literary Pilgrims

—3:30-4:30 p.m.: Special Tribute: Tony Hillerman; In Conversation: N. Scott Momaday and Kirstin Valdez Quade; or Walk and Talk: The History of Chile in New Mexico

—4:45-5:45 p.m.: On Stage with Jon Krakauer; Around the Table with Asma Khan; or Around the Table: Tequila Tasting at Sazón

—5:30-6:30 p.m.: Cocktail Reception

—6:30-7:45 p.m.: A Long Friendship: On Stage with Sandra Cisneros and Joy Harjo

Monday, May 23

Literary day trips

—9 a.m.-noon: Indigenous Voices and Perspectives at the School for Advanced Research's Historic Campus

—9 a.m.-noon: Writing in the Wild—10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Hungry for More: A Day of NM-Inspired Cooking and Writing

—10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Sustainability and Food Study Day at Los Poblanos

Community events

—9 a.m.-2 p.m.: Guided Fly Fishing with William deBuys

—10 a.m. or 1p.m.: Eric Mindling Author Talk & Book Signing

—11 a.m.-noon: International Folk Art Market Book Signing with Ann Murdy, "On the Path of Marigolds: Living Traditions of México's Day of the Dead"

—11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Join New Mexico State Senator ("poet politician") Bill O'Neill for a Guided Tour of the State Capitol Art Collection and a poetry reading

—1-2 p.m.: International Folk Art Market Book Signing with Eric Mindling, "Fire and Clay: The Art of Oaxacan Pottery"

—7:45 p.m.: Sunset Serenade on Sky Railway