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Nikki Giovanni is a generation-defining poet, writer, and activist renowned for her five-decade career creating evocative works exploring themes of social justice and love, while captivating audiences with her conviction, humor, and devotion to telling her truth as a Black woman. Charleston Literary Festival is collaborating with the International African American Museum (IAAM) demonstrating great alignment between the two organizations and their complementary missions to illuminate untold stories of the African American experience.

In this marquee event, Prof. Giovanni will be in conversation with Dr. Tonya Matthews, CEO of IAAM. This is an important opportunity for audiences to embrace a conversation with one of the most important poets of our time. Prof. Giovanni has been awarded 7 NAACP awards, a Grammy nomination, and was a finalist for the National Book Award. 

In collaboration with the International African American Museum (IAAM), made possible by the generosity of TD Bank

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

Fellow poets, Kwame Dawes, current poet laureate of Jamaica, and Kimiko Hahn, distinguished Creative Writing & Literary Translation professor at Queens College, are in conversation discussing poetry with international themes. Dawes is the author of twenty books of poetry and numerous other books of fiction, criticism, and essays. His work often centers on his childhood and early adult life in Jamaica. The talk is moderated by former poet laureate to South Carolina, Marjory Wentworth.

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

“I define retirement as the phase of life in which I will do nothing but watch tennis,” writes Geoff Dyer in The Last Days of Roger Federer. The book is his meditation on things coming to an end and an examination of the late achievements of a range of writers, painters, athletes and musicians. “Tennis, jazz, Dylan, movies, TV, drugs, Nietzsche, Beethoven. Geoff Dyer once again melds commentary and observation with intellect and wit.”—Steve Martin. He muses on last performances and last works, with plenty of lively detours along the way, together with Geoffrey Harpham, author of Citizenship on Catfish Row.

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

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To commemorate the centenary of the birth of James Baldwin, we re-create the legendary Cambridge University debate between two intellectual titans:

“The American Dream is at the expense of the American Negro,”—James Baldwin

Experience a live staging of the historic 1965 Cambridge Union debate, televised across the world, between James Baldwin, leading literary voice of the civil rights movement, and William F. Buckley Jr., the US’s most influential conservative intellectual.

Following the re-enactment, members of the audience will be invited to have their say regarding the contemporary relevance of the debate.

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

Peruvian-American author and Former Literary Director of the Library of Congress, Marie Arana discusses her sweeping book Latinoland with broadcaster, editor and critic, Bilal Qureshi. Arana conducted hundreds of in-depth interviews about the fastest-growing minority group in the US. Her family arrived in Miami in the 1950s, back when Latinos officially made up 2 percent of the United States. That number is closer to 20 percent today, an enormous and increasing population that, despite being mostly Mexican American, is also growing in its diversity. A central tension of Latinoland is how to navigate these demographic differences while holding 60 million people to a single, collective identity. 

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

On K Street, a few blocks from The White House, sit the offices of the most powerful men in Washington. Join brothers and co-authors Brody Mullins, an investigative reporter in the Washington, DC, bureau of The Wall Street Journal and Luke Mullins, a contributing writer at POLITICO magazine as they discuss their book The Wolves of K Street: The Secret History of How Big Money Took Over Big Government, a dazzling, yet infuriating, portrait of fifty years of corporate influence in the US capital. Brody and Luke will be in conversation with board member, Monica Langley, former EVP of Salesforce and former Wall Street Journal reporter.

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

British author Chris Whitaker discusses his New York Times bestseller All the Colors of the Dark—a gripping thriller and love story that delves into the shadows of a small town, where secrets, betrayal, and haunting pasts converge in a tense, emotionally charged narrative of survival. A Read With Jenna book club pick, People magazine says it “melds tense suspense with a powerful exploration of devotion, obsession, and love.” Chris Whitaker will be in conversation with Anthony Varallo, Professor and Director of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at College of Charleston.

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

Attica Locke, award-winning author and screenwriter, discusses her third and final book in the Highway 59 trilogy. Texas Ranger Darren Mathews is back to investigate a Black college student who goes missing from an all-white sorority. Described as "timely and evocative" by NPR, Guide Me Home is a searing portrait of political and racial tensions in contemporary America. This mystery book is for readers who appreciate excellent writing and storytelling, not just mystery readers. Locke’s screenwriter credits include the Emmy-nominated Little Fires Everywhere, for which she won an NAACP Image award for television writing. She will discuss her writing career with Dr. Tamara Butler, Executive Director of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture. 

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

For centuries, societies have treated male domination as a natural state. Join Angela Saini, award-winning science journalist and lecturer in science writing at MIT, as she debunks this idea by exploring the roots and various iterations of patriarchy and shows how more equal societies are structured and flourish. Analyzing the latest research findings in science and archaeology, and tracing cultural and political histories from the Americas to Asia, she discusses why ideas about patriarchy are so difficult to dismantle with Jennet Robinson Alterman, women’s rights advocate.

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

Charleston Literary Festival is honored to be featured as part of Kafka2024, a global Festival marking the centenary of Franz Kafka’s death. 

“A hundred insane years have passed since Franz succumbed to his suffering. Nevertheless, the fascination with what he created remains to this day. Explore his work with our help – regardless of whether you are already closely familiar with him or are still looking to get more familiar. Here we bridge the boundaries of space and time together.”—Kafka2024

A century from the author’s death, ‘Kafkaesque’ is an adjective, a meme, and a Simpson gag. International fascination with him shows no signs of abating: new translations of his Diaries and Short Stories just published in English, a TV serialization of his life produced in Germany, and a Polish director working on a biopic. Ross Benjamin, translator of The Diaries of Franz Kafka, and Mark Harman, translator of Kafka’s Selected Stories, will discuss Kafka’s surreal worlds and lasting impact.  

In collaboration with Kafka2024 (coordinated by the Adalbert Stifter Association and the Prague City Library) 

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

Harvard political philosopher Michael Sandel explores themes from his recent works, Democracy's Discontent: A New Edition for Our Perilous Times and The Tyranny of Merit: Can We Find the Common Good? Sandel has been described as “a rock star moralist” (Newsweek) and “The world’s most influential living philosopher” (New Statesman). He analyzes the challenges to democracy and the pursuit of common good following the 2024 US election, and the turbulent international times in which we live, with Geoffrey Harpham, Emeritus Director of the National Humanities Center.

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

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WINNER OF THE 2024 PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION. Join Jayne Anne Phillips in conversation with her long-time editor at Knopf, Ann Close, on her haunting novel about a mother and daughter seeking refuge in the chaotic aftermath of the Civil War, whose perilous circumstances lead them to a lunatic asylum in West Virginia. With meticulous research, Phillips has crafted a mesmerizing portrait of family suffering and endurance against the odds. Jayne Anne Phillips is the author of six highly regarded novels.

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

Jean Hanff Korelitz discusses her latest novel, The Sequel, a gripping follow-up to The Plot (currently in development for a limited TV series). In what Stephen King describes as “insanely readable,” Korelitz continues the story of Anna Williams-Bonner, the widow of a successful writer who committed suicide and then goes on to become a bestseller, attracting nasty rumours about her past. Experience the psychological suspense and literary intrigue at the heart of this page-turning book that explores the nature of storytelling. She discusses her twisty new thriller with Anne Blessing, Charleston Literary Festival Board member. 

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024. Join Rachel Kushner as she discusses her wickedly funny and unnerving book, Creation Lake. A reimagination of the spy novel, it explores environmental destruction and the complexities of survival in a rapidly changing world. The novel revolves around an unlikely female spy tasked with infiltrating a group of eco-activists in rural France, where she follows a trail from Neanderthals to modernity. “A novel this brilliant and profound shouldn’t be so much fun,”—Hernan Diaz. She discusses her novel of espionage and ideas with Autumn Philipps, Post and Courier Editor at Large. 

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

The world premier of the monologue play All The Beauty In The World by Patrick Bringley is happening right here at the 2024 Charleston Literary Festival. Directed by Dominic Dromgoole, Former Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, and produced by Charleston Literary Festival, with the help of Spoleto Festival USA, the play is a story of grief, healing, and the power of art. Prepare to be moved, enthralled, entertained, and enlightened. Say you saw it at the Charleston Literary Festival first, as we hope it will tour the world, like Dominic Dromgoole’s production of Hamlet. 

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

Directed by John Crowley

Written by Nick Hornby

Starring Saorise Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters

Brooklyn, adapted from Colm Tóibín’s novel, follows Eilis Lacey, an Irish immigrant in 1950s New York, as she navigates homesickness, love, and identity. Torn between two countries and two lives, she ultimately must choose one path forward.

The film won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film 2015, and was nominated for three Academy Awards.

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

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Celebrated author Colm Tóibín, currently Laureate for Irish Fiction, discusses his latest novel, Long Island, a sequel to his award-winning novel Brooklyn, which reunites the reader with Eilis Lacey in the 1970s, as she returns to Ireland and tries to reconcile lost love with current reality. Set mainly in Enniscorthy, the small town in Ireland where Colm Tóibín was born and still has a home, the novel foregrounds some of the minor characters in Brooklyn. He discusses the themes of abandonment, loss, lust and denial in the novel with Bilal Qureshi, broadcaster, editor and critic. 

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

An instant New York Times bestseller, join Bianca Bosker as she plunges deep inside the world of art and the people who live for it: gallerists, collectors, curators and, of course, artists themselves—the kind who work multiple jobs and let their paintings sleep soundly in the studio while they wake up covered in cat pee on a friend's couch. Bosker details her experiences stretching canvases until her fingers blister, attending A-list parties full of billionaire art collectors, and staring at a single sculpture for an hour straight while working as a museum security guard—all on a journey to discover why art matters and what it does for us. From ancient cave paintings to Instagram posts, Bianca Bosker will discuss art and its role in our lives with her friend, author and former museum guard at The Met, Patrick Bringley. 

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.

Ramie Targoff, Professor of Humanities at Brandeis University, presents her ground-breaking book, Shakespeare's Sisters. This illuminating work uncovers and celebrates the overlooked lives and contributions of women writers in Shakespeare’s era, offering fresh insights into their impact on literature and the challenges they faced and surmounted. Taking her cue from Virginia Woolf’s famous essay, A Room of One’s Own, Targoff refutes Woolf’s argument that the voice of Shakespeare’s mythical sister would have been suppressed. Ramie will be in conversation with Regina Marler, the editor of the Letters of Vanessa Bell (Virginia Woolf's sister).

Many Festival events are filmed and recorded for archival and research purposes, and occasionally for further distribution, such as promotional opportunities, on our website, and for network television. The films might sometimes include recognizable shots of members of the audience and/or interviews with patrons before or after the live events. Purchase of this ticket implies your permission to be filmed.