2026 Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival
Highlights from our 40th Festival held March 25-29, 2026 included:
- Tony Award-winning actor Christine Ebersole
- Literary Discussion event series
- Tony Award-winning actor Harriet Harris
- National Book Award winner Justin Torres
- Tony Award-winning actor Michael Cerveris
- Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cunningham
- Tony Award-winning director Rob Ashford
- Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Olen Butler
- The Last Bohemia event series
- We have Not Long to Love
- Williams Under the Oaks
- Writer's Craft event series
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LadyBEAST productions Vaudeville Revival at the Joy Theater on May 26, 2024. photo by Ryan Hodgson-Rigsbee RHRphoto.com -
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2026 marked the 40th Tennessee Williams & Literary Festival since it's inception in 1986. This year's events were held from March 25 - March 29 across several different venues in and around the French Quarter. The festival featured live theatre productions, writing contests and workshops, cultural demonstrations, and many other chances to engage with the literary community of New Orleans. We are honored to have carried Tennessee's legacy for the last 40 years and look forward to carrying it further into the future.
This year featured many notable and award winning guests! Heavily awarded director, Rob Ashford, directed and produced We Have Not Long to Love, an event featuring many of William's works as a once in a lifetime experience.
Pulitzer prize winner, Michael Cunningham, hosted, Writing a Memoir: Telling the Story of Your Life, a workshop dedicated to guiding the audience through the art of sharing personal stories. Other workshops included What a Lovely Way to Burn: Negotiating Distance and Desire in Poetry with Skye Jackson, Writing Literary Fiction with Robert Olen Butler, and Writing Hopes and Fears into Speculative Fiction with Marguerite Sheffer. The festival also held a few reoccurring events like the the Tennessee Williams Scholar Conference, Stella Shouting Contest, and Tribute Reading.
For more details regarding the 2026 Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival events, activities, and participants please check our 2026 program by clicking on the program book cover at the top of the page!
