Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival
to Merge with Saints and Sinners LGBT Literary Festival
NEW ORLEANS – The Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival will unite with Saints and Sinners, an annual LGBT literary conference. The two events will run concurrently, March 25-29, 2015.
“We’re bringing our family of Festivals together to celebrate the literary arts,” said Paul J. Willis, Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival executive director and founder of Saints and Sinners. “We’re doubling what we can offer to our audiences by enabling them to attend both events.”
Founded in collaboration with NO/AIDS Task Force, Saints and Sinners (SAS) began as a creative outlet to showcase the LGBT literary community and offer HIV/AIDS information.
“Literature has long nurtured hope and empathy,” said Willis. “SAS offers a beautiful New Orleans home for established and aspiring writers, as well as readers, to meaningfully connect, gain information, and nurture their craft skills.”
A SAS weekend pass will include a welcome reception on Friday, March 27 at the historic Gallier House in the French Quarter, panel discussions, a reading series sponsored by the J.B. Harter Trust, and an evening reception at the Hotel Monteleone.
The 2015 three-day event includes noted speakers such as:
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LaShonda Katrice Barnett, playwright and author of Jam! On the Vine
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Jim Grimsley, memoirist of How I Shed My Skin, a reflection on school desegregation in 1960s
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Andrew Holleran, chronicler of gay life in his prolific journalism, novels, and short stories
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Lori Horvitz, author of the memoir, The Girls of Usually
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Saeed Jones, poet of the recent collection, Prelude to Bruise, and BuzzFeed LGBT editor
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Felice Picano, acclaimed author of over 30 books of poetry, fiction, memoirs, nonfiction, and plays
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Radclyffe, award-winning author more than 45 novels and president of Bold Strokes Books
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Martin Sherman, dramatist and screenwriter, best known for his play, Bent
All pass holders will receive 20% off all Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival events, including special events such as the Tennessee Williams tribute readings at the Old Ursuline Convent featuring Williams devotees and stars in their own right, playwright/screenwriter/director John Patrick Shanley; filmmaker, author, and raconteur John Waters; and actor Keir Dullea, among others.
“The merger benefits both organizations and audiences,” said Willis. “This is a reason to celebrate. Tennessee would surely approve!”
About Saints and Sinners
Since 2003, Saints and Sinners Literary Festival (www.sasfest.org) brings together the who’s who of LGBT literary world. The Festival features panels and master classes by authors, editors, publishers for emerging writers and LGBT literature fans. Follow @SASFest on Twitter and Facebook for updates. #SAS15
About Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival
TW/NOLF (www.tennesssewilliams.net) celebrates Tennessee Williams’ legacy and the impressive talent of contemporary artists, from Pulitzer Prize winners to debut writers, who are as fearless and unflinching in their examination of the human condition as our namesake playwright. For more on the Festival, follow us on Twitter at @TWFestNOLA and Facebook. #TWF15
