Read the participating author biographies here.
Tuesday, September 5—Online only
7:00 p.m. In Conversation: Paul Tremblay and Grady Hendrix
Paul Tremblay, The Beast You Are
Grady Hendrix, How to Sell a Haunted House
Wednesday, September 6—In person
7:00 p.m. One Book, One Salem event with Angie Cruz, How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water @ Salem Academy Charter School, 45 Congress St. More info
Thursday, September 7—In-person
7:00 p.m. Real Life in Vacation Land @ Cinema Salem, 1 E. India Square Mall
Julia Glass, Vigil Harbor
Adam White, The Midcoast
Moderator: Meg Mitchell Moore, Vacationland
Followed by a screening of The Perfect Storm
Suggested donation, $10
Friday, September 8—In-person
7:00 p.m. A Telling Story: Familiar Tales Retold @ Salem Academy Charter School
Conversation: Laurie Lico Albanese, Hester and Jenna Blum, Woodrow on the Bench/A Mighty Blaze
Presentation: GennaRose Nethercott, Thistlefoot with handheld and shadow puppets
Saturday, September 9—In-person
Children’s Lit Fest—Starts at 10:00 a.m.
Community Life Center
401 Bridge Street, Salem, MA
Raúl the Third, ¡Vamos! Let’s Go to the Market
Betsy Ellor, My Dog Is NOT a Scientist
Jamie Michalak, Dakota Crumb: Tiny Treasure Hunter
Lorian Tu, We Are a Song
Crafts, snacks, and more details to be announced!
Adult Author Panels and Conversations
Salem Five Community Room
208 Essex Street, Salem, MA
9:00 – 10:30 Workshop: Writing Five-Minute Memoirs with Lisa Braxton
11:00 Five Live: Micromemoirs from Five Minutes
The journal Five Minutes publishes 100-word memoirs focused on five minutes of life. Come hear micromemoirs and get inspiration to write some of your own.
12:00 In Conversation: Laura Zigman and Adrienne Brodeur
Laura Zigman, Small World
Adrienne Brodeur, Little Monsters
1:00 p.m. Gathering and Connecting: Italian Heritage as a Creative Touchstone
Linda Dini Jenkins, Becoming Italian: Chapter and Verse from an Italian American Girl
Jennifer Martelli, The Queen of Queens
Elisa M. Speranza, The Italian Prisoner
Moderator: Christine Palamidessi, Bridge of Love
2:00 p.m. Romance and Tropes in YA
Lucy Keating, Ride with Me
Kendall Kulper, A Starlet’s Secret to a Sensational Afterlife
Alechia Dow, A Song of Salvation
3:00 p.m. Thrills and Chills in YA
Kayla Cottingham, This Delicious Death
Kelly Andrew, The Whispering Dark
Diana Urban, Lying in the Deep
Moderator: Nicole Lesperance, The Depths
4:00 p.m. Crime Time: Secrets of Suspense
Edwin Hill, The Secrets We Share
D.J. Palmer, My Wife Is Missing
Sarah Stewart Taylor, A Stolen Child
Moderator: Hank Phillippi Ryan, The House Guest
5:00 p.m. Breaking Bread: Essays from New England on Food, Hunger, and Family
Debra Spark, editor of Breaking Bread, leads a discussion with three writers who contributed to the collection:
Stephanie Cotsirilos, “Nourishment”
Reza Jalali, “Kofta Stories”
Donna Loring, “Red Hot Heaven”
Sunday, September 10—Online only
11:00 a.m. Authors Who Narrate
Petrea Burchard, Camelot & Vine
Matt Phillion, The Indestructibles
Stephanie Willing, author of West of the Sea, narrator of The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Moderator: Sara Sheckells, Voice Artist
12:00 p.m. Fantasy: Writing Across the Genre
Piper CJ, The Gloom Between the Stars
Joseph S. Samaniego, Heroes of the Carolyngian Age
Meg Smitherman, Destroyer
Sunday, September 10—In-person
1:00 p.m. Enduring Hawthorne @ House of Seven Gables
Watch as a curated selection of Hawthorne’s most famous short stories come to life. Guests will be treated to four stories, each played out in a different historic setting.
Separate registration required.
Download a Printable Schedule of SLF 2023