NEW ORLEANS (press release) – On Sunday, March 23, at 2 p.m., the famous Stella Shouting Contest will begin the 39th year of the Tennessee Williams and New Orleans Literary Festival, which returns to the French Quarter for its celebration of contemporary literature, theatre, New Orleans culture, and of course, Tennessee Williams. Over 60 events in five days are slated for Wednesday, March 26, through Sunday, March 30. Most of the events are in or near the Hotel Monteleone, the festival’s host hotel.
“We are looking forward to another great weekend of literary and performance events,” said Paul J. Willis, executive director. “We are especially excited about the addition of the Pinckley Prize panels, plus an expanded schedule of our Last Bohemia events celebrating New Orleans culture. As always, we have many New Orleans writers participating in our festival because they are, after all, what makes this city such a vibrant literary center.”
The Festival lineup includes over 50 New Orleans writers.
An Exciting Literary Lineup Including Michael Cunningham and Gillian Flynn
Over 100 speakers include Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Cunningham and New York Times best-selling author Gillian Flynn, along with Maureen Corrigan, Laura Lippman, Fatima Shaik, Yuri Herrera, Kalamu ya Salaam, Megan Abbott, KB Brookins, Chin-Sun Lee, Karisma Price, E. M. Tran, Miles Harvey, Jewelle Gomez, Alex Jennings, Mari Kornhauser, Joan Larkin, Bernice L. McFadden, Timothy Schaffert, and more.
Visit the Festival website at www.tennesseewilliams.net for the full speaker roster of award-winning writers and fresh new voices on the literary scene
A Mystery-Filled Saturday
The festival is to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Diana Pinckley Prizes for Crime Fiction with a full day of events focused on mystery and crime writing, Saturday, March 29. The Pinckley Prize is given annually to honor women crime writers. Gillian Flynn will receive the award for Distinguished Body of Work and Ashley Elston, of Shreveport, will receive the award for Debut Novel. Flynn and Elston will join previous Pinckley winners for a series of crime writing panels, with Megan Abbott, Trudy Nan Boyce, Alafair Burke, Christine Carbo, Margot Douaihy, Emma Copley Eisenberg, Gwen Florio, C.S. Harris, Adrianne Harun, Angie Kim, Laura Lippman, Marcie R. Rendon, and Sascha Rothchild. The day of Pinckley events culminates with the awards ceremony at 5:30 p.m., which is free and open to the public. To continue the mystery theme, the Festival is hosting a 1920s-themed murder mystery event later that night.
“Once we booked the Pinckley winners, we leaned into the natural mysterious atmosphere of the French Quarter,” said Tracy Cunningham, managing director. “We chose ‘Interview with the Vampire’ as our book club selection, added a murder mystery event, and of course, we’re at the Hotel Monteleone, which brings its own mystique and spirits to the weekend.”
The festival also selected a gothic-themed image as its program cover, a piece by celebrated New Orleans photographer Frank Relle called Washington, that captures the mystical vibe perfectly.
Favorite Traditions and Events for Readers and Writers
The Stella Shouting Contest, a favorite event in which contestants vie for the best rendition of Stanley Kowalski’s big scene from “A Streetcar Named Desire,” includes Bryan Batt as emcee with Beth Bartley d’Amour and Todd d’Amour as Stella and Stanley. This event is also a fundraiser for the New Orleans Family Justice Center (NOFJC), a network of agencies assisting anyone affected by domestic violence.
Literary events for readers and writers include a Writer’s Craft Series for writers at any experience level, with 10 sessions on poetry, fiction, inspiration, and adaptation, as well as finding an agent. The Literary Discussion Series includes 20 panels with over 80 authors discussing what makes a New Orleans novel, book bans, place and memory in poetry, influences on Tennessee Williams, Romani contributions to pop culture, the art of the personal essay, New Orleans architecture, and much more. The literary schedule also features six walking tours, a book fair by Octavia Books, two New Orleans Writing Marathons, Books and Beignets, and a tribute event to beloved author Dorothy Allison.
Tennessee Williams programming includes multiple panels, plus the annual Tennessee Williams Scholars Conference with a full day of panel discussions concluding with a staged reading. The theme for the annual Tribute Reading at the New Orleans Jazz Museum is “Tennessee Williams in One Act—The Best 50 Years of His Short Plays,” which is sponsored by the New Orleans Theatre Association, which supports performing arts throughout the Greater New Orleans area. The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans will present Orpheus Descending and hold a table reading for a Williams novel in the process of adaptation by playwright Justin Maxwell. Augustin J Correro will teach his fast-paced course, Tennessee 101.
Five Days of Theatre and Cultural Events
The festival includes numerous cultural and theatrical events celebrating the Bohemian nature of New Orleans. The Last Bohemia series will include Mink at the Monteleone, with Mink Stole, Harry Mayronne, and Dr. Sick; a soirée at the Toulouse Theatre featuring Tim Murray Is WITCHES!, a musical comedy fresh from a sold-out award-winning run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; a culinary and cocktail event with Chef Eric Cook at his restaurant, Saint John; A Drag Brunch Named Desire with Poppy Tooker at Dickie Brennan’s Tableau; a South Louisiana culinary event with music at Mister Gregory’s Shrimp Boil Cabaret; a music series featuring Layla Musselwhite, the Slick Skillet Serenaders, and Alexis and the Sanity; and a four-course Romani culinary event with music and tea leaf readings.
The series also includes five theatrical productions at The Twilight Room. “One of the things that makes our festival exciting is the many theatre events,” said Gregory Gajus, TWFest president. “Our theatre productions range from the classic to the wildly irreverent.” The series includes Harold and St. Claude; Fauxnique; So Relevant; Seeking Asylum; The Night Fiona Flawless Went Mad; and Kitten on the Keys in Langue de Chat. Plus, the Mudlark Puppeteers will present Tennessee Williams’ A Recluse and His Guest.
Saints & Sinners LGBTQ+ Literary Festival
The festival will also host the Saints and Sinners LGBTQ+ Literary Festival (SASFest) the same weekend, celebrating its 22nd year of book pitches, writer’s craft sessions, author readings, literary panels, book launches, awards, and special events, including the Glitter with the Literati welcome reception at BK Historic House and Gardens, SASFest’s venue partner. Literary events take place at the Hotel Monteleone Friday through Sunday, March 28 – 30. Visit sasfest.org for more details and find us on social media @sasfest.
Festival Tickets are on sale now. Prices for most individual events range from $10 to $45. For more information, visit tennesseewilliams.net. Find us on Facebook, Bluesky, and Instagram @TWFestNOLA.
