Dallas Literary Festival 2025/ dallasliteraryfestival.org

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. For more information visit dallasliteraryfestival.org.
Registration includes a tote and t-shirt!

**Use the green button above to register.**

A Celebration of Vital Writing! We believe that books can bring us together, by helping us to see the world from a new perspective and revealing what matters most to us as a community, society, and species.

Dallas Lit Fest will feature panels, readings, book signings across two days of activities on SMU Campus. Guests will need to select tickets for individual panels and events separately.

Registration will be available at the door, though seating is not guaranteed.
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Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Oren Auditorium/Hughes Trigg


8:30-9:00—Welcome to My Country

Opening Remarks by Chair of the English Department, Christopher González

How do we define our country—as a physical place, a personal history, or a cultural identity? Professor Christopher González opens the festival with reflections on literature’s role in shaping our understanding of country, belonging, and the power of storytelling.
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9:00-10:00— Writers in our Backyard: SMU Authors

Exploring Literary Roots on Campus and Beyond

Introduction: Ryland Davis, SMU Freshman Hilltop Scholar and Freshman Senator introduces panel.
Moderator: Susan Norman

Participants: Sebastian Paramo, Lori Ann Stephens, Samantha Mabry

How does a university shape a writer’s understanding of place? This panel features SMU authors discussing how the surrounding community informs their creative work, whether through personal history, regional storytelling, or cultural connections.
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10:15-11:30— Form in Life-Writing

Personal and National Narratives in Life-Writing

Introduction: Student (TBD) introduces the panel

Moderator: DaMaris Hill

Participants: D. Watkins, MK Asante, Marita Golden, Christopher González

Memoirists craft personal histories within larger cultural landscapes. This panel examines how structure and form shape the stories we tell about ourselves and our countries—both real and imagined. Writers will discuss the challenge of balancing truth, history, and identity in their work.
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11:45-1:15— Nourished by Story

How Cuisine and Storytelling Shape Our Sense of Country

Introduction: Student (TBD) introduces the panel

Moderator: Karen Thomas

Participants: Crystal Wilkinson, Alexander Smalls

Food carries the history of a nation, a people, and a personal journey. In this conversation, writers discuss how culinary traditions influence their storytelling, how food connects us to our country of origin, and how recipes serve as narratives of survival, resistance, and heritage.
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1:30-2:30— Writing Retreats: Creating Away from Home

Reimagining Home Through Writing Retreats

Introduction: Student (TBD) introduces the panel

Moderator: Cole Lavalais

Participants: Marita Golden, Tyehimba Jess, Renee Simms

Writers often leave home to find inspiration. This panel explores the significance of writing retreats in shaping creative work, offering solitude, and providing a temporary sense of belonging. Writers will discuss how different landscapes influence their storytelling.
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3:30-5:30pm—My Black Country (McCord Auditorium, Dallas Hall)

Maria Dixon Hall in Conversation with Alice Randall

Speaker/Introduction: Nathan Balke serves as dean ad interim of the SMU Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences.

For Black writers, country is a layered concept—rooted in ancestry, displacement, and cultural inheritance. Alice Randall and Maria Dixon Hall explore how Black narratives challenge, expand, and redefine the meaning of home and nation. Through literature, music, and historical context, they discuss the role of storytelling in shaping personal and collective identity.
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6:00-8pm Reception & Book Signing – BBQ and music under tent on the south lawn

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Thursday, April 3, 2025
Oren Auditorium/Hughes Trigg


8:30-9:00—Welcome– E.A. Lilly Professor in English Darryl Dickson-Carr and Dallas Poet Laureate Mag Galbert

How do writers define country—both as a physical space and an emotional landscape? This opening session sets the tone for the festival, exploring how literature and poetry help us navigate personal and collective identities.
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9:00-10:00— Outside Myself: Travel Writing

Exploring Self and Nation Through Travel Writing

Introduction: Student introduces the panel

Moderator: Lauren Smart

Participants: Alex Temblador, Latria Graham, Kendra Greene, Jonathan Thompson

Travel writing is about more than movement—it’s about discovery. In this panel, writers discuss how travel influences their understanding of country, culture, and belonging. From exploring unfamiliar lands to rediscovering their own roots, these authors reflect on how crossing borders shapes both personal and national narratives.
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10:15-11:30— Selling My Story: The Business of Publishing

Navigating the Literary Marketplace

Introduction: CRW Student (TBD) introduces the panelModerator: Jake Rubin

Participants: Yahdon Israel, Lauren Cerrand, Will Evans, Ali Kominsky

Who gets to tell their country’s story? And how do writers ensure their voices are heard in the publishing world? This panel explores the business of books—from securing agents to marketing personal and national narratives. Writers and industry professionals discuss how to position their work in a competitive market while staying true to the stories they need to tell.
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11:45-1:15—My Style: Fashion and Sports Writing

How Fashion and Sports Define Cultural Identity

Introduction: Student athlete (TBD) and Meagan Ashford introduces the panel

Moderator: Sara Idacavage

Participants: Ethan Lascity, Mitchell Jackson, Tara Donaldson

Fashion and sports are more than entertainment—they’re reflections of national and cultural identity. Writers in this panel discuss how style and athletics shape the stories we tell about ourselves and our countries, exploring the intersection of history, race, and self-expression.
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1:30-2:45— Contemporary Poetry

Crafting Identity Through Verse

Introduction: CRW Student (TBD) introduces the panel

Moderator: Katie Condon

Participants: A. Van Jordan, Tyehimba Jess, John Murillo

Poetry is a nation of its own—one that transcends borders while remaining deeply personal. These contemporary poets discuss how their work reflects personal, cultural, and national identities, using language to explore heritage, displacement, and belonging.
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3:00-4:30— Writing About Place—Can You Ever Go Home Again?

Exploring the Meaning of Home in Literature

Introduction: Student (TBD) introduces the panel.

Moderator: M. Shelly Conner

Participants: Deesha Philyaw, Latoya Watkins, Renee Simms

Can you ever truly return to where you came from? Writers explore themes of nostalgia, migration, and changing landscapes, discussing how personal and national histories shape the way we view home. This panel examines how place influences storytelling and how writers wrestle with their evolving sense of country
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4:45-6:30— Crystal Donkor with Tomi Adeyemi/Conference Closing

Closing Keynote: Reimagining Country Through Storytelling

Closing remarks: Dr. K.C. Mmeje, Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Michael Castle Student Body President

Tomi Adeyemi, celebrated for her powerful fantasy novels rooted in African heritage, joins Crystal Donkor for a discussion on reimagining country through storytelling. From myth-making to historical retellings, they explore how literature can redefine national and cultural identity, shaping the future of how we see ourselves and our histories.
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6:30-8:00pm— Reception & Book Signing

Department of English | View More Events

Elijah Hook

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