Salem Literary Festival

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Salem Literary Festival

Salem Lit Fest brings together authors and readers from around the world to celebrate literature in all its forms.

The 2026 Salem Lit Fest will take place November 12–15 in-person and on Zoom. Check us out on social media for more details! Now presented by the Salem Athenaeum, the Salem Literary Festival was founded by Beth Simpson in 2008 as an extension of the events she created for the now defunct Cornerstone Bookstore. Since then, the Salem Lit Fest has grown to include hundreds of attendees, scores of vol

unteers, and dozens of authors. In 2014, the festival joined forces with New York Times bestselling author Brunonia Barry and her organization, Readers and Writers, Inc. The LitFest was held at historic venues in and around Salem that unite authors and book lovers. In 2016, the baton was passed by Bru to longtime LitFest partner, the Salem Athenaeum, which presented the 2017 festival on June 17, 2017. The Salem Lit Fest aims to inspire and promote literacy and a love of books and reading through programming featuring both contemporary authors and engagement with classic works of literature.

06/13/2026

Stop by Today! Salem Athenaeum is excited to participate in the Food at 400+ events with a special one-day only exhibit of books from the 17th to 21st century related to farming, animal husbandry, and the men and women who dedicate their lives to raising the food that sustains us.

Learn more about Food at 400+: www.salemfoodtours.com/food-at-400+/

06/12/2026

Today, we pay tribute to Jane Yolen. With her 450th book out this year, she is a legend in the kid lit community. But with the quantity and variety of her prolific talent, it's safe to say most readers of any age discovered at least one of her books as they grew their love of reading. She was an inspiration and generous mentor to younger writers, and her presence in the literary communities will be greatly missed.

06/11/2026

What favorite memories do you have from Salem Lit Fest or any other literary festival? Every fest brings new authors I love, and sometimes I've even ended up friends with the person sitting next to me. What are some of the best moments from your fests?

Let us know in the comments!

06/09/2026

Love Historical Fiction, but not sure what to read next? Once a month, Salem Lit Fest alum and bestselling author Jane Healey delivers 30 minutes of pure book recommendations on the best of historical fiction out there! We're sure you'll find something to like from Jane's many enthusiastic reviews.

Go to the Ashland Public Library website for more info and the link to join the discussion.

06/08/2026

In honor of National Best Friend's Day, a tribute to the books that love us back. Grab your bestie and go read a book today.

06/07/2026

Reading, yes, but also ... so much to do, so much to talk about at the Salem Athenaeum!

06/03/2026

Tonight, Friday, Saturday - 3 great book events North of Boston! Tonight at 6 The Worthen House Cafe (Lowell), Lala Books' Book the Bar book club! Friday at 3, Meg Mitchell Moore comes to The Bookshop of Beverly Farms to celebrate her latest, DOWN WITH THE SHIPMANS, plus the paperback release of MANSION BEACH. Saturday, head to Granite Coast Brewing from 4-8 for the first stop on Copper Dog Books' Summer 2026 BREWS & BOOKS TOUR.

05/25/2026

Expore a Mystery in a Library Garden

If you love the Salem Lit Fest, then we bet you love
books, flowers, mystery and great company. Join us Sunday May 31 to mingle with fellow curious thinkers. This is the party for you!

05/20/2026

If you love the Salem Lit Fest, then we know you'll love mystery, cocktails and great company in the beautiful gardens of the Salem Athenaeum. Mingle, goggle, and help solve the mystery...

Learn more and buy tickets at salemathenaeum.net.

05/14/2026

Salem Lit Fest may be in November, but we are involved in literary activities happening in Salem next week!

Salem Meets the Noir, the first conference on Hispanic Noir in literature, television and cinema, is happening May 19–21, 2026 at Salem State University. This conference brings together all lovers of the fictional criminal genre.Salem Athenaeum/Salem Lit Fest is excited to be a program partners for the conference.

Keynotes include: Carmen Amato, a CIA veteran turned crime-fiction author with her Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in Acapulco which was long-listed for the 2020 Millennium Book Award; and Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the internationally acclaimed author of Mexican Gothic (winner of the Locus, British Fantasy, Pacific Northwest Book, Aurora, and Goodreads Awards) and Velvet Was the Night, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Macavity Award.

Moreno-Garcia’s keynote will be a Virtual Fireside Chat at the House of the Seven Gables. Tickets for this special session on May 20 are available here: https://bit.ly/4ueWzaG

Info about the whole conference here: https://bit.ly/48X4Ibd

Address

337 Essex Street
Salem, MA
01970

Telephone

(978) 744-2540

Website

https://www.salemlitfest.org/

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