Photo by Danny Fulgencio.
The third annual Dallas Is Lit! Literary Festival, happening May 15-18, 2025, will be a four-day celebration of literature and community bringing together a vibrant mix of authors, performers, and book lovers with dynamic events, including a marquee conversation with three-time U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo.
Taking place at the historic Texas Theatre on Friday, May 16, Harjo’s event is the highlight of the festival. A member of the Muscogee Nation, Harjo is a globally acclaimed poet and musician whose works include Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light: Fifty Poems for Fifty Years and Poet Warrior.
“Partnering with The Writer’s Garret to bring such a luminous poet to Dallas is an honor,” said David Caplan, Director of SMU’s Project Poëtica. “The Project aims to make Dallas a center for English- language poetry, and we can’t wait for the city to experience and be inspired by Harjo’s brilliance.”
This premier event is co-sponsored by SMU Project Poëtica and Activating Reading Communities Organization (ARCO), a Dallas-based nonprofit founded in 2023 to foster meaningful literary engagement and shared community through communal spaces for interaction with books, authors, and the exchange of ideas.
Other festival activities include:
• Langston Hughes’ The Weary Blues performed by Quraysh Ali Lansana with a live band
• Hear Me, See Me multilingual poetry performance
• A book and author fair featuring local authors, literary organizations and businesses
• Bilingual and drag story times
• An open mic poetry night
“Building on the success of the previous two festivals, Dallas Is Lit! 2025 will feature a more robust lineup curated directly from community feedback,” said The Writer’s Garret Executive Director Aaron Glover. “We’re excited to bring together the vibrant voices, stories, and creativity that showcase the thriving literary scene in Oak Cliff and Dallas.”
The festival expects to draw 1,500 people across ten signature events featuring over 50 local performers, writers, and artists. As in previous years, festival events will take place in Oak Cliff, with partners and venues including the Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts, Oak Cliff Assembly, Texas Theatre, Whose Books, and The Wild Detectives.
A full festival lineup will be announced in February, with festival passes and individual event tickets available beginning in March. For more information and to sign up for updates, visit https://writersgarret.org/dallas-is-lit/.
