In its 39th year, Printers Row Lit Fest, one of the largest and oldest literary festivals in the United States, attracts over 100,000 visitors annually to a festive celebration of literature, readers, and community. The two-day event, where admission and all programs are free of charge, runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7, and Sunday, Sept. 8 in Chicago's historic Printers Row neighborhood, will feature Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith as its opening headliner. Smith, author of "Life on Mars," "The Body's Question," and "Duende" is the 2024 recipient of the Harold Washington Literary Award. This award is a program of the Near South Planning Board, a not-for-profit community-based organization.

CHICAGO, July 8, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In its 39th year, Printers Row Lit Fest, one of the largest and oldest literary festivals in the United States, attracts over 100,000 visitors annually to a festive celebration of literature, readers, and community.

The two-day event, where admission and all programs are free of charge, runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, and Sunday, Sept. 8 in Chicago's historic Printers Row neighborhood, will feature Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith as its opening headliner. Smith, author of "Life on Mars," "The Body's Question," and "Duende" is the 2024 recipient of the Harold Washington Literary Award. This award is a program of the Near South Planning Board, a not-for-profit community-based organization.

As a preview to some of the events at the Lit Fest, PRLF is pleased to announce some of the programming. No. 1 New York Times Best-Selling Author Veronica Roth will showcase her newest Slavic folklore novel "When Among Crows." Phillip B. Williams whose novel "Ours," a story about slavery and freedom in the United States, earned Most Anticipated Book of 2024 by Oprah's Book Club, Elle, Reader's Digest, The Rumpus, Kirkus Reviews, The Millions, and Lit Hub.

A presentation titled "Missing Black Women in Chicago" will feature Jamie Nesbitt Golden of Block Club Chicago, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalists Sarah Conway of City Bureau, and Trina Reynolds-Tyler of Invisible Institute. They will be joined in conversation with Olivia Obineme of Public Narrative.

"Amplifying Women's Voices: The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction" will include Claudia Dey, Kim Coleman Foote, and Janika Oza. The presentation will be moderated by Emily Kellogg, author and program and operations manager for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. This award is the first major English-language literary prize that celebrates creativity and excellence in fiction by women and non-binary writers in Canada and the United States.

Children are invited to wear their favorite costumes and parade among the booksellers' tents—led by the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce's Miss Chinatown, the Yin He Dancers and the Chicago Public Library's Great Horned Owl. The Broadway Dropouts will create an interactive production of "Beauty and the Beast: Choose Your Own Once Upon a Time." Also, bestselling author and illustrator DJ Corchin and award-winning artist and musician Dan Dougherty will inspire children to get on the fast draw with their artwork with Call Itta Draw! the hilarious drawing game show for kids.

Other programming at the Lit Fest includes Ben Austen, author of "Correction: Parole, Prison, and the Possibility of Change," a New York Times Editor's Choice selection that received Washington Post's Best Nonfiction of 2023. From the critically acclaimed author of "High-Risers," comes a groundbreaking and honest investigation into the crisis of the American criminal justice system—through the lens of parole.

No. 1 New York Times Best Selling Author Chaz Ebert illustrates four fundamental human values that are key to unlocking great unity and humanity in "It's Time to Give a FECK: Elevating Humanity through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness." The widow of famed film critic and Chicago icon Roger Ebert, Chaz Ebert is also the author of "Hidden Potential" and "Think Again."

Diversity in programming is the hallmark of Lit Fest. Creator, producer, and host Jeremy Owens will bring his long-running live-lit storytelling series You're Being Ridiculous to Printers Row. Owens' guests include Archy Jamjun, Corbette Pasko, and Chad the Bird.

For those who love intrigue with dashes of danger, the Chicagoland chapter of Sisters in Crime will present a Mystery Minute Reading and Contest with a chance for audience members to join local crime authors such as 2012 Harold Washington Literary Award Winner Sara Paretsky, Lori Rader-Day, Tracy Clark, Susanna Calkins on stage. These genre giants will discuss the process of writing crime fiction and host a live flash fiction contest.

Printers Row Lit Fest's major sponsors include the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Joseph & Bessie Feinberg Foundation, Alphawood Foundation Chicago, The Chicago Public Library Foundation, and ReadersMagnet. Event sponsors are NASCAR, Grace Episcopal Church, and Hotel Blake. Media sponsors are the Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ 91.5 FM Chicago and Newsweb.

About the Producer, Near South Planning Board
Near South Planning Board (NSPB) – a not-for-profit community-based organization serving businesses, institutions and property owners since 1946. Primary service area is Jackson Boulevard to the north, Dan Ryan to the west, 35th Street to the south, and Lake Michigan to the east. NSPB's mission is to plan, guide, and encourage a program of development for the near south area. In addition to the annual Printers Row Lit Fest, NSPB produces literary programs in Chicago Public Schools through its Authors in the Schools program. As one of the City of Chicago's delegate agencies in the Neighborhood Business Development Center Program (NBDC), NSPB works to attract and retain businesses by serving as facilitator and by providing resources, referrals, permit assistance, marketing, and other educational programs. For more information, visit this link.

About Printers Row Lit Fest
Printers Row Lit Fest, now in its 39th year, has become a cornerstone of the literary scene, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. The Lit Fest takes place on South Dearborn Street from Ida B. Wells to Polk Streets in Chicago. As one of the largest literary festivals in the country, it offers an incredible platform for established and emerging authors to engage with their readers and discuss their latest works. For more information, visit https://printersrowlitfest.org/.

Media Contact

Marie Lazzara, JJR Marketing, 630-400-3361, marie@jjrmarketing.com , https://jjrmarketing.com/ 

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SOURCE Printers Row Lit Fest