Modern Literary Legends Set to Unite in Charleston this Fall

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Press Release

The highly-anticipated list of some of the world’s most celebrated thinkers and writers participating in this year’s Charleston Literary Festival has just been released, along with ‘first-dibs’ ticketing packages.

Charleston Literary Festival, running November 4-13 in Charleston, SC, is a highly anticipated event for book lovers. The Festival is curated to allow festival goers to see their favorite writers in person while being exposed to a broad mix of themes, ideas, and books. In addition, through its onstage conversations, the Festival provides a much-needed opportunity for connection, dialogue, and joyful celebration in an increasingly complex world.

Charleston Literary Festival creates opportunities for connections that would not otherwise exist.

This year features a lineup of renowned writers (list below) from diverse backgrounds, including Hernan Diaz, author of 2022 Booker Prize long-listed Trust; Patrick Redden Keefe, an award-winning staff writer at the New Yorker magazine and author of the New York Times bestseller Empire of Pain; Deputy Op-Ed Editor for the New York Times, Jyoti Thottam; historian, Professor of History at Harvard University, and National Book Award Winner 2021, Tiya Miles; Dutch/American biologist and primatologist, Frans de Waal, among others. In addition, the Festival offers attendees the chance to engage in a wide range of thought-provoking conversations on topics such as ‘skulduggery and intrigue,’ human gender dynamics, and acts of resilience and bravery.

In an era of post-truth, this year’s festival features novelists, historians, biographers, scientists, poets, and investigative journalists whose pursuit of integrity and authenticity is central to our aim of driving conversations about the human condition and contemporary society.

-Diana Reich, Artistic Director, Charleston Literary Festival

Charleston’s atmosphere is one of the most sought-after in the world.

Charleston, South Carolina, is a city with a rich history dating back centuries and is reflected in the choice of locations for the conversations, such as the Circular Congregational Church, founded in 1681, the Dock Street Theatre, founded in 1736, and Charleston Library Society, founded in 1718. These historic buildings provide the perfect backdrop for a literary event of this magnitude. In addition, there will be ample opportunity to explore Charleston’s thriving culinary scene, historic Lowcountry, and easy walkability.

This year’s Opening Party features world-class jazz under a canopy of oaks.

Keeping with the tradition of offering festival-goers experiences beyond the conversations, the Opening Party at the College of Charleston Cistern Yard on November 5 is not to be missed. Guests will get on their feet for an evening of dancing under the stars and oaks while eating and drinking the best of Southern cuisine with an exclusive performance by the world-renowned jazz musician and composer Wycliffe Gordon and his International All-Stars. In addition to the diverse programming, donor-level festival goers have the opportunity to socialize with the writers/performers in small, elegant gatherings in private homes and gardens.

Participating in Charleston Literary Festival this Fall

Conversations that inform, enrich, and entertain.

  • Hernan Diaz: TRUST, long-listed for the 2022 Booker Prize for Fiction, is a genre-bending, time-skipping dazzling feat of storytelling about New York City's elite in the roaring '20s and Great Depression. “ A razor-sharp dissection of capitalism, class, greed and the meaning of money”(Vogue). Diaz has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award.
  • Renee Dudley: The Ransomware Hunting Team: A Band of Misfits’ Improbable Crusade to Save the World from Cybercrime is an incredible story about a disparate group of outsiders who have used their extraordinary skills to save millions of ransomware victims from paying billions of dollars to criminals. From Renee Dudly, a technology writer for ProPublica (co-authored with Daniel Golden).
  • Patrick Radden Keefe: Rogues: TRUE STORIES OF GRIFTERS, KILLERS, REBELS AND CROOKS From award-winning staff writer at The New Yorker and author of the New York Times bestsellers Empire of Pain, Patrick Radden Keefe’s latest book is composed of twelve enthralling stories of skulduggery and intrigue by one of the most decorated journalists of our time.
  • Tiya Miles: All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake is the 2021 National Book Award Winner and New York Times bestseller. Miles, a renowned historian and Professor of History at Harvard University, traces the life of a single object handed down through three generations of Black women in South Carolina to craft a “deeply layered and insightful” (The Washington Post) testament to people left out of the archives.
  • Jyoti Thottam: Sisters of Mokama: THE PIONEERING WOMEN WHO BROUGHT HOPE AND HEALING TO INDIA. From Deputy Op-Ed Editor for the New York Times, Jyoti Thottam, this never-before-told true story is about six brave Kentucky nuns, their journey to build a hospital in the poorest state in India, and the Indian nurses whose lives would never be the same.
  • Frans de Waal: Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist is a fresh and thought-provoking approach to the long-running debate about the balance between nature and nurture and where sex and gender roles fit. It is the latest book from acclaimed Dutch/American biologist and primatologist Frans de Waal, known for his work on primates’ behavior and social intelligence.
  • Previously Announced Authors coming to Charleston Literary Festival include Tina Brown, Geraldine Brooks, Eddie Glaude Jr., Jean Hanff Korelitz, and Elizabeth Williamson. The complete list will be released in early September. Sign up for updates here.

Festival Details

Ticket Packages and Exclusive Events are now on sale.

  • All Session Access Pass (Plus Opening Party on Nov. 5, 8 pm): $595 until September 6, then $700. Enjoy entry to every festival session, including live and virtual conversations, PLUS a ticket to the Opening Party at the College of Charleston’s Cistern Yard, featuring live musical entertainment from the award-winning Wycliffe Gordon and his All-Stars performing hard-swinging, straight-ahead jazz.
  • All Session Access Pass: $450 until September 6, then $525. Enjoy entry to every festival session, including live and virtual conversations, a value of almost $700!
  • Opening Party: November 5 at the College of Charleston Cistern Yard, $175 tickets are open to festival goers and the general public.
  • Ticketing URL: https://bit.ly/CLF22Tickets

Partnerships that build a community for all

The College of Charleston is the official academic partner of this year’s Charleston Literary Festival. Their historic location in the heart of downtown Charleston, coupled with their enduring commitment to academic distinction, makes them a wellspring for creative collaboration with the festival. For the second year in a row, the College of Charleston faculty will be among the interlocutors in the conversations, promoting the power of excellent writing, ideas, and creativity. In addition, students will have the opportunity to intern, volunteer, and attend the programs.

Buxton Books, the official bookseller partner, is an independent bookstore in downtown Charleston that stimulates creativity and conversation through the power of storytelling with their unwavering support of writers and the reading community. Their selection of Festival books can be found here.

About The Festival

Charleston Literary Festival is a boutique literary festival that takes place each November in Charleston, South Carolina. Launched in 2017 in collaboration with the historic Charleston Library Society and the Charleston Trust in the UK (home to the radical artists and writers of the Bloomsbury Group), Charleston Literary Festival is now an independent non-profit entity. With an emphasis on featuring international and national award-winning authors, the festival is committed to providing diverse audiences with a forum for engaging with new ideas and experiencing the transformative power of great literature.