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By Mark A Leon
Charleston will once again become a gathering place for some of the most compelling voices in literature, history, culture and ideas when the 2026 Charleston Literary Festival returns November 6–15 at the historic Dock Street Theatre.
Now in its 10-day format, the festival brings together an impressive collection of nationally and internationally recognized authors for intimate conversations, performances and discussions centered on books and the ideas that shape our world. The festival describes its mission as creating perspective-altering conversations with world-renowned authors and thinkers, while maintaining an international perspective and strong connection to Charleston.
A remarkable 2026 lineup
Among the confirmed speakers are Barbara Kingsolver, Tayari Jones, Steven Pinker, Lily King, Virginia Evans, Curtis Sittenfeld, Belle Burden and Nelio Biedermann, with a much larger roster of authors and special guests appearing throughout the 10-day festival.
The newly released schedule reveals an especially diverse program.
Opening day, November 6, features Harvard historian David Armitage discussing the global history of the Declaration of Independence, National Book Award winner Susan Choi, Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford in conversation with Tessa Hadley, and Tayari Jones discussing her novel Kin. The evening also includes a screening of Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie, followed by an onstage conversation with Salman Rushdie and Rachel Eliza Griffiths.
The festival continues with conversations spanning fiction, poetry, history, science, memoir, technology, philosophy and the arts. Highlights include Claudia Rankine, James Gleick, Daniel Mendelsohn, Steven Pinker, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, Roxane Gay, Misty Copeland, Susan Orlean, Hernan Diaz and Jeanette Winterson, among many others.
One particularly Charleston-centered evening comes November 11 with “Dawn: A Charleston Legend,” an event celebrating the extraordinary literary career and life of Charleston icon Dawn Langley Simmons.
From Charleston to the world
The festival’s international character is also reflected in its programming. The 2026 schedule includes writers and thinkers from around the globe, while special programming explores subjects ranging from the Iranian Revolution and Cuban history to the history of the telephone, gardening and mental health, architecture, technology and the future.
The festival also continues its commitment to emerging writers through the Wayland and Marion Cato Fellowship Prize, which supports writers from North and South Carolina. A new international fellowship will also bring a writer from Ukraine to Charleston for the 2026 festival.
A fitting home in historic Charleston
Events take place at Dock Street Theatre, in the heart of historic downtown Charleston. The intimate setting is part of what makes the festival distinctive: rather than simply watching authors from a distance, attendees have opportunities to hear writers engage in conversation and participate in audience Q&A.
Most festival sessions run approximately one hour, generally featuring a conversation between an author and an interlocutor followed by audience questions. Book signings take place following most in-person events, and a festival pop-up bookstore will be available at Dock Street Theatre.
The festival will also celebrate its literary roots with programming inspired by Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group, culminating in a staged reading of Woolf’s Freshwater: A Comedy on November 15.
Tickets are now on sale
Individual tickets start at $30, with prices varying by event. Some featured programs include a copy of the author’s book with admission. Family programming is also included, including appearances by children’s author and performer Eric Litwin, the original author of Pete the Cat.
For Charleston residents, visitors and anyone who believes a good conversation can change the way we see the world, the Charleston Literary Festival offers 10 days of opportunities to listen, question, discover and, perhaps most importantly, embrace the conversation.
Charleston Literary Festival 2026
📅 November 6–15, 2026
📍 Dock Street Theatre, Charleston, SC
🎟️ Individual tickets from $30
View the complete 2026 schedule and purchase tickets
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