Atlanta’s Letters Festival Brings Six Days of Readings and Writing Workshops

Atlanta’s Letters Festival opens Monday, Nov. 9, bringing six days of readings, writing workshops and conversations to Candler Park and Little Five Points through Saturday, Nov. 14.

The opening reading begins at 7 p.m. at Lostintheletters, with Justin Haynes, Maya Marshall and Victoria Kornick. Later events move between the literary organization’s space, Gigi’s Italian Kitchen, Lucille’s and The Marianna at Wrecking Bar Pub.

For writers making the trip from North Atlanta, Saturday offers several reasons to stay for the day. A Walk & Write session runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed at 2 p.m. by Danielle Pafunda’s generative writing workshop on surprise, transgression and the erotic image. Both take place at The Marianna, 292 Moreland Ave. NE.

At 5 p.m., Johannes Göransson, Sandra Dolores Gómez Amador and Stine An will discuss how translating other writers shapes their own work. The Writing Across Languages panel brings together poets whose practices cross national and linguistic boundaries. An, a Korean/American poet and translator raised in Atlanta, has translated work by Korean poet Yoo Heekyung; Göransson’s translations include Swedish poets Aase Berg and Ann Jäderlund.

Saturday closes with a 7 p.m. reading featuring Jessamine Chan, Göransson, Paige Lewis and An.

Lostintheletters began as a reading series in 2012 and launched the festival the following year to connect Atlanta with the wider writing community. Its year-round programs include workshops and studio hours for people working on poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction.

The Nov. 11 food-writing reading at Gigi’s is sold out. A revised festival pass excludes that event, so buyers should check which sessions their ticket covers. Individual-event tickets and current pass options are available through the festival’s Eventbrite collection.

The full festival schedule includes venue details and the remaining evening readings.

Festival artwork: Lostintheletters.