LitFest Student Opportunities

LitFest includes a variety of exciting student-only events, including a Spoken Word Slam and Craft Talks with distinguished authors.

LitFest Pre-Fest

Get ready for LitFest with Pre-Fest on Tuesday, February 6 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lyceum. Registration is not required.

Attendees receive books by LitFest authors. Pizza and cookies served!

Spoken Word Slam Registration

LitFest will kick off on Thursday, February 22 at 8 p.m. with the Spoken Word Slam. Register now to participate in this event. You'll need two pieces of original poetry, prose or monologue; each piece should be no longer than three minutes in length. Prizes are as follows:

  • First Prize is a guest of honor spot at the Nuyorican Poets Café in NYC, travel expenses covered by the College.
  • Second Prize is an iPad.
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Craft Classes Registration

Craft classes are an opportunity for Amherst College students to learn from esteemed LitFest guests in a small group setting (25-30 students maximum). Classes last for one hour and focus on a particular aspect of creative writing craft. Although each author will have a unique approach, craft classes typically feature 40-45 minutes of teaching/activities followed by 15-20 minutes of Q&A. No preparation or submission of materials in advance is required, but students should come prepared to ask questions. 

Craft classes will occur on Saturday, February 24 at 12:30 p.m. with the following honored LitFest guests:

  • X=Y: A Workshop on Figurative Language
    Two practicing poets, Katie Farris and Ilya Kaminsky, will offer this generative class where they will provide various approaches to generating new and interesting figurative language, giving examples and exercises to strengthen and extend metaphor, moving from simplest artistic templates to more complex systems of metaphors, similes and figurative speech.
  • Some Thoughts on the Powers of Description
    Paul Harding is the author of This Other Eden a finalist for the 2023 National Book Award. 
  • Vignetting
    Justin Torres is the author of Blackouts, winner of the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction.
  • Life And Work: A Q&A with Presidential Scholar Natasha Trethewey
    This session is an informal opportunity for students to ask Natasha about her work and the writing life. Please come prepared with questions. Natasha Trethewey is the author of five collections of poetry, most recently Monument (2018), as well as the memoir Memorial Drive (2020). Trethewey served two terms as the 19th Poet Laureate of the United States (2012–2014).