EXETER, NH — The Exeter Literary Festival welcomes Dr. Tiya Miles and J. Courtney Sullivan as the featured authors for its 2025 event which takes place the first weekend in April.
Held for the first time in 2019, the annual event aims to shine a spotlight on the wealth of local talent in the Exeter area as well as bringing in featured authors and poets from the region. Events at the literary festival, held in the historic Exeter Town Hall and Exeter Public Library, are always free and open to all.
An opening reception with jazz music will take place at the Exeter Public Library on Friday, April 4, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. This year’s festival will kick off the next day at 9:30 a.m. at the Exeter Public Library with Cynthia Copeland, author of the middle grade graphic novels Drive and Cub, talking about her books and being an author.
The main event will begin at 11 a.m. in the Exeter Town Hall with Sullivan in conversation with Katie Adams. Sullivan is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels “Commencement,” “Maine,” “The Engagements,” “Saints for All Occasions,” and “Friends and Strangers.”
Miles will be the last of the day’s authors when she takes the stage at 4 p.m. in conversation with Caleb Gale. Miles is the author of eight books, including four prize-winning histories about race and slavery in the American past.
Other discussions during the day include:
Keith O’Brien, author of “Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose,” in conversation with Dan Provost.
Independent Publishing in the Modern World featuring authors Renay Allen, Michael Cameron Ward, Justin Corriss and Sara North, moderated by Lara Bricker.
Damsels and Dragons: Romance, Fantasy, and Marrying the Two featuring authors Jacquelyn Benson, Laura Mayo, and Lyra Selene moderated by Naomi Farr.
Echoes of Now: Poets of the Present Moment featuring poets K. Iver, Cate Marvin, and Nathan McClain as curated by Diannely Antigua, the 13th poet laureate of Portsmouth.
Family and Finding Home, featuring authors Jane Brox and Alexandra Chan, moderated by Stef Kiper Schmidt.
This year’s festival will also include adjacent events in the community on Friday and Sunday with the Exeter Public Library, Town Exeter Arts Music (TEAM), and Art up Front Street. Follow the Exeter LitFest social media for updates on these events as the weekend gets closer.
Held for the first time in 2019, the Exeter LitFest is a 501C-3 non-profit organization that hosts an annual literary festival the first weekend of April.
For updates on the 2025 Exeter LitFest, including the schedule, follow Exeter LitFest on Facebook and Instagram or visit www.exeterlitfest.com