'CT Lit Fest' In Hartford Is The Place To Be For Lovers Of The Written Word

HARTFORD, CT — Whether you're a worksmith or a bookworm (or both), the 2025 CT Lit Fest in Hartford is a must-do event to indulge your passion(s).

The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, at "Real Art Ways," located at 56 Arbor St., Hartford.

It is dubbed a "free literary circus featuring writers Amy Bloom, Robert Dowling, CT Poet Laureates, and many more."

CT Lit Fest will feature panels, literary readings, food trucks, interviews, live music, a book fair, a "zine zone," and a "wicked cool typewriter gallery."

"Connecticut (or Nutmeg or New England) writers, publishers, and poets will take over Real Art Ways' five galleries. Each space will offer programming and prose," wrote event organizers.

"Everyone is invited for a full day of panels, readings, food trucks, a spectacular book fair, and many ways to discover, create, and connect."

CT Lit Fest returns to Real Art Ways for a fourth year. The festival was hosted here in 2019, 2021, and 2023.

The event is sponsored by the CT Center for the Book, The Yale Writers' Workshop, and The Friends and Enemies of Wallace Stevens.

This free, one-day festival will feature panels and appearances from: Amy Bloom; Robert M. Dowling; Ciaran Berry; Kristin Blair; Antoinette Brim-Bell; David Sterling Brown; Luisa Caycedo Kimura; Christina Chui; Maggie Dietz; Lara Ehrlich; Margaret Gibson; Sasha Hom; Frederick Douglass-Knowles II; Elaine Nadal; Monica Ong; Jacinda Townsend; and WNPR "Where We Live" host Catherine Shen.

Since its inception in 2019, CT Lit Fest has collaborated with over 200 authors, hailing from across the state, nation, and world. The festival started at Central Connecticut State University and now it partners with Real Art Ways, a premier art space in Hartford. The official website is ctlitfest.org, and guests are encouraged to register in advance using this link, although it is not required.

For more information on CT Lit Fest, click on this link.