Montclair Literary Festival To Celebrate 10 Years With Week-Long Celebration

The Montclair Literary Festival, an annual mainstay of the region’s cultural calendar, is proud to be celebrating its 10th anniversary in May 2026. From the first event with Trevor Noah in 2017, the festival has welcomed an extraordinary lineup of writers, thinkers, and cultural icons, creating an annual gathering where readers and authors come together to share ideas, stories, and inspiration.

Highlights include the iconic performance by Patti Smith and her band in 2018, Colson Whitehead, Nicholas Kristof, David Baldacci, Isabel Allende, Paul Auster, Maggie O’Farrrell, Joyce Carol Oates, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Ann Napolitano, Katie Kitamura, Jane Fonda, Malcolm Gladwell, Tom Perrotta, Jennifer Egan, and Salman Rushdie. Together, these voices, and many more, have shaped a rich tradition of literary excellence, community connection, and spirited dialogue.

The 10th-anniversary celebrations will begin on December 17, 2025, with a special event honoring Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, in partnership with Montclair Film.

The official festival will take place from Saturday May 2 to Saturday May 9, 2026, with a packed program of marquee author events, thought-provoking panels, writing workshops, and book club gatherings. Additional programming will be announced in the months leading up to the festival, ensuring a milestone year filled with unforgettable moments for readers of all ages.

“The Montclair Literary Festival was founded to create space for the exchange of ideas, storytelling, and community connection,” said Festival Chair Marcia Marley. “As we celebrate our 10th year, we’re proud of the legacy we’ve built and excited for the future —bringing the world’s most compelling voices to Montclair while celebrating the town’s vibrant literary culture.“

The festival’s primary partners are Montclair State University, Watchung Booksellers, and the Montclair Public Library. Over the years the festival has co-sponsored events with many community organisations including Outpost in the Burbs, Out Montclair, Latinos of Montclair, and AAPI NJ, as well as institutions such as the Montclair Art Museum and Montclair Film. The festival has been supported by local news organisations, Montclair BID, and the community at large.

“We are lucky to live in such a rich and culturally diverse town and have the generous support of Watchung Booksellers, Montclair State University, and the Montclair Public Library. Plus a dedicated team of volunteers who work year-round to make the program such a success,” continued Marley.

Succeed2gether launched the Montclair Literary Festival in 2017 to promote literacy and reading for all, and to celebrate reading, literature, and Montclair’s vibrant and diverse literary scene. The Literary Festival raises funds and awareness for the work of Succeed2gether, a non-profit organization that addresses unequal access to educational resources by providing free, high-quality enrichment and academic programs and a post-high-school pathway to children in need from Montclair and Essex County, New Jersey. Since its inception, the festival has become the premier literary festival in New Jersey.