17th Annual Literary Festival in Clemson Prepares

The 17th annual Clemson Literary Festival is set to take place from March 13-15 and will feature Mojave American Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natalie Diaz as the headliner. Organized by students in the Clemson University Department of English, the festival celebrates Clemson’s rich literary scene with a book fair and readings from students, faculty, and visiting writers.

Festival director John Pursley emphasized the uniqueness of this event, as it is the only entirely student-run literary festival in the U.S. He stated, “The festival continues to seek to attract the most relevant authors and poets in print today, thereby exposing the surrounding community to a unique gathering that blends the familiarity of local venues with the culture of the literary world.”

Diaz, known for her poetry collections “Postcolonial Love Poem” and “When My Brother Was an Aztec,” will be giving a headliner reading on March 14 at 8 p.m. Diaz, an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community, has also received other prestigious awards such as the Nimrod/Hardman Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry and a Lannan Literary Fellowship.

In addition to Diaz, other authors scheduled to hold readings include Dan Albergotti, Melissa Crowe, Eugenia Leigh, Sabrina Orah Mark, Harrison Scott Key, Claire Jiménez, David Joy, Claire Luchette, and Marream Krollos. A book fair supporting the festival will be held in the main lobby of the Robert M. Cooper Library from March 13-15.

Sponsorship opportunities for the event are currently available, and inquiries can be sent to Pursley at pursle3@clemson.edu. To stay updated on the full schedule of festival activities, visit the Clemson Literary Festival’s official website.