(Devon Divine / Unsplash)
By Madelyn Edwards
(DALLAS) The online Dallas Literary Festival runs from March 26 through March 28 and features panel discussions, author readings and one-on-one conversations all focused on the theme of turbulence, The Dallas Morning News reports.
The keynote is a conversation between criminal justice reform advocate Alice Marie Johnson and “Survival Math” author Mitchell S. Jackson.
Johnson was previously convicted and imprisoned for a nonviolent drug charge, but her sentence was cut short by former President Donald Trump. She later wrote the memoir “After Life” about her experiences.
During the keynote address, Johnson wants to focus on “what we as a society must do to change our thinking about the formerly incarcerated, and what we’re doing in our penal system. Because when one person goes to prison, their entire family goes with them.”
The other programs include discussions on making literary canon more inclusive, trends in Black fiction, finding literary agents, adapting books for film and television, children’s literature and writing mysteries. Many authors and editors will be leading the sessions, including U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, New York Times op-ed columnist Charles M. Blow and Pulitzer Prize recipients Tyehimba Jess and Benjamin Moser.
The festival also includes awarding Ben Fountain, author of "Beautiful Country Burn Again," and Emma Rodgers, founder of the Dallas Civil Rights Museum and the Black Images Book Bazaar, with the inaugural Literary Leader awards. The winning entries of a short fiction contest for high schoolers will also be featured.
The full schedule can be found here.