TULSA LITFEST RETURNS 2023 FESTIVAL FEATURES AWARDEES KAVEH BASSIRI, ARTHUR MALCOLM DIXON, GEORGE HENSON, CHELSEA T. HICKS, KARL JONES, QURAYSH ALI LANSANA, RHETT MCNEIL & MORE
Literary Festival
TULSA LITFEST 2023
Presented by the Center for Poets and Writers at OSU-Tulsa, Whitty Books, Tri-City Collective, & Fulton Street Books and Coffee
April 20-23, 2023
For schedule and locations, visit tulsa.okstate.edu/cpw/litfest
Tulsa LitFest programming is free and open to all
Tulsa LitFest brings together diverse literary artists and writers to collaborate and inspire, enriching the Tulsa community. The free festival includes events ranging from open mic nights and live readings to a small press book fair and a jazz show, presented in a variety of bookstores, taprooms, and museums near downtown. The 2023 festival features Tulsa Artist Fellowship awardees Kaveh Bassiri, Arthur Malcolm Dixon, Georgen Henson, Chelsea T. Hicks, Karl Jones, Quraysh Ali Lansana, and Rhett McNeil.
EVENTS INCLUDE:
It's Lit!: Tulsa LitFest Parlour Party
Thursday, April 20 | 9pm-12am | Four. Seven. Three. | RSVP
Join friends old and new for a Tulsa LitFest After Party with the heaviest parlour vibes! Artist Trueson Daugherty and the Purveyors of the Parlour host a literary salon-style after party as Four.Seven.Three. is dressed to impress with some literary sophistication. Across the street from Heirloom Ales, site of the Tulsa LitFest Live Lit Night event, Four.Seven.Three frequently plays host to Tulsa's hottest after parties. With a parlour vibe that's quite correct, DJ UNNEVN spins for this elevated literary salon with poetic interludes from the Parlour players. Food trucks will be parked outside the venue and outside food is welcome at the event. This event is supported by Studio 66, the Center for Queer Prairie Studies, and the Tulsa Artist Fellowship and supports the Tulsa LitFest. Open to the public, free of charge. (21+)
Tulsa Translators: Writing Across Languages in Northeast Oklahoma
Sunday, April 23 | 1pm | Flagship at Tulsa Artist Fellowship | RSVP
In recent years, Tulsa has gained new prominence as an internationally-recognized hub for literary translation and multilingual writing. In this reading and panel discussion, co-sponsored by Tulsa Artist Fellowship and Latin American Literature Today, translator and editor Arthur Malcolm Dixon will speak with special guests Chelsea T. Hicks, George Henson, and Rhett McNeil about their own literary practices and their unique takes on the current boom in writing across languages in Northeast Oklahoma.
TU PoetryReading with Grant Jenkins and Friends
Sunday, April 23 | 3pm | Flagship at Tulsa Artist Fellowship | RSVP
Grant Matthew Jenkins, professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Tulsa, hosts a poetry reading by present and former faculty from the University of Tulsa. Kaveh Bassiri, author of two chapbooks, Elementary English (Ahinga Press, 2020) and 99 Names of Exile (Newfound 2019), currently teaches creative writing at TU. Having taught at TU from 2011-2012, Timothy Bradford currently teaches at OU and is the author of Nomads with Samsonite (Blazevox 2011). Jenkins will also be reading from his forthcoming new volume of poetry, Contingencies of the Bourgeoisie, which will be out in May from Blazevox.
Tulsa LitFest Fundraiser
The Weary Blues Jazz & Poetry Concert
by Langston Hughes & Charles Mingus
Sunday, April 23 | 7:30pm | Fassler Hall | Purchase Tickets
Weary Blues (also referred to as The Weary Blues) is an album by the American poet Langston Hughes, who recites several of his poems over jazz accompaniment composed and arranged by Leonard Feather and Charles Mingus. The album was recorded on March 17 & 18, 1958 in New York and was released on the MGM label in 1959. It was later reissued on Verve Records. Performed by Quraysh Ali Lansana & some of Oklahoma's best jazz musicians.
VISITOR EXPERIENCE
Tulsa Artist Fellowship strives to provide a welcoming and accessible experience. Our public programming is free, documented, and archived.
To learn more about Tulsa Artist Fellowship programming, please follow our social media channels or signup for public emails at tulsaartistfellowship.org. For questions about accessibility, to request an accommodation, or to share feedback, please email info@tulsaartistfellowship.org or call +1 (539) 302-4855.