Safe Harbors of the Hudson is pleased to announce Newburgh’s first annual Literary Festival. A weekend of literature, leaf peeping and localism in historic Newburgh. The Festival, which will take place the weekend of October 18, is a collaborative project of Safe Harbors of the Hudson; Dr. Hannah Brooks; author Danielle Trussoni; the Newburgh Free Library; Atlas Studios; and Thornwillow Institute.

The Newburgh Literary Festival is a three-day exploration and celebration of the written word in a city with rich history, celebrated architecture and breathtaking natural beauty nestled on the shores of the Hudson River in the heart of the Hudson Valley. Festival goers will be enriched with literature, immersed in history, nourished at celebrated restaurants and charmed by the city’s local flair. Local merchants and restaurants will be offering discounts throughout the weekend for Festival attendees, who will enjoy the unique offerings of local artisans and epicureans.

The festival will begin Friday, October 18 with the Spring Street Reading Series featuring author Mitchell Jackson, winner of the Whiting Award and the PEN/Hemingway Award for debut fiction; and poet Gretchen Primack, whose work has been published in The Paris Review, Prairie Schooner, Ploughshares, The Antioch Review and many others. The Spring Street Reading Series will be held at Atlas Industries, 11 Spring St., Newburgh – 6:30pm Reception; 7pm Readings.

Safe Harbors will host the Festival’s Main Event Saturday, October 19, with a robust, full-day program of readings, interviews, podcasts, film clips and Q&A with nationally-recognized authors and poets, among them, Maria Dahvana Headley, creator of the celebrated and politically topical adaptation of Beowulf The Mere Wife; Molly Ringwald, actor, and author of the critically acclaimed story collection When it Happens to You; Bettina “Gold” Wilkerson, Dutchess county poet laureate; Edwin Torres of Nuyorican Poets Café; and award-winning novelists Panio Gianopoulos, Danielle Trussoni, Crystal Hana Kim, and Elizabeth (Betsy) Crane. An evening meet and greet cocktail reception and Local Authors Fair will follow the day’s events. The featured program will be held at Safe Harbors Lobby at the Ritz, 107 Broadway, Newburgh, NY – 2pm-6pm Authors’ event; 6pm-8pm, Cocktail Reception and Local Authors Fair. Tickets are $20 available online and at the door the day of the event. Students, $10 at the door with valid ID.

Sunday, October 20 will feature two, live writing workshops, How to Tell the Story of Your Life, led by novelist and memoirist, Danielle Trussoni at Safe Harbors Ann Street Gallery, 104 Ann St., Newburgh, 10am-12pm; and Surprise Yourself; Surprise Your Reader, with poet Ruth Danon at Atlas Studios Gallery, 11 Spring St., Newburgh, 1pm-3pm. Tickets are $25 per person, per workshop (linked above) and seats are limited.

Friday, October 18 and Saturday, October 19, Safe Harbors contemporary arts venue, the Ann Street Gallery will present TEXT, a group exhibition of text-based art which has been curated in conjunction with the Literary Festival. 104 Ann Street 11am-5pm.

This project was made possible, in part, with funds from the County of Orange and Orange County Tourism.

Thank you to our sponsors:
Hudson Valley Cancer Genetics and Shelter House Café – Downing Park
In collaboration with:
Thornwillow Institute, Atlas Studios, Newburgh Free Library and Metro-North Railroad