Events Open to the Public 2026

Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference 2026

Lectures and readings are free and open to the public. All events will take place in the Little Theater on the Bread Loaf campus in Ripton, Vermont. Events are subject to change; call 802-443-5286 to confirm days and times.

Wednesday, August 12

8:00 p.m. - Welcome by Jennifer Grotz; Reading by Special Guest Natasha Trethewey 

Thursday, August 13

9:00 a.m. - Lecture by Camille T. Dungy, “On Willa Cather”

4:15 p.m. - Readings by Esther Lin, Amanda Rizkalla, Daniel S.C. Sutter

8:00 p.m. - Readings by Catherine Barnett and Brock Clarke

9:00 p.m. - Bread Loaf Centennial Slide Show with David Haward Bain

Friday, August 14

9:00 a.m. - Lecture by Patrick Phillips, “Skip the Boring Parts: Poetry as Collaboration”

4:15 p.m. - Readings by Armen Davoudian, Dionne Irving, and Maria Hummel

8:00 p.m. - Readings by Toni Jensen and Tiphanie Yanique

Saturday, August 15

9:00 a.m. - Lecture by Elizabeth McCracken, “On Failure”

4:15 p.m. - Readings by Olufunke Grace Bankole, A. D. Lauren-Abunassar, and Rion Amilcar Scott

8:00 p.m. - Readings by Marie-Helene Bertino and Chigozie Obioma

Sunday, August 16

9:00 a.m. - Lecture by Paul Lisicky, “Sound Trails”

4:15 p.m. - Readings by James Ciano, Sarah Cypher, Omer Friedlander, and M Lin

8:00 p.m. - Readings by Rick Barot and Alexander Chee

Monday, August 17

10:00 a.m. - Lecture by Alexander Chee, “What is a Novel For?”

4:30 p.m. - Readings by Jennifer Eli Bowen, Oluwaseun Olayiwola, and Brian Trapp *

8:00 p.m. - Readings by Camille T. Dungy and Elizabeth McCracken

*Please note the later start time for this afternoon reading

Tuesday, August 18

9:00 a.m. - Lecture by Brock Clarke, “Late Style”

4:15 p.m. - Readings by Kristina Gorcheva-Newbery, Aram Mrjoian, Hyeseung Song, and Christian Wessels

8:00 p.m. - Readings by Readings by Chinelo Okparanta and Patrick Phillips

Wednesday, August 19

9:00 a.m. - Lecture by Rick Barot, “The Art of Description”

4:15 p.m. - Readings by Lillian Li, Keith S. Wilson, and Paul Lisicky

Thursday, August 20

9:00 a.m. - Lecture by Maria Hummel, “Two Cinderellas”

4:15 p.m. - Readings by Charles Baxter, Michael Collier, and Edward Hirsch

8:00 p.m. - Readings by Jericho Brown and Lauren Francis-Sharma

Friday, August 21

9:00 a.m. - Lecture by Marie-Helene Bertino, “How to Bake an Apple Pie from Scratch: Realistic Characters in Speculative Worlds”

4:15 p.m. - Readings by Mary Helen Callier, Jon Hickey, and Jennifer Grotz

8:00 p.m. - Readings by Gabrielle Calvocoressi and Luis Alberto Urrea
 

Click here to read about the 2026 Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference Faculty and Guests.