Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7 from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. daily
Free weekend of programming with bestselling and award-winning writers including Lauren Groff, Reza Aslan, John Fugelsang, Maggie Smith, Tananarive Due, Bill Kurtis and Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda del Valle
March 18, 2026 (Chicago, IL)—American Writers Museum (AWM), the first and only U.S. museum dedicated to the history and impact of American writers, is pleased to announce the return of its American Writers Festival this summer. Presented in partnership with Chicago Public Library, this year’s festival is expanding to two days, Saturday, June 6 from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday, June 7 from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. All festival programs are free to the public.
Festival programming on Saturday, June 6 will be held at the American Writers Museum (180 N. Michigan Avenue), with AWM offering free museum admission to all attendees. On Sunday, June 7, the festival and all related programming moves to Harold Washington Library Center(400 S. State Street); AWM will be closed that Sunday. Seating for festival programs is available on a first come, first served basis. AWM members get preferred seating at main stage events.
For programming updates and more information about the 2026 American Writers Festival, visit americanwritersfestival.org.
Headlining writers for the third edition of the American Writers Festival include an array of bestselling and award-winning authors and journalists across genres and mediums. Featured writers include: New York Times bestselling author and three-time National Book Award finalist Lauren Groff (Brawler, Matrix, Fates and Furies); New York Times bestselling author and Emmy Award-nominated producer Reza Aslan (An American Martyr in Persia, Zealot); actor, comedian and broadcaster John Fugelsang (Separation of Church and Hate, “Tell Me Everything” on SiriusXM); New York Times bestselling poet Maggie Smith (You Could Make This Place Beautiful, A Suit or a Suitcase); award-winning author Tananarive Due (The
Reformatory, The Good House) in conversation with this year’s Nebula Award finalists; legendary broadcast journalist Bill Kurtis (Whirlwind, Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!); and Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda del Valle.
Building upon the resounding success of the 2024 and 2022 editions of the American Writers Festival, which attracted thousands of attendees, this year’s expanded two-day event promises to be even more exceptional—with more than 80 writers and 40 programs.
“We are excited to partner with Chicago Public Library again this year as we bring back the American Writers Festival, a literary celebration that reflects the vibrancy and urgency of the American voice through our country’s diverse and talented writers,” says AWM President Carey Cranston. “After the success of our past two festivals, we look forward to expanding to a two-day event this June, welcoming guests to the American Writers Museum and Harold Washington Library Center on alternating days for thought-provoking conversations with dozens of bestselling and acclaimed writers across genres.”
The American Writers Museum’s American Writers Festival aims to transcend the boundaries of a traditional book festival, showcasing the immense contributions made by writers of all genres and styles to American history, culture and daily life. Panels and topics range from recently released novels and memoirs to screenwriting, comedy, adaptations, horror, romance, history, ghostwriting, and journalism. Festival attendees will have the opportunity to explore their own creativity through writing workshops and other literary activities. Additionally, the Seminary Co-op Bookstore will be on site selling books from all participating authors.
A complete American Writers Festival schedule will be announced later this spring. For the most up-to-date information, visit americanwritersfestival.org.
The American Writers Festival is made possible by Presenting Sponsor Brenda and James Grusecki, with additional sponsorship support provided by the Poetry Foundation, Joan E. and Robert A. Clifford, Totally Booked with Zibby, and Ivan and Kathy Kane. This event is also supported by a grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative.
AUTHOR BIOS
Reza Aslan is a renowned writer, commentator, professor, Emmy- and Peabody-nominated producer, and scholar of religions. A recipient of the prestigious James Joyce award, Aslan is the author of numerous internationally best-selling books, including the #1 New York Times Bestseller, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. His biography of Howard Baskerville, An American Martyr in Persia, was nominated for the PEN/Jacqueline Beograd Weld Award. His producing credits include the acclaimed HBO series The Leftovers and the hit CBS comedy United States of AL. He is the host and Executive Producer of CNN’s Believer and Rough Draft with Reza Aslan, as well as co-host along with Rainn Wilson of the podcast Metaphysical Milkshake. His most recent book is titled A Kids Book About Israel & Palestine.
Bill Kurtis celebrates 60 years as an acclaimed television journalist. He is the host and producer of hundreds of documentaries through his own multimedia production company, KURTIS PRODUCTIONS. He is well-known nationally for his role as a news anchor on the CBS network and in Chicago on CBS 2 / WBBM-TV. He created the Peabody Award-winning series “The New Explorers” for PBS and “Cold Case Files” for A&E. He has been recognized for breaking the story of the effects of Agent Orange on Viet Nam Veterans with two one-hour documentaries. He is also the author of The Death Penalty on Trial: Crisis in American Justice and On Assignment which includes photographs he took on assignments that took him around the world.
Tananarive Due is an American Book Award and NAACP Image Award–winning author, who was an executive producer on Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror for Shudder and teaches Afrofuturism and Black Horror at UCLA. She and her husband, science fiction author Steven Barnes, co-wrote the graphic novel The Keeper and an episode for Season 2 of The Twilight Zone for Paramount Plus and Monkeypaw Productions. Due is the author of several novels and two short story collections, Ghost Summer: Stories and The Wishing Pool and Other Stories. She is also coauthor of a civil rights memoir, Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights (with her late mother, Patricia Stephens Due).
John Fugelsang has been murdered on CSI and picketed by the Westboro Baptist Church. He’s a Drama League–nominated actor, comedian, and broadcaster who’s hosted many TV shows and podcasts, including the acclaimed Tell Me Everything series on SiriusXM Progress. He’s gotten George Harrison to give his final performance on VH1, debated Jerry Falwell and David Duke, and made many appearances on MSNBC, FOX News, and CNN. His epic PBS road trip film on the American Dream, Dream On, directed by Roger Weisberg, was named Best Documentary at the New York Independent Film Festival. Fugelsang lives in New York City with his family.
Lauren Groff is a three-time National Book Award finalist and the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Monsters of Templeton, Arcadia, Fates and Furies, Matrix, and The Vaster Wilds, and the celebrated short story collections Delicate Edible Birds and Florida. She has won the Story Prize and the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, and has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 2024 she was named one of the “TIME 100 most influential people.” Groff ’s work regularly appears in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and elsewhere. Her work has been translated into thirty-six languages. She lives in Gainesville, Florida, where she and her husband run an independent bookstore, The Lynx.
Maggie Smith is the award-winning New York Times bestselling author of nine books of poetry and prose, including A Suit or a Suitcase, You Could Make This Place Beautiful, Good Bones, Goldenrod, Keep Moving, and My Thoughts Have Wings. She has been widely published, appearing in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, The Nation, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Best American Poetry, and more. She is the host of The Slowdown. You can find her on social media @MaggieSmithPoet.
Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda del Valle is a Chicago-born poet, and interdisciplinary artist. A former Grand Slam Champion at the Nuyorican Poets Café, she became the youngest poet and first Latinx winner of the National Poetry Slam. She has appeared on Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry and was an original cast member of the Tony Award-winning Def Poetry Jam on Broadway. She is a 2024 Letras Boricuas Fellow and in January of 2026, began her tenure as the second Poet Laureate of the City of Chicago. She is currently developing Herencia, a multimedia performance exploring Puerto Rican migration to Chicago’s South Side.
###
American Writers Festival press kit and images available HERE>>
The American Writers Museum (AWM) is the first museum of its kind in the United States. The mission of AWM is to excite audiences about the impact of American writers—past, present and future—in shaping our collective histories, cultures, identities, and daily lives. The museum is located at 180 N. Michigan Avenue in Chicago, IL 60601, and offers something for every age group including permanent exhibits and special galleries highlighting America’s favorite works and the authors behind them. Tickets to the museum are $16 for adults, $10 for seniors, students, and teachers. Free for members and children ages 12 and under. To inquire about discounted rates for groups of 10 or more, including adults, student travel groups, and University students, visit AmericanWritersMuseum.org/visit/groups or call 312-374-8765. Museum hours are Monday, Thursday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. For more information visit AmericanWritersMuseum.org or call 312-374-8790. Follow AWM on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.