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Saturday, April 18
 

8:00am EDT

Matins with Jess Ray
Saturday April 18, 2026 8:00am - 8:30am EDT
Chapel
Join Jess Ray for an early‑morning Matins performance—a 30‑minute gathering of song and quiet attention that invites participants into a grounded, contemplative start to the Festival day.
Speakers
avatar for Jess Ray

Jess Ray

Jess Ray is a singer-songwriter, producer, and creative supernova based in her beloved home state of North Carolina. Crafting a new wave of music for those seeking God, Jess blends fresh sonic style with timeless truths, delicately weaving it all together with the realities of the human experience... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 8:00am - 8:30am EDT
Chapel
  Matins

8:30am EDT

Information Desk Open
Saturday April 18, 2026 8:30am - 4:30pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Fireside Room

Saturday April 18, 2026 8:30am - 4:30pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Fireside Room
  Info Desk

8:59am EDT

Exhibit Hall Open
Saturday April 18, 2026 8:59am - 4:30pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Great Hall

Exhibitors
avatar for Broadleaf Books

Broadleaf Books

Our books inspire transformation in readers and their communities to foster a more open, just, and compassionate world.

Rooted in the progressive Christian tradition and reflecting the diversity of human creativity, we publish books that engage readers in fresh, substantive, timel... Read More →
avatar for Eighth Day Books

Eighth Day Books

Eighth Day Books has specialized in classic books across the disciplines of art, science, and the humanities since 1988, when we first opened our store in Wichita, Kansas.

From the beginning, we have not been a typical independent bookstore; we eschew the trendy, and do not carry books solely based on their saleability. Instead, we're selective, offering an eccentric community of books based on this organizing principle: if a book (be it literary, scientific... Read More →
avatar for Lake Drive Books

Lake Drive Books

Lake Drive Books began with a vision to do book publishing for authors and readers who want to break the mold and ask honest questions about religion, spirituality, and personal growth, including books on faith deconstruction, self-improvement, theology, race, class, gender, and sexuality... Read More →
avatar for Slant Books

Slant Books

Slant is an independent, not-for-profit literary press specializing in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, philosophy, theology, and belles lettres. Slant books are marked by the kind of meticulous craft and passion for language that are harder and harder to come by in our age... Read More →
avatar for Englewood Review of Books

Englewood Review of Books

Launched in 2008, The Englewood Review of Books is a weekly online book review published by Englewood Christian Church on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis. We focus on covering books related to the themes of community, mission, imagination, and reconciliation, and hope to cultiv... Read More →
avatar for The Christian Century

The Christian Century

The Christian Century is a progressive, independent religious magazine devoted to helping people think critically and live the Christian faith thoughtfully.

Known for its excellent essays and poetry, incisive reporting and commentary, and prominent writers contributing from variou... Read More →
avatar for Eerdmans Publishing Company

Eerdmans Publishing Company

Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company is an independent publisher of religious books, from academic books and scholarly works in theology, biblical studies, and religious history to popular titles in spirituality, ministry, and cultural criticism.

William B. Eerdmans Sr. believed that responsible viewpoints from across the religious spectrum should be given opportunity for expression and that high literary and intellectual standards were of utmost importance. His publishing company continues to operate according to these beliefs... Read More →
avatar for Taylor University: Making Literature 2027 Conference

Taylor University: Making Literature 2027 Conference

The Making Literature Conference is officially the William A. Fry Undergraduate Conference on Literature and Writing. Dr. William A. Fry served as English department chair at Taylor from 1978 until his retirement in 1998. Bill was trained first as a minister at Nyack College, then... Read More →
avatar for Relief: A Journal of Art and Faith

Relief: A Journal of Art and Faith

For over a decade, Relief has helped shape the landscapes of faith and imagination for readers around the world. In our annual print journal, we feature fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, graphic narrative, and reviews by some of today’s finest literary practitioners, alongside emerging voices. We also o... Read More →
avatar for Evelyn DeKorte/Diane Ford

Evelyn DeKorte/Diane Ford

Evelyn DeKorte is the author of the spiritual memoir Tracing His Hand: Recognizing God’s Fingerprints on Our Everyday Lives. Depicting the author's growth in her faith walk, Tracing His Hand offers a collection of stories she’s experienced on her journey in this life, a recor... Read More →
avatar for Baker Publishing Group

Baker Publishing Group

Baker Publishing Group publishes high-quality writings that represent historic Christianity and serve the diverse interests and concerns of evangelical readers.

Visit our Independent Christian Bookstore, Baker Book House.

Editor Pitch Meetings

What We're Offering: Katelyn Beaty, E

... Read More →
avatar for Redbud Writers Guild

Redbud Writers Guild

Redbud Writers Guild is a diverse community of Christian women writers passionate about using words to encourage, challenge, and transform culture. We do this through books, articles, blogs, and speaking engagements. We engage our faith in Jesus while using our creativity to spar... Read More →
avatar for Collegeville Institute

Collegeville Institute

The Collegeville Institute is a place of scholarship, worship, dialogue, and community immersed in the Benedictine rhythm of work and prayer. We invite you to enter this place—explore our site, join the online conversations, subscribe to us, apply for a program, make a visit to... Read More →
avatar for PLNU M.A. in Writing Program / Last Syllable Journal

PLNU M.A. in Writing Program / Last Syllable Journal

Point Loma Nazarene University Master's Degree
Earn your master’s in writing at PLNU in two years. Whether you’re seeking to strengthen your practice in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, PLNU’s M.A. in Writing program is designed to expand your knowledge of written art and cra... Read More →
avatar for Reformed Journal

Reformed Journal

Our purpose is to publish Christian writing that delights readers and engages the world in a Reformed Way.

We’re Reformed. We call ourselves generously Reformed—meaning open, curious, progressive, more interested in building bridges than walls, while still standing in the historical line of Christian orthodoxy. Our roots and our community are predominantly in the Dutch Reformed community... Read More →
avatar for The Windhover Literary Journal

The Windhover Literary Journal

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor is proud to sponsor The Windhover. The journal is dedicated to promoting poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction that considers Christian perspectives and engages spiritual themes. Each spring the journal hosts a writers’ festival, inviting their published authors and interested readers to come to campus for a weekend... Read More →
avatar for Orion Magazine

Orion Magazine

The first issue of the Orion Nature Quarterly was published in June 1982, and in its editorial George Russell, the publication’s first Editor-in-Chief, boldly stated Orion’s values:“It is Orion’s fundamental conviction that humans are morally responsible for the world... Read More →
avatar for Leslie Leyland Fields/Memoir Masterclass
avatar for Mark Mattison

Mark Mattison

Luminescence, L.L.C.
About Us
Titles published by Luminescence, L.L.C. seamlessly blend academic rigor with spiritual wisdom. The best literature and art amazes, surprises, and provokes, enkindling personal reflection and an openness to the deeper meanings of human existence.

Our titles are easily acce... Read More →
avatar for Moody Global Media

Moody Global Media

Moody Bible Institute’s new multimedia division – Moody Global Media – has a 10-year vision to reach 100 million people weekly with the gospel of Jesus Christ through its Moody Radio network of stations and now a multitude of growing digital channels.

Moody Global Media is n

... Read More →
avatar for Healing Medicine
avatar for Whitworth University MFA

Whitworth University MFA

Where Rigorous Literary Craft Meets Deep Spiritual Formation
The Whitworth Writers Workshop is one of only three faith-based low-residency MFA programs in the United States. Built on 15 years of success and over 100 published books by program alumni, we offer what few programs can: nationally recognized faculty, personalized mentorship and... Read More →
avatar for NavPress

NavPress

NavPress is a business ministry of The Navigators, which since 1933 has shared the gospel of Jesus and helped people grow in their relationship with Him through Life-to-Life® discipleship. Since 1975, with its rich catalog of bestselling books, discipleship resources, and The Message... Read More →
avatar for Plough

Plough

Plough Publishing House, founded in 1920, is an independent publisher of books on faith, society, and the spiritual life. We’re based in Walden, New York with branches in the United Kingdom and Australia.

We also publish Plough Quarterly, a bold new magazine of stories, ideas, a

... Read More →
avatar for Read. Pray. Write. Podcast

Read. Pray. Write. Podcast

Read. Pray. Write.

Lectio Divina for Modern Life
Words by others who have traveled our road—when read, heard, written—are a steady source of grace and mercy. When despair makes it difficult to find the answers within ourselves, all we need to do is listen. Lectio divina is a simple 5-step method that can be applied to any text... Read More →
avatar for Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry

Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry

Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry is a venue for publication of poetry written by authors whose work is informed by the Catholic faith. As Thomas Aquinas suggests, art is a good in and of itself, and the artist is primarily concerned with the goodness of his or her creation. Thus, the primary principle for inclusion... Read More →
avatar for Baylor University Press

Baylor University Press

Baylor University Press is the academic press of Baylor University, an R1 institution known for its research activities and initiatives across schools and departments. The Press publishes around forty new academic titles each year, focusing on technical scholarship for researchers... Read More →
avatar for Menno Media / Herald Press

Menno Media / Herald Press

Herald Press author Aimee Reid will be signing her books at our booth on Friday, April 17, from 2-2:30 pm.

Herald Press is a Christian publisher known for transformative books on reconciliation, community, discipleship, mission, spirituality, theology, and Amish and Mennonite life and faith. We reach a broad spectrum of readers—from evangelical, mainline, and Anabaptist backgrounds—and... Read More →
avatar for Solum Literary Press

Solum Literary Press

We are a Christian small press embodying a faith that seeks excellence. We publish poetry, short stories, and homilies in Solum Journal, our annual literary journal, as well as poetry chapbooks, poetry collections, novellas, novels, and short story collections.

We primarily publish work concerning Christian theology or work which deals with the Christian life, i.e., the trials and triumphs of daily life with God. We hope to uplift young or undiscovered Christian authors, academics, and artists, and provide a space for them to interact and... Read More →
avatar for The Perkipery Press

The Perkipery Press

Bob and his wife Shelley Townsend-Hudson run Perkipery Press, which has published chapbooks for three decades, and play together as members of the band Gooder'n Grits, that performs the pre-bluegrass music of the Carolinas.
avatar for InterVarsity Press

InterVarsity Press

Who We Are
Since 1947, InterVarsity Press (IVP) has been publishing thoughtful Christian books that shape both the lives of readers and the cultures they inhabit. Throughout these seventy-five years, our books and authors have established a legacy of speaking boldly into important cultural moments... Read More →
avatar for Kregel Publications

Kregel Publications

Sensing a growing need for solidly evangelical works, Kregel Publications began in 1949 to supply resources to meet the spiritual needs of evangelical readers as well as the professional needs of pastors, missionaries, teachers, and Christian leaders. Today Kregel's backlist has over... Read More →
avatar for Wipf and Stock Publishers

Wipf and Stock Publishers

Based in the land of great microbrews and towering Douglas firs, Wipf and Stock Publishers is a creative team, an adventurous bunch who arrive to work with mud still on our shoes from the weekend ride or hike. Our staff handles every step of publication in-house, from customer service... Read More →
avatar for Wildhouse Publishing

Wildhouse Publishing

Wildhouse Publishing is a nonprofit independent publisher that exists to enliven the spiritual quests of people outside or on the margins of established religious and spiritual traditions through books that are thoughtful, accessible, impactful, and practical.

Books from Wildhouse Publishing offer practical ways to deepen spirituality and enhance the meaning of our readers’ lives. We publish substantive spiritual explorations that our readers can trust. We aim to build an imprint that is widely respected while helping to advance the spiritual... Read More →
avatar for The Rabbit Room

The Rabbit Room

The Rabbit Room cultivates and curates story, music, and art to nourish Christ-centered communities for the life of the world.

In so many ways, the Rabbit Room is about you. Yes, you. At some time, for some reason, your story overlapped with the Rabbit Room. Whether you are a whol... Read More →
avatar for Wesley Theological Seminary

Wesley Theological Seminary

The mission of Wesley Theological Seminary is to equip persons for Christian ministry and leadership in the church and the world, to advance theological scholarship, and to model a prophetic voice in the public square.
avatar for Western Theological Seminary

Western Theological Seminary

Western Theological Seminary is an evangelical and ecumenical community of faith and learning in the Reformed tradition that serves the church of Jesus Christ. WTS equips women and men for Christ-centered, biblically-based, theologically integrated, culturally competent, and miss... Read More →
avatar for Religion News Service

Religion News Service

Religion News Service (RNS) is an independent, nonprofit and award-winning source of global news on religion, spirituality, culture and ethics, reported by a staff of professional journalists. Founded in 1934, RNS seeks to inform readers with objective reporting and insightful commentary... Read More →
avatar for Ashland University, MFA in Creative Writing

Ashland University, MFA in Creative Writing

Book Signings at the Ashland MFA table:
Tania Runyan will be signing her book How to Write a Poem on Thursday, 2:00-4:00pmJoanne Lehman will be signing her books Leah's Faith and Susan's Hope (Masthof Press) on Friday, April 17, 12:00-2:00pmAgnes Howard will be signing her book... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 8:59am - 4:30pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Great Hall
  Exhibit Hall

9:00am EDT

Christian Advocacy for the Common Good: Loving Our Neighbors in Public
Saturday April 18, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Chapel
Advocacy for social justice can be viewed by people of faith as either dangerously radical or pityingly naive. Meyaard-Schaap has spent years pushing Christians to see it differently. By tracing its lineage through Christian history, he shares how faith-rooted advocacy through storytelling, writing, and direct action is more than merely a political act, but a public act of love for our neighbors.

Book signing follows in the Chapel Narthex 
Speakers
avatar for Kyle Meyaard-Schaap

Kyle Meyaard-Schaap

Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap is the Executive Director of the Association for a More Just Society-US. His work has been featured in news outlets such as PBS, NPR, CNN, NBC News, the New York Times, and more. He was named a Yale Public Voices Fellow on the Climate Crisis in 2020 and to the Grist 50 Fixers cohort in 2022 or for his work on climate change education and advocacy... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Chapel
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

9:00am EDT

Forms of Joy and Witness: Poetry and Prose in Conversation
Saturday April 18, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Auditorium
In this conversation, Ross Gay and Patrick Rosal reflect on what they have learned from one another about play, collaboration, and attentiveness, both on and off the page.

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby  
(Please note: Ross Gay requests no photos, videos, or audio recordings at any time throughout his participation in the Festival.This includes before, during, and after sessions, at book signings, and in between events. Thank you for honoring this request.) 

Speakers
avatar for Ross Gay

Ross Gay

Ross Gay is the author of four books of poetry: Against Which; Bringing the Shovel Down; Be Holding, winner of the PEN America Literary Jean Stein Award; and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry A... Read More →
avatar for Patrick Rosal

Patrick Rosal

Patrick Rosal is the author of The Last Thing and has been published in The New York Times, The Nation, Best American Poetry and elsewhere. A Guggenheim and NEA Fellow, he is a Distinguished Professor at Rutgers-Camden. His mother and father immigrated from the Philippines and met in the U.S., while his father was still a Catholic priest and theologian in the Thomist tradition... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Auditorium
  Concurrent Session, Conversation

9:00am EDT

Grace Notes: Tiny Moments that Make Our Stories Sing
Saturday April 18, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
Using several examples across the modern landscape of literary fiction, Bilal explores the power of the instant in storytelling, attuning us to the littlest details that add sparkle, beauty and meaning to the works we love.  

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Aaliyah Bilal

Aaliyah Bilal

Aaliyah Bilal is a fiction and nonfiction writer who focuses on the Black American Muslim experience and stories that connect Chinese and Afro-Diasporic peoples. She has experience as a director and producer of short films and she has published stories and essays with The Michiga... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

9:00am EDT

Playing with Fire: Christian Poets Reflect on Faith and Practice
Saturday April 18, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Gezon Auditorium
David Clark and L.S. Klatt discuss the publication journey of their new edited collection Playing with Fire: Christian Poets Reflect on Faith and Practice. In this session, they talk about the genesis of the project, the community of writers they cultivated in exploring what a Christian poetics might look like, and the special challenges and graces they encountered in putting together a theologically diverse collection of essays.

Book signing follows in the Spoelhof Atrium
Speakers
avatar for George David Clark

George David Clark

George David Clark is the author of Reveille (winner of the Miller Williams Poetry Prize, Arkansas) and Newly Not Eternal (LSU), and coeditor, with Lew Klatt, of Playing with Fire: Christian Poets Reflect on Faith and Practice. The editor-in-chief of 32 Poems, David teaches creative writing at Washington & Jefferson College... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Gezon Auditorium
  Concurrent Session, Conversation

9:00am EDT

Stained Glass and Sticky Hands: Writing Faithfully for Children in Our Holy and Messy World
Saturday April 18, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Prince Conference Center, Board Room
Children are born into a world of both stunning sunsets and dropped ice cream cones. Our words and our presence can model what it means to live with an awareness of God’s goodness alongside the bumpy realities of skinned knees and playground politics. Reid encourages and equips us to contemplate the power of words infused with grace and truth and always grounded in hope.

Book signing follows in the Prince Conference Center, Fireside Room
Speakers
avatar for Aimee Reid

Aimee Reid

Children's author Aimee Reid learned to read through frequent story times with the Beginner Books from Random House. She soon read her way through the books in her Kindergarten classroom and received entrance to the big school library. It was special to release her first picture book... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Prince Conference Center, Board Room
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

9:00am EDT

The Art of Fashioning the Soul
Saturday April 18, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room
We become what we behold. The imagination shapes how we see the world and our place within it. So how might we intentionally form the imagination to become the type of people we want to become? Lanta Davis introduces “the art of fashioning the soul,” a historic Christian practice that trains the imagination as part of spiritual formation. 

Book signing follows in the Prince Conference Center, Fireside Room
Speakers
avatar for Lanta Davis

Lanta Davis

Lanta Davis writes and teaches about the sacramental imagination, beauty, and character formation. Her book, Becoming by Beholding: The Power of the Imagination in Spiritual Formation, was named one of Christianity Today's best books of the year, and her writing has also appeared... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

9:45am EDT

Coffee Break
Saturday April 18, 2026 9:45am - 10:15am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby; Prince Conference Center Fireside Room; Spoelhof Atrium

Saturday April 18, 2026 9:45am - 10:15am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby; Prince Conference Center Fireside Room; Spoelhof Atrium
  Coffee + Snack Breaks, Coffee Break

10:30am EDT

A Conversation with Barbara Brown Taylor
Saturday April 18, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Auditorium
A conversation with Barbara Brown Taylor, interviewed by Calvin University Pastor Rev. Mary S. Hulst.

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Barbara Brown Taylor

Barbara Brown Taylor

Barbara Brown Taylor is the New York Times bestselling author of An Altar in the World, Learning to Walk in the Dark, and Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others.

In 2024, she was elected to the Georgia Writer’s Hall of Fame at the University of Georgia, and her new bo... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Auditorium
  Concurrent Session, Interview

10:30am EDT

Acts of Translation, Acts of Justice
Saturday April 18, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Gezon Auditorium
What does it mean to do justice to a text as a translator? What does it mean to do justice in the world? This talk will explore the attention, responsibility, and respect that this work calls us to.  

Book signing follows in the Spoelhof Atrium
Speakers
avatar for Alejandra Oliva

Alejandra Oliva

Alejandra Oliva is an essayist, embroiderer and translator. Her book, Rivermouth: A Chronicle of Language, Faith and Migration, was published by Astra House, and received a Whiting Nonfiction Grant. She was the Yale Whitney Humanities Center Franke Visiting Fellow in Spring 2022... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Gezon Auditorium
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

10:30am EDT

Lightning Rod Poetry & Tuning Fork Poetics
Saturday April 18, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Prince Conference Center, Board Room
Jacob Schepers writes, writes about, and edits avant-garde and experimental poetry. In this talk, he discusses pushing the boundaries of poetic practice and what formal, thematic, and philosophical considerations may inform such decisions. He suggests writers and readers alike may benefit from testing riskier and uglier creative practices beyond typical "shock value" alone.
Speakers
avatar for Jacob Schepers

Jacob Schepers

Jacob Schepers is cofounder and coeditor of Ballast, a 501(c)(3) non-profit online literary magazine, and the author of the poetry collections A Bundle of Careful Compromises and Ugly Ground Swell Moss, and the chapbooks Connections & Choreography and Shipwreck Abstracted... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Prince Conference Center, Board Room
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

10:30am EDT

Listening Across Distance
Saturday April 18, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Chapel
In an era of division, how do we meaningfully talk—and truly listen—to people we don’t agree with? Drawing from years of reporting and firsthand encounters, Astead Herndon reflects on how curiosity, dignity, and empathy open doors across disagreement, and explores what it means to listen without yielding truth, build trust where none seems possible, and reimagine how dialogue can shape healthier communities.
Speakers
avatar for Astead Herndon

Astead Herndon

Journalist Astead W. Herndon is a host and editorial director at Vox, where he helps lead politics coverage across text, video, audio, and social media platforms. Previously at The New York Times, he distinguished himself as a sharp, accessible voice on American politics, hosti... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Chapel
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

10:30am EDT

Rituals, Mentors, Priorities and Joy: the Ingredients of My Comics Career
Saturday April 18, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room
The 2024 publication of Timid, Todd's semi-autobiographical, middle-grade graphic novel, fulfilled a dream he had since he was 8. He will share his 40-year journey to book-length publication, which included development of daily rituals, timely encouragement from people who believed in his work, making writing a priority in his everyday life, and approaching the craft of writing with joy.

Book signing follows in the Prince Conference Center, Fireside Room
Speakers
avatar for Jonathan Todd

Jonathan Todd

Jonathan Todd is the author and illustrator of the semi-autobiographical graphic novel Timid (Scholastic/Graphix), which was inspired by his struggle to overcome shyness as a tween following his family's move from Miami to a Boston suburb in the 1980s. He is a recipient of a 2024 New England Book Award. For more information about Jonathan, including his author visits, visit... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

10:30am EDT

Writer Websites That Dazzle Publishers
Saturday April 18, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
When an agent or publisher receives your pitch, you know what they do? They Google you! Today your writer website is your business card and there is a degree to which it legitimizes you as a professional communicator. Your site can be simple, but it does need to be doing its job. Impress gatekeepers by offering a site that gives them every reason to say “yes.” 

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Margot Starbuck

Margot Starbuck

Margot is a New York Times bestselling writer who’s written over 50 books and works with publishers as a writer, editor, and coach. She specializes in helping nonfiction writers get published by equipping them to dazzle gatekeepers. As a collaborator, Margot enjoys writing alongside... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

11:45am EDT

A Conversation with Leyla K. King
Saturday April 18, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
Chapel
In this interview, Leyla K. King explores the layered, often tender work of telling a life shaped by multiple cultures, identities, and spiritual landscapes.

Book signing follows in the Chapel Narthex
Speakers
avatar for Leyla K. King

Leyla K. King

Leyla K. King is a Palestinian-American Episcopal priest and author. She is a founding member of both Palestinian Anglicans and Clergy Allies (www.palestiniananglicans.org) and The Small Churches Big Impact Collective. She writes about her experiences as a Palestinian, a clergywo... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
Chapel
  Concurrent Session, Interview

11:45am EDT

A Conversation with Neal Shusterman
Saturday April 18, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Auditorium
A Conversation with Neal Shusterman, interviewed by Dean Nelson. 

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Neal Shusterman

Neal Shusterman

Neal Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling author of more than fifty award-winning books for children, teens, and adults, including Challenger Deep, which won the National Book Award, Courage to Dream, a Sydney Taylor Honor Book, Scythe, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book, the... Read More →
avatar for Dean Nelson

Dean Nelson

Dean Nelson is the founder and director of the journalism program at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, and the founder and host of the annual Writer's Symposium By The Sea, where he has interviewed great writers for more than 30 years. His most recent books are Talking... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Auditorium
  Concurrent Session, Interview

11:45am EDT

Faith, Family, Football: Eli Cranor on the Dark Side of the American Dream
Saturday April 18, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room
In small-town America, football is more than just a game—it's a religion, a family legacy, and a path to salvation. But beneath the bright lights of "Friday Night Lights" lies a world of desperation, corruption, and violence. Award-winning author and former professional quarterback Eli Cranor dissects the powerful themes that fuel his acclaimed Southern noir novels.

Book signing follows in the Prince Conference Center, Fireside Room
Speakers
avatar for Eli Cranor

Eli Cranor

Nationally-bestselling, Edgar Award-winning author, Eli Cranor played quarterback at every level: peewee to professional. These days, he serves as the Writer in Residence at Arkansas Tech, where he also lends his expertise to the university's football team. His previous works include... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

11:45am EDT

From Manuscript to Marketplace
Saturday April 18, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
In this session, marketing professionals discuss how books find their readers in a crowded landscape, exploring strategies, trends, and challenges unique to faith-related publishing. This panel offers practical insight into audience engagement, platform building, and the creative collaboration that helps bring books into the world.
Speakers
avatar for Alexis DeWeese

Alexis DeWeese

Alexis De Weese is a writer, digital marketer, and student of theology. Her work is devoted to creating space for necessary conversations within the Church and helping others cultivate practices of digital hospitality. 

As senior marketing manager with Zondervan Reflective, an... Read More →
avatar for Pete Ford

Pete Ford

Pete Ford is a stay-at-home dad as well as a digital marketer for Christian authors, publishers, and nonprofits. By night, he is a reader, focusing on topics including nonviolence, time, the built environment, and spiritual practices like Sabbath.
avatar for Jeremy Wells

Jeremy Wells

Jeremy Wells serves as Senior Marketing Director for Baker Academic & Brazos Press, where he brings
two decades of publishing experience to connecting readers with transformative books. He also works as a
part-time bookseller at Plumfield Books in Ada, Michigan, keeping him grounde... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Concurrent Session, Panel Session

11:45am EDT

The Art of Poetry and the Gift of Attention
Saturday April 18, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Board Room
Abram Van Engen has been reaching a wide range of listeners for the past five years with his popular podcast Poetry For All and his book Word Made Fresh: An Invitation to Poetry for the Church. He explores poetry as a gift of attention, and he explains why this gift might be worth our time, including how to sift poems and take them up in ways that deepen our spiritual lives.

Book signing follows in the Prince Conference Center, Fireside Room
Speakers
avatar for Abram VanEngen

Abram VanEngen

Abram Van Engen is the Stanley Elkin Professor of the Humanities at Washington University in St. Louis. His books include City on a Hill: A History of American Exceptionalism (2020) and Word Made Fresh: An Invitation to Poetry for the Church (2024), named Best Book of 2024 in Cul... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Board Room
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

12:30pm EDT

Lunch
Saturday April 18, 2026 12:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
On or Off-Campus
Boxed Lunches 
Festival attendees who pre-ordered boxed lunches for Saturday may pick up their meals in the Knollcrest Dining Hall between 12:30-2:00 pm. There is seating inside the dining hall for attendees to eat lunch together. Please note–no outside food or drink is allowed in Knollcrest Dining Hall.   
 
Festival Lunch Circles in the Knollcrest Dining Hall 
Attendees who pre-registered for a Festival Lunch Circle can also pick up their boxed lunches beginning at 12:30 pm before making their way to their assigned table in the dining hall. Festival Lunch Circles will begin at 1:00 pm in the Knollcrest Dining Hall on Friday and Saturday. Each Circle will have a designated seating area in the dining hall. Please note–no outside food or drink is allowed in Knollcrest Dining Hall.   
 
Off Campus 
Find local restaurant recommendations in the Festival app.  
Saturday April 18, 2026 12:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
On or Off-Campus
  Lunch

2:30pm EDT

A Conversation with Sarah Perry
Saturday April 18, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
A Conversation with Sarah Perry, interviewed by Jennifer L. Holberg, CCFW Director.

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Sarah Perry

Sarah Perry

Sarah Perry is the internationally best selling author of the novels Melmouth, The Essex Serpent, After Me Comes the Flood, and Enlightenment, and the nonfiction Essex Girls.

Her essays have been widely published, and she has contributed to the Guardian, the New York Times, the ... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Concurrent Session, Interview

2:30pm EDT

A Conversation with Terumi Echols
Saturday April 18, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room
A Conversation with Terumi Echols, Interviewed by Scott Hoezee, Center for Excellence in Preaching.
Speakers
avatar for Terumi Echols

Terumi Echols

Terumi Echols is the President and Publisher of InterVarsity Press (IVP), where she leads a mission-driven publishing ministry committed to deepening lives in Christ and equipping the church for faithful witness and renewal. Under her leadership, IVP has strengthened its financial health, expanded its global reach, and launched significant initiatives... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room
  Concurrent Session, Interview

2:30pm EDT

Families We Know, Families We Imagine: Writing Identity for Young Readers
Saturday April 18, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Auditorium
Karina Yan Glaser and Jonathan Todd explore how stories for children can honor the richness of family and identity. In this conversation, they'll discuss crafting characters kids can see themselves in, portraying complex home lives with honesty and warmth, and creating narratives that help young readers feel recognized, included, and deeply at home.

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Karina Yan Glaser

Karina Yan Glaser

Karina Yan Glaser is the New York Times bestselling author of the Vanderbeeker series, the standalone middle grade novel A Duet for Home, the chapter book Poppy Song Bakes A Way (part of the multi-author series The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class), and the Newbery Honor-winning historical... Read More →
avatar for Jonathan Todd

Jonathan Todd

Jonathan Todd is the author and illustrator of the semi-autobiographical graphic novel Timid (Scholastic/Graphix), which was inspired by his struggle to overcome shyness as a tween following his family's move from Miami to a Boston suburb in the 1980s. He is a recipient of a 2024 New England Book Award. For more information about Jonathan, including his author visits, visit... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Auditorium
  Concurrent Session, Conversation

2:30pm EDT

The Grace of Wild Things: Finding a Language for Praise and Lamentation
Saturday April 18, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Board Room
As the son of a veterinarian and the grandson of poor Appalachian farmers, Todd Davis searches for wildness in forests and remote streams. At root is his deep belief that we are kin to all species, not just humankind, and that as kin, we have a responsibility to care for one another. Rooted in praise and lamentation, Davis’s poems seek to situate our small role in the whole of creation.

Book signing follows in the Prince Conference Center, Fireside Room
Speakers
avatar for Todd Davis

Todd Davis

Todd Davis is the author of eight books of poetry, most recently Ditch Memory: New & Selected Poems and Coffin Honey. He also edited A Literary Field Guide to Northern Appalachia and Fast Break to Line Break: Poets on the Art of Basketball. His writing has won the Midwest Book Award and the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Prize. He teaches environmental studies at Penn State University... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Board Room
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

2:30pm EDT

Witnessing What’s There: Writing Attention in a Wounded World
Saturday April 18, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Chapel
Daniel José Camacho and Alejandra Oliva explore writing as an act of paying attention—especially in places marked by structural suffering. In this conversation, they consider how faithful witnessing becomes a moral and spiritual practice, inviting writers to see clearly, name truthfully, and cultivate a gaze that honors both human dignity and the possibility of repair.

Book signing follows in the Chapel Narthex
Speakers
avatar for Daniel José Camacho

Daniel José Camacho

Daniel José Camacho is currently working on a book about Bartolomé de las Casas with Avid Reader Press. Previously an editor at Sojourners and Fortress Press, he won a Robert B. Silvers Foundation Grant for his essay "Saint Augustine's Slave Play," which became one of the top-t... Read More →
avatar for Alejandra Oliva

Alejandra Oliva

Alejandra Oliva is an essayist, embroiderer and translator. Her book, Rivermouth: A Chronicle of Language, Faith and Migration, was published by Astra House, and received a Whiting Nonfiction Grant. She was the Yale Whitney Humanities Center Franke Visiting Fellow in Spring 2022... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Chapel
  Concurrent Session, Conversation

3:15pm EDT

Afternoon Snack Break
Saturday April 18, 2026 3:15pm - 3:45pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby; Prince Conference Center Fireside Room; Spoelhof Atrium

Saturday April 18, 2026 3:15pm - 3:45pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby; Prince Conference Center Fireside Room; Spoelhof Atrium
  Coffee + Snack Breaks, Afternoon Snack Break

4:00pm EDT

Audiobooks for Authors
Saturday April 18, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room
Why should authors push for their work in audio? How does the selling of audio rights work with established publishers? How can an indie-published author hire a narrator and create their own audiobook? Join Adam Verner, a veteran narrator, for a deep dive into the world of audio and the importance of the spoken word.
Speakers
avatar for Adam Verner

Adam Verner

Adam is a full time narrator and has recorded over 700 titles for publishers and authors large and small. Winner of a 2017 VoiceArts award and multiple Earphones Awards, he holds his MFA in Acting from Roosevelt University. He lives with his wife and family in beautiful Colorado... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

4:00pm EDT

In the Spirit of Others' Words
Saturday April 18, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Board Room
As editor and executive director of 32 Poems for the past 15 years, George David Clark curates and champions his favorite contemporary poems. He discusses the balance of humility and hubris required of active editors, the development of long-term artistic partnerships, editorial creativity, and the spirit of collaboration.

Book signing follows in the Prince Conference Center, Fireside Room
Speakers
avatar for George David Clark

George David Clark

George David Clark is the author of Reveille (winner of the Miller Williams Poetry Prize, Arkansas) and Newly Not Eternal (LSU), and coeditor, with Lew Klatt, of Playing with Fire: Christian Poets Reflect on Faith and Practice. The editor-in-chief of 32 Poems, David teaches creative writing at Washington & Jefferson College... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Prince Conference Center, Board Room
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

4:00pm EDT

Place and Landscape as Character
Saturday April 18, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
In conversation, A. Muia, Christine Byl, and Eli Cranor explore how landscape shapes story—becoming not just backdrop but an active, breathing presence. They consider writing rooted in place, the ethics of depicting land and community, and how attentive engagement with the physical world deepens narrative voice, character, and meaning.

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Christine Byl

Christine Byl

Christine Byl is the author of the novel Lookout, short-listed for the Center for Fiction's 2023 First Novel prize and recipient of a Montana Book Award Honor, and Dirt Work: An Education in the Woods, shortlisted for the 2014 Willa Award in nonfiction. Christine has worked as a professional trail-builder for nearly three decades. She lives in Interior Alaska on the homelands of Dene' people... Read More →
avatar for Eli Cranor

Eli Cranor

Nationally-bestselling, Edgar Award-winning author, Eli Cranor played quarterback at every level: peewee to professional. These days, he serves as the Writer in Residence at Arkansas Tech, where he also lends his expertise to the university's football team. His previous works include... Read More →
avatar for A. Muia

A. Muia

A. Muia is the 2024 winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction for her novel, A Desert Between Two Seas. Her fiction has appeared in journals throughout the U.S. She holds a degree in Spanish language, a master's in teaching English to speakers of other languages, an... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Concurrent Session, Conversation

4:00pm EDT

Rethinking Dystopia
Saturday April 18, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Auditorium
In this session, novelist Neal Shusterman explores how to use dystopian literature to break down, dissect, and rebuild the current world through the lens of writing. How can writers not only stir up the space, but give readers something to aspire to rather than fear? 

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Neal Shusterman

Neal Shusterman

Neal Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling author of more than fifty award-winning books for children, teens, and adults, including Challenger Deep, which won the National Book Award, Courage to Dream, a Sydney Taylor Honor Book, Scythe, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book, the... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Auditorium
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

4:00pm EDT

Sacred Traces: Writing the Texture of Religious Experience
Saturday April 18, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Chapel
In conversation, Aaliyah Bilal and Melody Gee explore how writers draw from lived religious experience—its rituals, questions, inheritances, and contradictions—to craft resonant stories.

Book signing follows in the Chapel Narthex
Speakers
avatar for Aaliyah Bilal

Aaliyah Bilal

Aaliyah Bilal is a fiction and nonfiction writer who focuses on the Black American Muslim experience and stories that connect Chinese and Afro-Diasporic peoples. She has experience as a director and producer of short films and she has published stories and essays with The Michiga... Read More →
avatar for Melody S. Gee

Melody S. Gee

Melody S. Gee is the author of We Carry Smoke and Paper: Essays on the Grief and Hope of Conversion (University of Iowa Press, October 2024) and three books of poetry. She is the recipient of Kundiman fellowships in poetry and fiction, a Sustainable Arts Foundation Award, and Artist Support Grants from the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Chapel
  Concurrent Session, Conversation

5:30pm EDT

Closing Plenary Session - Coming Down to Earth: The Embodied Word
Saturday April 18, 2026 5:30pm - 6:30pm EDT
Van Noord Arena
Has the language of faith ever been so stressed? Words that once carried weight have been underfed, sidelined, and meanly used amid an overload of competing voices. No wonder it’s hard to win a hearing from people who are careful of their hearts. In this closing plenary talk, Barbara Brown Taylor considers how to bring the words that matter down to earth.

Book signing follows in the Spoelhof Fieldhouse Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Barbara Brown Taylor

Barbara Brown Taylor

Barbara Brown Taylor is the New York Times bestselling author of An Altar in the World, Learning to Walk in the Dark, and Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others.

In 2024, she was elected to the Georgia Writer’s Hall of Fame at the University of Georgia, and her new bo... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 5:30pm - 6:30pm EDT
Van Noord Arena
  Plenary Session
 

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Wednesday, April 15
Thursday, April 16
Friday, April 17
Saturday, April 18
Chapel
Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby; Prince Conference Center Fireside Room; Spoelho
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Auditorium
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Center Art Gallery
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
Gezon Auditorium
Knollcrest Dining Hall
On or Off-Campus
Prince Conference Center, Board Room
Prince Conference Center, Fireside Room
Prince Conference Center, Great Hall
Prince Conference Center, Various Venues
Prince Conference Center, Willow Room
Van Noord Arena
  • Center Art Gallery
  • Coffee + Snack Breaks
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  • Lunch
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