Paper Plains Literary Festival opens April with writer keynotes, discussions
The Lawrence literature festival is free for online and in-person attendees.
The Paper Plains Literary Festival is returning to Lawrence for two days of insightful discussions. This year’s event is just as enticing as the last, promising a collaborative and diverse series of free literary learning experiences where audiences can get to know experienced authors either in-person or online.
A majority of the author talks and book deep dives are happening next weekend, but festivities actually kick off tomorrow, April 2, from 1-2 p.m., with a virtual roundtable dissection of Firekeeper’s Daughter. The novel’s author, Angeline Boulley, will be at Liberty Hall (644 Massachusetts St) April 8 for further analysis from 6-7 p.m.
The Paper Plains Literary Festival is full of events with just as much to offer.
Highlights include appearances from Boulley and other award-winning authors, such as She Come by It Natural author Sarah Smarsh, Harlem Shuffle author Colson Whitehead, and Hogs Are Up: Stories from the Land author Wes Jackson. These writer keynotes offer brief moments not only to learn but to pick the brain of a selection of important minds in the literary world.
Meanwhile, events such as the Soaring Stories with Anamcara Press allow those interested to partake in a Q&A session with local authors in a micro-presentation format. Paper Plains Literary Festival will then shake things up with activities like Paper Airplane Poetry—a project where individuals turn their poems and short stories into actual paper planes.
Last year’s Paper Plains Literary Festival was originally set to arrive in 2020 before the pandemic saw it transition to a smaller, virtual space. After shifting to an online outing in 2021, the festival’s new hybrid approach will give eager crowds options to work with.
Though every experience is open to the public, attendees can register to attend individual events online ahead of time. A full schedule and registration links for the Paper Plains Literary Festival can be found on the festival’s website.
