National Book Award Finalist Min Jin Lee to Headline the 2026 Maine Lit Fest
The author of “Pachinko” joins Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Russo in Portland on October 3 — the marquee evening of a free, statewide festival that also brings adrienne maree brown, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Patrick deWitt, Jennifer Finney Boylan, and more to venues across Maine
When: September 30 to October 9, 2026
Where: Nine towns and cities across Maine including Brunswick, Farmington, Lewiston, Northeast Harbor, Portland, Presque Isle, Rockport, Scarborough, and Waterville
Admission: Nearly all events free (the headline evening with Min Jin Lee is ticketed)
Full schedule: www.mainewriters.org/maine-lit-fest-schedule
Media contact: Gibson Fay-LeBlanc, Executive Director, gibson@mainewriters.org
The Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance will bring National Book Award finalist Min Jin Lee — author of Pachinko and New York State Author Laureate — to Portland on Saturday, October 3, for the headline event of the 2026 Maine Lit Fest. Lee will read from and discuss her new novel, American Hagwon, published just days before the festival opens, in conversation with Pulitzer Prize winner and Falmouth resident Richard Russo, at First Parish Church.
The evening anchors ten days of readings, conversations, and workshops — nearly all of them free — that bring more than 40 celebrated and emerging writers, poets, and illustrators to nine Maine towns and cities from September 30 to October 9, plus a companion writers symposium in Presque Isle on October 15. This year's theme is "Responding to the Moment."
"Books and stories and the conversations and community they can help create have never been more vital," says Gibson Fay-LeBlanc, MWPA Executive Director. "They help us think about who we are, where we are, and where we might be headed, not to mention reminding us to laugh, cry, dance, and imagine. Along with our many partners and collaborators, we are so excited to bring these kinds of conversations to rooms and stages in towns across Maine."
Alongside Lee and Russo, the festival features adrienne maree brown, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Patrick deWitt, Jennifer Finney Boylan, and Ladan Osman, in venues ranging from a Scarborough farm to libraries, churches, bookstores, and college halls across the state.
The 2026 Maine Lit Fest events are designed not only with the bookish crowd in mind, but for people who might not expect to find themselves at a literary festival. MWPA is collaborating with a range of partners and sponsors across the state including libraries, bookstores, community organizations, local and statewide media, universities, businesses, and more.
THE FULL SCHEDULE
Attendees are encouraged to sign up in advance to reserve their spot at these free events.
Wednesday, September 30 · 7 p.m. — Portland
Songs of No Provenance: An Evening of Literary Conversation and Live Music with Lydia Conklin & Special Guests — Maine Irish Heritage Center
Fiction writer Lydia Conklin reads from the novel Songs of No Provenance, with live music from Kafari, Aidan Boardman, Little Busy, Lana Cooney, and Hannah Matthews.
Thursday, October 1 · 6 p.m. — Lewiston
I Possess One Compass: A Reading in Community with Ladan Osman and Maine Poets — TBA
Award-winning poet and filmmaker Ladan Osman (Exiles of Eden) reads alongside guest Maine poets, following a community dinner.
Friday, October 2 · 5 p.m. — Waterville
An Evening with Alexis Pauline Gumbs — Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts (Studio 1)
Poet and scholar Alexis Pauline Gumbs reads from her new book, Primary: After and With Alma Thomas.
Saturday, October 3 · All day — Waterville
Responding to the Moment: A Day of Free Workshops & Readings — Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts
A full day of free workshops and readings on the festival's theme, with Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Zahir Janmohamed, Alex Nelson, and Emerson Whitney.
Saturday, October 3 · 10 a.m. — Portland
Kids Lit Book Fair at the Maine Lit Fest — Portland Public Library (Downtown Branch)
A family-friendly celebration of children's, middle grade, and YA books from Maine and New England, with 18+ authors and illustrators, storytime, crafts, and illustrator draw-offs.
Saturday, October 3 · 6 p.m. — Waterville
adrienne maree brown on Movements, Power, and Political Possibility — Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts (Performance Hall)
adrienne maree brown in conversation with Onnesha Roychoudhuri on turning radical imagination into collective power.
Saturday, October 3 · 7 p.m. — Portland · HEADLINE EVENT
An Evening with Min Jin Lee — First Parish Church, 425 Congress Street
National Book Award finalist Min Jin Lee (Pachinko) discusses her new novel, American Hagwon, with Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Russo (Empire Falls). Ticketed: $10 general admission; $45 includes a copy of the book. Tickets via mainewriters.org; books sold by Print: A Bookstore.
Sunday, October 4 · 3 p.m. — Scarborough
Hyperlocality: Embracing Local Narratives in Nature and Climate Writing — Frith Farm
Kate Olson and Megan Mayhew Bergman on nature and climate writing close to home, under the grapevines at Frith Farm; moderated by Lit Fest Fellow Kea Krause.
Sunday, October 4 · 5:30 p.m. — Farmington
Food & Land: Writing from Rural Places — Grange Hall
Maria Pinto, Rylan Hynes, and Audrey Gidman on writing rural places, food, and the natural world.
Tuesday, October 6 · 5 p.m. — Rockport
Book Bans: A Conversation with Jennifer Finney Boylan — Barnswallow Books
Jennifer Finney Boylan joins the Maine ACLU and others for a Banned Books Week conversation on free speech in writing and publishing.
Wednesday, October 7 · 5 p.m. — Brunswick
A Reading and Conversation with Patrick deWitt — Massachusetts Hall Faculty Room, Bowdoin College
Patrick deWitt (The Sisters Brothers, French Exit) reads from his latest novel, Dodge City.
Wednesday, October 7 · 5:30 p.m. — Northeast Harbor
reWorks: A Collaborative Literary Art Project — Northeast Harbor Library
A reading, art viewing, and panel on how creative ideas echo across mediums, launching the library's first reWorks zine.
Thursday, October 8 · 5:30 p.m. — Portland
What Came Down in the Smoke: The 2026 Peggy L. Osher Visiting Artist Fellow Lecture with Summer J. Hart — McGoldrick Center Salons, University of Southern Maine
A reading and process talk by writer and interdisciplinary artist Summer J. Hart on grief, memory, and the passage of time.
Friday, October 9 · 7 p.m. — Portland
Stories of Our Times: A Conversation with Justin Ellis and Virginia Eubanks — Mechanics' Hall
Longform nonfiction writers Justin Ellis and Virginia Eubanks in conversation, hosted with Longfellow Books and Mechanics' Hall.
Thursday, October 15 · 1:30 & 6 p.m. — Presque Isle
Voices in the North Country Writers Symposium — UMPI Campus Center Multi-Purpose Room, University of Maine at Presque Isle
UMPI's biennial symposium, featuring Maine writers Morgan Talty, Julia Bouwsma, and Barry Wright with UMPI students.
For full event descriptions and any registration details, visit www.mainewriters.org/maine-lit-fest-schedule.
About the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance
Now in its 50th year, the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance supports Maine's literary community through workshops, events, publishing resources, and programs that connect writers and readers across the state.
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