Tulsa LitFest is a four-day celebration of the written word in its various forms, for Tulsans, by Tulsans. It features scores of visiting and local writers, craft talks, readings, movies, music, trivia. and more
Tulsa LitFest is a four-day celebration of the written word in its various forms, for Tulsans, by Tulsans. It features scores of visiting and local writers, craft talks, readings, movies, music, trivia, and more. Credit: Courtesy OSU-Tulsa

Tulsa LitFest 2026 is a free, four-day celebration packed with literature, film and music in Oklahoma and beyond. 

Presented by the Center for Poets and Writers at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa in partnership with Tri-City Collective and Magic City Books, the festival is open to the public and runs April 23-26 with various events happening across Tulsa. 

Thursday, April 23

Write With Your Eyes: An Ekphrastic Poetry Workshop
Thomas K. McKeon Center for Creativity at 6 p.m.

Tulsa LitFest Opening Night Mixer
The University of Tulsa at 8 p.m.

Friday, April 24

Publishing Mythbusters with NYU’s M.S. In Publishing Experts
Center for Public Secrets at 2:30 p.m.

Dreamland Theater Presents “The Librarians”
Center for Public Secrets at 3:30 p.m.

Seventeen Syllables in English: An American Haiku Workshop
Center for Public Secrets at 5 p.m.

Writing the Environment: Approaching and Protecting the World Outside
Center for Public Secrets at 6:30-8 p.m.

Blood on the Red Dirt
Center for Public Secrets at 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 25

Publishing from the Ground Up
Flagship x Tulsa Artist Fellowship at 9:30 a.m.

Storytime Reading with Alton Carter, Betty Casey, and Jennifer Riem
Magic City Books at 10 a.m.

Wrestling the Writing Together: Building Trust with Your Story Partner
Magic City Books at 11:30 a.m. 

Level Up: A Conversation about Growing the Local Film Community
Helmerich Research Center at OSU-Tulsa at 1 p.m. 

“Adulting for Amateurs” With Jess H. 
Magic City Books at 1 p.m. 

Reflections on the Watch Face: A Reading by Three Visiting Authors
Magic City Books at 2:30 p.m.

Resilience through Ash: Writing About Greenwood
Greenwood Rising at 4:30 p.m.

“Wild World, Wild Words”: A LitFest Keynote on Environmentalism and Writing
Helmerich Research Center Auditorium (OSU-Tulsa) at 6 p.m.

Tulsa LitFest Haiku Battle MMXXVI
Good Cause Brewing at 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 26

The Short Story: Conventions & Innovations with Tim Tomlinson
OSU-Tulsa at 10 a.m. 

Tulsa LitFest 2026 Book Fair
OSU-Tulsa at 11 a.m. 

“Secret” Book Fair Reading
OSU-Tulsa at 11:10 a.m.

An Afternoon With Tayari Jones
Magic City Books at 1:30 p.m.

Writers’ Recess
Pershing Studios at 3 p.m.

Tulsa LitFest Closing NIght Festivities
Chimera Cafe at 5 p.m.

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