Big Literary Voices and A Small-Town Vibe: Beacon LitFest 2025
Stanza Books, 508 Main Street, Beacon, NY.
When you first meet Hannah Brooks and Andrea Talarico—organizers of Beacon LitFest—you might immediately assume they were lifelong friends. Easy breezy conversation flows between the two as they share their passion for all things literary. As a result, when I said my goodbyes after an hour of uplifting conversation, all I wanted to do was run home and dive into my pile of unread books.
During our conversation, I sheepishly confessed to being guilty of buying books I take an age to get round to reading (sound familiar?). Andrea likened books to fine wine in that buying a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape doesn’t mean you have to drink it right away. It’s a point that makes complete sense and has made me feel much better.
From the early days to now
The third Beacon LitFest takes place in June 2025.
Beacon LitFest was the brainchild of former surgeon and physician, Hannah. The inaugural event took place in Beacon in 2023, but the origins began in Newburgh in 2019 when Hannah noticed the flourishing literary community in the Hudson Valley. She explains, “The literary world isn’t my field per se, but libraries and books have always played an important part in my life. One day I was chatting to my neighbor, author Danielle Trussoni, over a glass of wine, and we realized how many writers are here and how great it would be to have a literary festival. I became determined to bring that to the community.”
With the help of partners like the esteemed Dutchess County and Beacon Poet Laureate, Ruth Dannon, Hannah launched the first event in Newburgh in 2019. Later, Shane Killoran of Hit House Creative joined in, adding a component of drama to the festival, which then moved from Newburgh to Beacon when Hannah did. It has since evolved into a four-day destination event featuring marquee and award-winning literary names, workshops, live performances, and immersive experiences. Hannah and Andrea bonded a little more than a year ago over their love of reading and agreed that a collaboration would help take the festival to the next level.
Meanwhile, Andrea—who is the co-owner of the literary haven (or heaven!) Stanza Books at 508 Main Street—began her literary career in the early 2000’s when she became owner of a bookstore in Scranton, PA. During this time, a mayoral candidate asked Andrea if she would help launch a literary festival. She founded Pages & Places, a popular annual event which ran for several years under her watch.
Big Literary Voices
Beacon LitFest —which promises “big literary voices and small-town vibes”— takes place from Thursday, June 12th to Saturday, June 14th, 2025. Created to celebrate the literary arts in the Hudson Valley, the festival’s goal is to connect a diverse group of award-winning poets, playwrights, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers with engaged audiences. On Sunday, June 15th, Beacon LitFest will host writing workshops under the banner of Beacon Litworks for anyone looking to hone their writing chops.
The 2025 Beacon LitFest Schedule
Dennings Point Distillery, 10 North Chestnut Street.
Thursday, June 12th: A kickoff party and performance at Dennings Point Distillery will set the vibe for the festival. Artichoke Storytelling Series creator, Drew Prochaska, will host the evening which will include storytelling, readings, and some dancing. We recommend getting tickets soon. Beacon LitFest’s 90s’ Dance Party in March was a sell-out event.
Friday, June 13th: The signature evening event, Women In Noir, will be held at the Howland Cultural Center. This immersive multimedia program features bestselling crime and thriller fiction authors Margot Douaihy, Jode Millman, and Julia Dahl, in conversation with NY Writers Studio’s Cynthia Weiner and TownSquare Media’s Jackie Corley.
Saturday, June 14th: Begin the day with poetry at the Beahive event space with Dutchess County and Beacon Poet Laureate Ruth Danon; John Yau, winner of the Jackson Prize in Poetry; and Pulitizer Prize winner Gregory Pardlo. Each will read and discuss their works with Andrea Talarico of Stanza Books.
Beacon LitFest will take place at multiple locations along Main Street.
The Drama/Theater session at 1:30pm takes place at the Howland Cultural Center with founders and co-directors Vieve Radha Price and Chuk Obasi of the groundbreaking NYC-based company TEA Artistry. The session will explore the powerful process of what TEA Artistry calls Insight Artistry© which explores how dramatic pieces are conceived, adapted, and expressed for the purpose of community healing. This is produced and moderated by Shane Killoran of Hit House Creative.
Nonfiction and Fiction panels will take place from 5 PM to 7:30 PM at Main Street’s stately VFW Memorial Hall. This session is packed with award-winning authors including Francine Prose, Kris Jansma, C.O. Moed, Stacey D’Erasmo, and Dinaw Mengestu. Beacon’s own Caroline Eisner and Chronogram magazine’s Brian Mahoney will guide the discussion.
The day ends at 7:30pm with a book-signing reception and a cocktail party at VFW Memorial Hall.
Hone your writing chops
Sunday, June 15th: This is the day for authors and aspiring authors to develop their skills under the guidance of the pros. Beacon LitWorks Writing Workshops run for two hours and cover multiple genres. Sign up for as many as the schedule will allow and sign up soon since the tickets are selling fast. The day runs from 10am to 8pm.
Those looking for an immersive literary weekend and good value should take advantage of the All-Access Passes for Beacon LitFest offers.
For individual tickets, go to the Beacon Litfest website.
We’ve been told that visitors spending the weekend (or longer!) can enjoy a discount worth the amount of a Beacon LitFest ticket courtesy of Dutchess Inn and Spa (151 Main Street).
Be sure to make time to explore everything Main Street has to offer if you’re planning a visit to Beacon to enjoy the festival. Dig into our Shop, Eat & Drink, & Stay Directories to get the full picture if you need some inspiration.
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Until next time…
The Beacon Beacon🧡
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