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Get Lit! Festival
April 20th-23rd, 2023

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Get Lit! Programs is a non-profit literary arts organization housed within Eastern Washington University.

We are responsible for the Get Lit! Festival, Washington State's longest-running annual literary festival, which has grown over the last 25 years from a single day of readings to, historically, a week-long celebration of literature. In 2023, Get Lit! will be a four-day festival, Thursday through Sunday, which will include full days of readings, writing workshops, craft classes, poetry slams, panel discussions, literary happy hours, and more— offered for free or at low-cost. Each year brings a diverse lineup of highly sought-after authors to our region, while also highlighting our local literary talent.

In addition to the festival, Get Lit! also runs literary programs contingent on grant funding, like Writers in Residence, which places published authors in local schools to teach 10-week creative writing courses to students who may not normally have access to a creative writing curriculum. It is our mission, both in our festival programming and our educational outreach, to celebrate the arts, amplify diverse voices, and empower creativity.

Click the button below to watch dozens of FREE events from 2021's virtual festival, which featured 60+ authors including Jess Walter, Esi Edugyan, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Ellen Bass. All events will remain available to watch and share indefinitely. 

The Get Lit! Blog

Get Lit! is a non-profit organization and relies on grants, community partners, sponsors, donations, ticket and merchandise sales, as well as other fundraising efforts in order to run our annual festival and educational outreach programs. We also rely on interns and volunteers from the community. If you would like to help support our program, please donate online today. To learn how to sponsor an event or festival author, and/or get involved as a volunteer, email us at getlit@ewu.edu.