THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AT SASFEST 2026!
We had an AMAZING time with all of you in the french quarter, and we hope you enjoyed your weekend of immersing yourself in queer literature and art.
Thank you to our attendees, volunteers, performers, speakers, donors, and members - you make Saints & Sinners special!
We greatly appreciate hearing your thoughts! Fill out this quick survey to help us put on an even better SASFest 2027!
Looking to learn more about SASFest? Click the image to view a full color flipbook version of our 2026 program. Or, click the buttons below.
PRESS INFO
Welcome, members of the press! We're excited to help you cover SASFest, and we will provide you with all the information you need to write a great story! SASFest includes writer's craft sessions, literary discussion panels, author readings, French Quarter walking tours, and special events to celebrate the LGBTQ+ literary community.
If you're looking for a story, you'll find one at SASFest! Email me at press@tennesseewilliams.net with any questions you may have.
Reine Dugas, Festival Publicist
View last year's full program HERE.
Looking for the Tennessee Williams Festival Program? CLICK HERE.
SAINTS & SINNERS FICTION CONTEST
Submission period MAY 1 - October 15, 2026
We're excited to welcome Margot Douaihy (pictured) as this year’s fiction judge.
CLICK HERE for submission guidelines.
One grand prize of $750 (+ a SAS weekend pass) and two second place prizes of a SAS weekend pass ($200 value) will be awarded. The winner and finalists will be published in the Saints and Sinners Fiction Anthology to be distributed at the 2027 Festival. There will also be a book release party and reading held during the 24th annual Saints and Sinners LGBTQ+ Literary Festival in New Orleans in 2027.
This contest would not be possible without a generous grant from The John Burton Harter Foundation.
SAINTS & SINNERS POETRY CONTEST
Submission period MAY 1 - October 15, 2026
We're excited to welcome Ruben Quesada (pictured) as this year's poetry judge.
CLICK HERE for submission guidelines.
One grand prize of $500 (+ a SAS weekend pass) and two second place prizes of a SAS weekend pass ($200 value) will be awarded. The winner and finalists will be published in the Saints and Sinners Poetry Chapbook to be distributed at the 2027 Festival.
This contest would not be possible without a generous grant from The John Burton Harter Foundation.
SAINTS & SINNERS VERY SHORT FICTION CONTEST
Submission period MAY 1 - October 15, 2026
We're excited to welcome Denne Michele Norris (pictured) as this year's Very Short Fiction judge.
CLICK HERE for submission guidelines.
One grand prize of $500 (+ a SAS weekend pass) and two second place prizes of a SAS weekend pass ($200 value) will be awarded. The top three stories will be published in the annual SAS Fiction anthology.
This contest would not be possible without a generous grant from The John Burton Harter Foundation.
The Saints and Sinners Literary Festival was founded in 2003 as a new initiative designed as an innovative way to reach the community with information about HIV/AIDS, particularly disseminating prevention messages via the writers, thinkers and spokes-people of the LGBTQ+ community. It was also formed to bring the LGBTQ+ literary community together to celebrate the literary arts.
A program of the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival, SASFest has grown into an internationally-recognized event that brings together a who’s who of LGBTQ+ publishers, writers and readers from throughout the United States and beyond. The Festival, held over 3 days each spring at the Hotel Monteleone in the New Orleans French Quarter, features panel discussions and master classes around literary topics that provide a forum for authors, editors and publishers to talk about their work for the benefit of emerging writers and the enjoyment of fans of LGBTQ+ literature.
2026 Saints & Sinners LGBTQ+ Festival Speakers
Thoughts on the Festival
“Saints & Sinners is hands down one of the best places to go to revive a writer’s spirit. Imagine a gathering in which you can lean into conversations with some of the best writers and editors and publishers in the country, all of them speaking frankly and passionately about the books, stories and people they love and hate and want most to record in some indelible way. Imagine a community that tells you truthfully what is happening with writing and publishing in the world you most want to reach. Imagine the flirting, the arguing, the teasing and praising and exchanging of not just vital information, but the whole spirit of queer arts and creation. Then imagine it all taking place on the sultry streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter. That’s Saints & Sinners—the best wellspring of inspiration and enthusiasm you are going to find. Go there.”
—Dorothy Allison, National Book Award finalist for Bastard Out of Carolina, and author of the critically acclaimed novel Cavedweller
Become a Festival Member
Your SASFest membership helps to:
- Promote and support LGBTQ+ writers and other literary professionals
- Provide a platform for the LGBTQ+ literary community
- Connect readers and their favorite LGBTQ+ writers
- Nurture up-and-coming LGBTQ+ literary talent
- Support programming dedicated to educating and uplifting the LGBTQ+ community
Memberships start at just $25 with benefits including recognition, SAS tote bags, Fest registration, and other event passes. Join now to support the 23rd annual Saints & Sinners, coming March 27 - 29, 2026.
Many thanks to our 2026 SASFest members and donors:
Cherub
Clayton Delery
Melinda Farris
Gil Hochberg
Anna Jaworski
Miah Jeffra
Donna Minkowitz
Joseph Ortiz
Dwaine Rieves
Devil
Michele Kaminski
Paul Markel
Alden Reimonenq
Lawrence Henry Gobble
Saint
Philip F. Clark
John Copenhaver
Jameson Currier/Chelsea Station Editions
Ian Henzel/Rattling Good Yarns Press
Greg Herren
J.M. Redmann
Sinner
Jonathon Alexander
Sven Davisson/Rebel Satori Press
Julie R. Enszer/Sinister Wisdom
Frank Perez
Guardian Angel
Rob Byrnes
Timothy Cummings
Andrew Faye & Dan Harries
Keith Fox & Tom Keyes
Patrick Earl Ryan
Cindy Sibley
John Burton Harter Foundation/Premier Sponsor
Bruce J. Heim Foundation
The Helis Foundation
LGBTQ Fund, Greater New Orleans Foundation
The Publishing Triangle
Additional Donors
Eric Andrews-Katz
Reine Dugas
Lee Freeman
Gregory Gajus
Morgan Hufstader
Peggy Scott Laborde
Daniel Meltz
Sandra Nickel
Ruben Quesada
Jendi Reiter
Jeffrey Ricker
Carol Rosenfeld
Paul J. Willis
Sara Woodard
Thanks to our Sponsors
We appreciate the generosity of our sponsors who make it possible to host our writer's craft sessions, literary panel discussions, author readings, book launches, and awards ceremony. If you'd like to become a sponsor or purchase an ad in our program book, contact us at info@tennesseewilliams.net. You can also make a donation HERE.
BUY SAINTS & SINNERS SHORT FICTION & POETRY ANTHOLOGIES
Contact Us
Saints & Sinners Literary Festival
Paul J. Willis, Director
A Project of the Tennessee Williams/
New Orleans Literary Festival
612 Andrew Higgins Drive #2009
New Orleans, LA 70130
504.581.1144
Follow SASFest on Facebook and Instagram: @sasfest and on Bluesky at sasfest.bsky.social
SASFest is a program of the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival.
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