This student-planned and student-led festival happens in late January. A variety of writers, including novelists, journalists, songwriters, screenwriters and poets, spend two days at St. Mark’s, speaking to classes and engaging in a panel discussion. The visiting writers also judge a writing contest and provide feedback to the winning students.

2025
R. F. Kuang ~ Bestselling novelist (Brent P. Johnson ’89 Guest Writer)
John Allman ~ Children’s writer
Arnie Holtberg ~ Young adult fiction author, former St. Mark's Headmaster
Rachel Kann ~ Poet
Max Marshall ’12 ~ Journalist and author

2024
Michael Chabon ~ Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and screenwriter (Brent P. Johnson ’89 Guest Writer)
Sara Hickman ~ Singer-songwriter
Jason Hinojosa ’99 ~ Author and novelist, English Department Chair  at Sacramento Country Day School
Elisabeth Kincaid, Ph.D. ~ Theologian and essayist

2023
Rebecca Makkai ~ Pulitzer Prize-finalist novelist (Brent P. Johnson ’89 Guest Writer)
Josephine Decker ~ Screenwriter and filmmaker
Martín Espada ~ National Book Award-winning poet
Ben Mercer ’03 ~ Senior Editor, Criterion Collection

2022
Rhoda Janzen ~ New York Times bestselling memoirist (Brent P. Johnson ’89 Guest Writer)
Josh Harkinson ’95 ~ Investigative journalist
Sam Kean ~ New York Times bestselling non-fiction author
Christopher Boucher ~ Novelist and professor of literature
Sherrie Zantea ~ CEO, Dallas Poetry Slam Organization

2021
Masi Asare ~ Composer, Playwright, and Performance scholar
Lauren Groff ~ Novelist, 2021 Brent P. Johnson ’89 Writer
Bob Hass ~ Poet and Literary Critic
Rhett Miller ’89 ~ Singer/songwriter and Poet
Calvin Watkins ~ Sports Reporter, The Dallas Morning News

2020
Sandra Cisneros ~ Novelist and poet (The House on Mango Street)
Frederick Turner ~ Poet
Dawn Davies ~ Memoirist 
Sharan Shetty ’09 ~ Associate Editor, The New Yorker

2019
Karl Marlantes ~ Author (Matterhorn)
Kimberly Willis Holt ~ Author (When Zachary Beaver Came to Town)
Amanda Petrusich ~ Journalist and Author
Joaquin Zihuatanejo ~ Poet
Montgomery Sutton ’05 ~ Playwright and Stage Actor

2018
Stacy Clark ~ Children’s author
Billy Crockett ~ Singer-songwriter
Evan Daugherty ’00 ~ Film screenwriter (Divergent, Snow White and the Hunstman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
Tony Earley ~ Fiction writer, essayist, and Vanderbilt University professor
Dana Goodyear ~ Poet, University of Southern California professor, and staff writer for The New Yorker
Mike Wilson ~ Editor of The Dallas Morning News

2017
Taylor Mali ~ Four-time National Poetry Slam champion
Tobias Wolff ~ Bestselling author of This Boy’s Life and Old School
Jake McAuley ’08 ~ France-based reporter for The Washington Post and founder of the St. Mark’s Literary Festival
Eliza Griswold ~ Poet and award-winning investigative journalist
Dianna Hutts Aston ~ Award-winning children’s author and illustrator

2016
Ana Castillo ~ Chicana Novelist, Poet, and Playwright
Kurt Eichenwald ’79 ~ Bestselling Investigative Journalist
Lisa Loeb ~ Grammy-nominated Singer-Songwriter 
Hampton Sides ~ Bestselling Narrative Nonfiction Author
Graeme Wood ’97 ~ Journalist and The Atlantic Contributing Editor

2015
Blake Bailey ~ Biographer
Ed Mabrey ~ Poet
Ann Napolitano ~ Novelist
Annu Subramanian ~ Human-rights Advocate and Novelist 
Robert Zorn ’75 ~ Non-Fiction Author

2014
Ron Koertge ~ Young Adult Novelist and Poet
Jill Sobule ~ Acclaimed Singer-Songwriter
Jim Holt ~ Mathematician and Nonfiction Contributor to The New Yorker
Lev Grossman ~ Author of The Magicians and TIME Magazine writer
Evan Daugherty ’00 ~ Film screenwriter (Divergent, Snow White and the Hunstman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

2013
Billy Collins ~ Former U.S. Poet Laureate
Curtis Sittenfeld ~ Novelist
Marion Winik ~ Author and NPR commentaror
Sid Balman ’76 ~ Journalist and Author