Greg Brownderville has published three books of poems: A Horse with Holes in It ; Gust ; and Deep Down in the Delta. He wrote the lyrics for a musical piece entitled Ripple the Sky, which premiered with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2016. Brownderville edits the Southwest Review, the nation’s third-longest-running literary magazine, and directs the Creative Writing program at SMU.
Ayana Gray is a New York Times bestselling author of speculative fiction and a lover of all things monsters, mythos, and #MelaninMagic. Her works have been translated in a dozen languages across five continents and have received critical acclaim at the state and national level. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, she now lives and writes in Arkansas.
We are currently limiting Lit Fest 2026 to 200 students. Once those spots are filled
we are unable to add more to ensure registered students are guaranteed t-shirts, lunches,
etc.
Registeration Deadline: February 1st, 2026.
Students are encouraged to enter a fictional short story based in Arkansas past, present, or future.
First Prize wins $500, Runner Up awarded $250 to be awarded at the event in March.
Submissions should be no more than 10 pages (approx. 2000 words), double-spaced, and 12-point Times New Romans. The submissions should be sent as .pdf or Word doc attachments to engl@atu.edu. We will not accept Google doc submissions. Students should include their name, school, mailing address, and email address at the top of the first page, and put "LIT FEST WRITING CONTEST" in the subject line.
Submission Deadline: February 13, 2026.
Find a map of where Witherspoon Hall is and where to park here.
