Annual Event Returns for the Fourth Year!

1455 Literary Arts, a nonprofit organization seeking to advance the appreciation of and passion for both creativity and community, seeks proposals for presentations, workshops, craft talks and creative readings for its 4th Annual 1455 Summer Festival to be held Thursday July 14th—Saturday, July 16th, 2022. 

The festival will once again feature a variety of international artists and thinkers, (further information forthcoming). 1455 is actively seeking a diverse offering of authors, speakers and contributors, from a variety of genders, cultures, ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds.

FESTIVAL INFORMATION

This year’s festival will focus on the power of storytelling and the crucial role plays in Creative, Media, Business, Sports, Education, Politics, Social Justice, and more.

Programming will be split amongst three concurrent tracks: “Inspiration & Advocacy,” “Timely & Topical,” and “Craft & Community.” 

Sessions will be 50 minutes.

Proposals may include panel and roundtable discussions, creative readings, or workshops.

Group and individual proposal submissions are welcome.

Individual proposals and creative readings will be grouped into panels by conference organizers.

PRESENTATION TOPICS

We seek proposals that include a diverse cross section of voices and experiences, and encourage submissions from people of all ages, races, backgrounds, and sexual orientation. Possible topics for proposals include (but are not limited to):

• Responsibly engaging diverse voices and perspectives through storytelling
• Literary topics in all genres
• Women leadership & Girl empowerment
• Using creativity and/or community in overcoming adversity
• Writing about identity and marginalized experiences
• Writing for mass media: journalism, blogging, podcasts, radio, etc.
• Children’s & YA writing and publishing
• Screenwriting and/or Playwriting
• Comics & graphic novels
• Film & new media
• Engaging & sustaining a writing life
• Creative writing education and outreach to incarcerated people 

Deadline for proposal submissions is 12:00am ET on Friday, May 15.

ATTENDING THE FESTIVAL

The 2022 Summer Festival will be a multi-day virtual event focused on celebrating the art of storytelling: it is envisioned as a festival of ideas and celebration of community. All programs are open to the public and free to attend. 

Previous 1455 Summer Festivals have featured more than 150 panelists, ranging from best-selling fiction and non-fiction authors, journalists, professors, as well as local artisans and leaders from the business, and academic fields. Several of the panels will feature faculty from local universities, including George Mason University, Marymount University, Hollins University, and Shenandoah University.

ABOUT 1455

1455 is a nonprofit organization seeking to advance the appreciation of and passion for the creative arts through programs that support expression, education, and the sharing of performing arts,  visual arts, writing, and literature. 1455’s mission is to build and support a dynamic, innovative community that provides established and emerging artists with resources to encourage and inspire storytellers at all stages of their careers.