Dark City LIT! Festival
Dark City LIT! Festival is Black Mountain’s grassroots celebration of writers, readers, and the stories that connect us. This big event takes place on Saturday, November 21, 2026.
What began as a local author fair at the Black Mountain Public Library is growing into a full day of literature. Our dream is to build an annual festival that brings authors, readers, workshops, conversations, and creative events throughout Black Mountain.
This year, Dark City LIT! is taking its next big step.
This Year’s Festival
Join us for a day devoted to reading, writing, and the literary talent of the Swannanoa Valley and beyond.
Writing Workshops at the Lakeview Center
The festival will offer two workshop opportunities designed to help writers develop their craft, explore new ideas, and connect with other members of the writing community.
Whether you are an experienced writer, just beginning, or returning to a long-neglected project, we hope you will find inspiration and encouragement around the workshop table.
Workshop descriptions and registration information will be announced soon.
Local Author Fair and Readings
Spend the morning meeting local and regional authors, discovering new books, and hearing writers share their work.
Participating authors will have the opportunity to display and sell their books, speak directly with readers, and take part in scheduled readings. Festival attendees can browse across genres, find their next great read, and celebrate the depth of literary talent in our community.
An Evening with an Author
We will close the festival with a special evening program featuring an invited author in conversation about writing, storytelling, and the ideas behind their work.
The featured author and event details will be announced soon.
Calling Local Authors
Local and regional authors are invited to apply for a table at the Dark City LIT! Local Author Fair.
We welcome authors working across genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, memoir, children’s literature, young adult literature, history, mystery, fantasy, romance, and more.
Apply for a Local Author Fair table
Help Us Grow the Story
Dark City LIT! remains a small festival powered by the enthusiasm of library staff, community partners, writers, readers, volunteers, and the Friends of the Black Mountain Library.
We are starting small but dreaming big.
We envision a future in which Dark City LIT! grows into a weekend of author appearances, workshops, readings, bookselling, and literary events throughout downtown Black Mountain. This year’s festival is another page in that story, and we invite you to be part of it.
Rooted in community. Growing one story at a time.
Interested in volunteering? Email: melisa.pressley@buncombenc.gov