Dark City Lit!

Dark City LIT! Festival brings free literary festival to Black Mountain 11/21 Author fair, workshops and an evening with Nathan Ballingrud. Dark City LIT! Festival returns Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026, with a day of free literary events, including a local author fair, three workshops and an evening conversation with Asheville author Nathan Ballingrud. Programs begin at 10 a.m. at Black Mountain Public Library, with additional events at Lakeview Center and Black Mountain Center for the Arts. All events are free and open to the public. What began as the library’s Write Local, Read Local author fair is growing into a community festival celebrating Western North Carolina’s literary talent. Readers can meet authors and discover books, while writers and other creative participants can explore new ideas, audiobook production and zine making. The festival concludes with “Into the Dark: Horror, Imagination & the Human Heart,” from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Black Mountain Center for the Arts. Ballingrud will join author and Palimpsest podcast host Jamieson Ridenhour for a reading and conversation about storytelling and the strange worlds of Ballingrud’s fiction, followed by audience questions. Malaprop’s Bookstore will offer books for purchase, with signing and conversation after the program. No purchase is required. The daytime schedule includes: 10 a.m. to noon | Write Local, Read Local Author Fair Black Mountain Public Library. Meet local and regional authors writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, memoir, and books for children and young adults. Books will be available for purchase andsigning. No registration or purchase is required. Noon to 1:30 p.m. | Idea Incubator with Jacqui Castle Lakeview Center. A generative writing workshop using prompts, collage and other approaches to spark new work. All experience levels are welcome; bring a notebook or laptop. 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. | Behind the Mic with Leanne Woodward Black Mountain Public Library. Explore how audiobooks are cast and produced with a narrator whose credits include more than 250 audiobooks. Authors, listeners and aspiring narrators are welcome. 3:30 to 5 p.m. | Zines: All For One and One For All with Mary Lounsbury Black Mountain Public Library. Create an individual zine and contribute to a collaborative one in this hands-on workshop. No prior skills or experience are needed. Dark City LIT! is supported by library staff, community partners, volunteers, writers, readers and the Friends of the Black Mountain Library. For details visit https://buncombe.librarycalendar.com/event/hold-dark-city-lit-festival-27117. For festival information or volunteer opportunities, contact Melisa Pressley at [email protected].