Literature has long nurtured hope and inspiration for GLBT people, and has provided an avenue of understanding. Every year in May for the last six years GLBT authors have gathered in New Orleans to talk about craft issues, debate the state of queer publishing, network with each other and publishers, and learn from each other while celebrating Queer literature and the role it plays in building GLBT community. This year is no different, May 8 to 11 a dynamic array of GLBT literary talent will come together in the French Quarter for a fun-filled and informative conference on GLBTQI Literature. Saints and Sinners is the only national event of its kind.

The first annual Saints and Sinners Literary Festival took place in May 2003 and has since evolved into a collaborative effort between the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival and the NO/AIDS Task Force. The Festival, formed to bring the GLBT literary community together to celebrate the literary arts, presents panel discussions and master classes on literary topics in accordance with its project goals which are to create an environment for productive networking and ensure increased knowledge and dissemination of GLBT literature; to provide an atmosphere for discussion, brainstorming, and the emergence of new ideas; to recognize and honor writers and publishers who broke new ground and made it possible for GLBT books to reach an audience; and to provide a forum for authors and editors to talk about their work for the benefit of emerging writers and the enjoyment of fans of GLBT literature.

Saints and Sinners was also designed as an innovative way to reach the community with information about HIV/AIDS, particularly disseminating prevention messages via the writers, thinkers and spokespeople of the GLBT community. The short-term effects of the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival revolve around the tremendous creative energy generated by the event. As one participant put it: “It does more for my writing and my motivation in one weekend than anything I do all year.”

A Weekend Literary pass ($100) grants access to the Welcome Party on Friday evening and all panel discussions and readings on Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11; as well as the Closing Reception/Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony. Master Class on Friday are $25 each. Saints and Sinners is known for its high-quality programming as one first-time participant said: “My expectations were pretty high, but the experience was even better! Thank you!”

A play writing contest is held in conjunction with the festival and each year two folks and a publisher are inducted into the Saints and Sinners Hall of Fame to honor their contributions to the GLBT literary community. In addition, the James Duggins Mid-Career Awards, which recognize and promote LGBT mid-career novelists of extraordinary talent and service to the LGBT community, provide two annual cash awards of $5,000 each to one man and one woman. Nomination form and complete details are available at www.sasfest.org.