2025 festival

At Blue Mountain Christian University, April 3-5, 2025

the competition

Eligibility, rules, and how to enter the undergraduate writing competition (deadline: December 6, 2024)

membership benefits

Join us for the 2025 Southern Literary Festival

The Southern Literary Festival Association is a consortium of Southern colleges & universities.
Each spring, students & faculty from these schools gather at The Southern Literary Festival.
The SLF celebrates undergraduate creative writing & features an annual writing competition.
To help students hone their craft, there are workshops & readings by established Southern writers.
Readings are given by students whose work was selected for the annually-produced festival anthology.
We value the talent & potential of undergraduate writers.
We recognize the necessity of community to the growth of all writers.
We believe in the importance of Southern writing to culture & identity.
The Southern Literary Festival Association is a consortium of Southern colleges & universities.
Each spring, students & faculty from these schools gather at The Southern Literary Festival.
The SLF celebrates undergraduate creative writing & features an annual writing competition.
To help students hone their craft, established Southern writers lead workshops & give readings.
Students whose work was selected for the annually-produced festival anthology also give readings.
We value the talent & potential of undergraduate writers.
We recognize the necessity of community to the growth of all writers.
We believe in the importance of Southern writing to culture & identity.

2025 host school

The 2025 Southern Literary Festival will take place Thursday, April 3 through Saturday, April 5, 2025 on the campus of the Blue Mountain Christian University in Blue Mountain, MS.
MORE INFORMATION >>

The 2024 Anthology

The winners featured in our annual anthology were also featured readers at the Festival. All conference participants receive a copy of the anthology. Download your digital copy here today!
DOWNLOAD THE ANTHOLOGY >>

2024 SLF Contest results

We're pleased to announce the winners of the Undergraduate Writing Contest for the 2023-2024 festival year! Students were invited to read their winning work at the Festival in April 2024 at the University of Mississippi. They were published in this year's print anthology, available at the Festival.
ANNOUNCEMENT>>
DOWNLOAD ANTHOLOGY>>

2024 Panelists & Speakers

Part of the Southern Literary Festival’s mission is to support undergraduate writers by connecting them with established writers. These honored festival guests participate in panel discussions, craft talks, and the festival bookfair.
KEYNOTE: ANDRE DUBUS III >>
PANELISTS & SPEAKERS >>
FULL FESTIVAL SCHEDULE >>

Become a Member School Today!

Registering your institution for membership in the Southern Literary Festival Association first and foremost benefits your students. When you join the association, you’ll be able to submit to our competition and anthology in the Fall and attend our conference with your students in the Spring.
JOIN >>
PAY DUES >>