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.

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.
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2023 SLF Contest

Contest host the University of Mississippi welcomes submissions of student work in the areas of poetry, short stories, one-act plays, formal essays, creative nonfiction, print literary magazines, and e-zines until Friday, Dec. 16.
DOWNLOAD GUIDELINES AND SUBMISSION FORM >>

The 2022 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 >>

2022 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.
VIEW GUEST SPEAKERS>>

2022 Festival Schedule

The 2022 Southern Literary Festival took place Thursday, April 21 through Saturday, April 23, 2022 on the campus of Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, MS.
VIEW SCHEDULE >>