Events and writers are going full steam around Cleveland, as Literary Cleveland is already in the midst of its free 2025 Inkubator Writing Conference, one of the largest free writing conferences in the country. The in-person portion begins tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 11 and runs through Saturday, Sept. 13.

The popular conference, which began on Friday, Sept. 5 with Literary Cleveland and Poetry Unplugged held Open Mic at Karamu House, hosted by Calil "Just C.O.S." Cage and Siaara Freeman of The Sparrow's Fortune with DJ Cassius G on beats and vibes.

On Saturday, Sept. 6, Literary Cleveland and the Cleveland Interfaith Group Against Hate (IGAH) hosted Burn Bright: Inspirational Read & Write In.

Monday, Sept. 8 and Tuesday, Sept. 9 featured virtual poetry and virtual nonfiction, with virtual fiction continuing tonight from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. during “Get Real: Being Vulnerable in Fact and Fiction” featuring Deesha Philyaw + Kiese Laymon.

The in-person portion kicks off Thursday, Sept. 11 with a free kickoff mixer at Loganberry Books, 13015 Larchmere Blvd., 44120, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Meet and mingle with fellow writers and enjoy light food and drink from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., then stay for a writing group matchmaking event where you’ll rotate around the room meeting potential writing group partners.

Whether you're a longtime writer or brand new, joining us from out of town or a lifelong Clevelander, Literary Cleveland helps you find your people with a chance to connect with others who are writing similar work.

On Friday, Sept. 12 and Saturday, Sept. 13, experience two days of in-person events at the downtown Cleveland Public Library (CPL), 325 Superior Ave. The CPL in-person component kicks off Cleveland Book Fest with more than 36 workshops, panel discussions, craft talks, and a book fair with regional bookstores, presses, journals, and literary arts organizations.

Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and multi-genre programs will help writers improve their craft and generate new material. Sessions on writing a query letter, a panel with literary agents, and a discussion about small presses are designed to advance writers’ careers.

New in 2025, Literary Cleveland will feature a special section of workshops about specific fiction genres, including sci-fi, romance, horror, speculative fiction, among other genres.

There are 15 visiting presenters including writer and editor Dr. Taylor Byas, poet and essayist Nandi Comer, novelist Jonathan Escoffery, writer and blogger Ashley C. Ford, writer Maris Kreizman, writer Tom McAllister, fiction writer Allegra Solomon, and writer Ira Sukrungruang.

“I am especially excited about one session led by Sonia Feldman, who was part of our yearlong residency program and afterwards landed an agent and sold her debut novel, which will be published by Random House in 2026,” says Literary Cleveland executive director Matt Weinkam. “This year she is presenting at conference and sharing the query letter that landed her a literary agent.

“So she was an audience member at Inkubator in the past and now she is presenting on stage and helping share her knowledge with other writers so one day they might be up there too,” continues Weinkam. “This is what we hope the conference can do—develop writers’ careers, and then those writers come back to support and lift as they climb.

Four community projects will bring writing into neighborhoods, including an open mic at Karamu House; as well as CPL, Comics at the Corner, and Rust Belt Humanities Lab partnering to present Books at the Market, a literary pop-up distributing free books and comics at the West Side Market.

“We take over stalls in the fruit and vegetable arcade and have hand painted signs to look like a food stand, with phrases like ‘ripe books’ or ‘fresh literature daily,’” explains Weinkam. “The best way to increase literacy is by getting books into people’s homes, and since many people from across the city and out of town shop at the market we reach hundreds of people.

“Last year a couple visiting from France—France!—Perhaps the most literary country in the world—was gobsmacked we were giving away new books for free,” Weinkam continues. “It’s a blast. I hope folks stop down and check it out.”  

These events are presented as part of that Cleveland Book Fest in collaboration with Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards and the Great Lakes African American Writers Conference.

The 2025 keynote speaker is Katie Kitamura, writer, critic, and the author of five novels, including A Separation, Intimacies, and Audition, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize and was one of Barack Obama’s 2025 Summer Reads.

Kitamura will discuss her development as a writer, her most recent novel, and why in a time of crisis literature is more important than ever in the reading and moderated discussion presented by the Cleveland Public Library. 

All events are free for everyone to attend. See the full Inkubator schedule for more information.