Saints+Sinners Literary Festival

Saints+Sinners is an annual celebration held in the heart of New Orleans' French Quarter each spring. The Festival includes writing workshops, readings, panel discussions, literary walking tours, and a variety of special events. We also aim to inspire the written word through our short fiction contest and our annual Saints+Sinners Emerging Writer Award sponsored by Rob Byrnes. Each year, we induct individuals to our Saints and Sinners Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is intended to recognize people for their dedication to LGBTQ literature. Selected members have shown their passion for our literary community through various avenues, including writing, promotion, publishing, editing, teaching, bookselling, and volunteerism.

This collection includes a varied selection of poetry from the 2026 festival, including the winners and finalists for the festival's annual poetry contest.