Litquake Festival 2026: Curator Residency

Thank you for your interest in the 2026 Litquake Curator Residency!

This year's Litquake festival will take place October 8th–24th.

This residency has been created to combat an often homogeneous and culturally inequitable literary landscape. It’s a unique opportunity for emerging curators and writers to utilize mentorship and support to execute an events series at our tentpole program, Litquake Festival. While we’ve operated a guest curator program for several years, we’re formalizing the process and residencies will be awarded each year through an open call. Please note that, given our limited budget and staff capacity, we will have to be very selective in our approach to reviewing residency applications. 

Litquake is committed to championing greater diversity in the literary world and promoting as wide a range of writers as possible. Accordingly, Litquake encourages submissions from curators across any and all backgrounds, especially those who have been historically overlooked by the literary world including (but not limited to) individuals who are BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, neurodivergent, and everyone with a story to tell. We also love all genres, approaches, and schools of thought when it comes to programming. Just wow us.

What we're looking for:

• Curators with a history of producing public arts/literary/community events (especially for Bay Area audiences). The Curator Residency is prioritized for locals to the Bay Area. 
• We're particularly interested in proposals with multi-disciplinary components (music, theater, dance), conversations on the intersections of literature and contemporary issues (e.g., politics, science/technology, environment/climate), and are particularly interested in anything outside the box of what Litquake historically does (we know…it’s a big box!)  
• Litquake events vary from panel discussions and performances to interactive events and readings. Please look through our festival calendar from 2025 and the guest curated events below to better understand the range of diverse events we produce.

Recent guest-curated Litquake events: 

SWOLE: The Meaning of Muscle Panel + Party curated by Micheal Foulk

Greetings, from Queer Mountain: Maybe Today, Satan curated by Micheal Foulk

Full Circle curated by Giovanna Lomanto

Entre Fronteras: Between Borders curated by Diego Plascencia-Vega

We Are Who We Remember curated by Sarah O’Neal

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow curated by D’mani Thomas

Residency Details:

• All curators are expected to collaborate on event production for 2-3 events featured in Litquake's fall festival, including event development and participant invites, prospective venue visits (if required), development of event description language, and on-site production and emceeing (if required). 
• Participants will work with Graham Todd (Artistic Director) directly in the lead-up to the event, primarily virtually. At least 1 Litquake staff/committee member will be on-site during your events, along with multiple Litquake volunteers. 
• While you won’t be alone during any part of this process, we do expect you to work proactively and independently when appropriate.
• Expected time committment: 5 hours per month from May to September, 15 hours per month in October for roughly 40 hours total
• All curators will receive a modest stipend of $2,000 as gratitude for their involvement (paid in 2 installments, July and October)
• All curators will have their photos and bios listed online and in festival print materials as part of the Curator Resident cohort
• Litquake will provide all necessary support for production and success of the event

Timeline Overview: 

• 1-2 generative meetings with LQ staff re: event ideas through April and May
• Event ideas confirmed by May 30th, invites out to talent after final confirmation with LQ staff
• All programming (including participant lineups) confirmed by July 15th, marketing and event language assets gathered by July 31st
• Ongoing management/check ins with marketing partners, Litquake staff, & venue teams as needed throughout summer/fall
• Showflows and other event production materials confirmed by Sept 15th
• Litquake Festival events take place October 8th-24th
• 1 post-event check-in meeting held by end of November