Image via program materials.

The Letters Festival will be returning to Atlanta tomorrow at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center.

The festival aims to amplify the voice of independent literature in Atlanta and beyond, and is an offshoot of Lost in the Letters, an Atlanta-based literary organization that holds readings and workshops, according to program materials.

The founder of Lost in the Letters, and organizer of the Letters Festival, Scott Daughtridge, told Atlanta Loop the original idea for the festival, first held in 2013, was to connect the city with the larger literary community. “There are a lot of great writers in Atlanta,” he said. “But we were interested in bringing writers we admired here to share what we had going on with them – we’re building a bridge.”

This year’s festival continues with that tradition. This year’s lineup includes poet Ashley M. Jones and authors Jared Yates Sexton, Brian Oliu, Carmen Maria Machado, Molly Brodak and others.

The three-day festival will be comprised of readings from the authors as well as workshops to help attendees identify and refine their literary voice. The schedule, according to program materials, includes:

Day one (Nov. 8):

• Reading from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center from Ashley Jones, Jeff Jackson, Aria Curtis and Tommy Pico. Free to the public.

Day two (Nov. 9):

• Reading from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the art center from Caren Beilin, Molly Brodak, Berry Grass and Carmen Maria Machado. Tickets are $15 and available here.
• After Party with Lit & Bruised – Atlanta’s premier literary podcast will be hosting a live show from 10 to midnight at the Highland Inn Ballroom featuring Sabrina Orah Mark, Meredith Blankinship and Jared Yates Sexton.

Day three (Nov. 10):

• Obsession Poetry Workshop with Sabrina Orah Mark from 1 to 3 p.m., free with reservation.
• Memoir Workshop with Molly Brodak from 3 to 4 p.m., free with reservation.
• Panel Discussion from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. moderated by Erica Dawson with Mary Grace Phillips, Berry Grass and more. Free to the public.
• Reading by Kory Oliver, Mark Leidner, Orian Oliu, and Erica Dawson from 6:30 to 8:30. Tickets are $15 and available here.

“Our idea has always been to inspire people to read and write more,” Daughtridge said. “We can do that best by bringing in the people who are doing really great work… by bringing them to Atlanta, we want to inspire people to find their voice through literature.”