Aldo Leopold. Courtesy/Aldo Leopold Foundation

SFILF News:

SANTA FE — The Leopold Writing Program and the Santa Fe International Literary Festival (SFILF) has announced their continued partnership for the 2026 Festival. The upcoming event will feature award-winning writers, including Ada Limón, George Saunders, and James McBride.

The Festival will also feature a new iteration of the collaborative Write Your Story activity, an ongoing partnership with the Santa Fe International Literary Festival that reflects a shared commitment to uplifting and strengthening New Mexico’s vibrant literary community.

The Leopold Writing Program first partnered with the Santa Fe International Literary Festival in spring 2025, debuting Write Your Story at the May festival. The interactive writing-prompt experience invited attendees to engage directly with featured authors through reflection and creative writing. Rooted in place, environment, and personal voice, the project reinforced a core belief shared by both organizations: the literary arts are for everyone.

The response was resoundingly enthusiastic. Forty-five submissions from New Mexican writers were collected and compiled into a digital booklet featuring original essays, poems, and short stories. Write Your Story 2025 showcases the diversity and depth of voices across the state.

The full booklet of contributions is available to read online at www.leopoldwritingprogram.org.

The 2026 Write Your Story activity will be shared with Festival attendees during the event in May and will be available online for continued engagement through June. Submissions will be compiled into a digital booklet for broad distribution. Together, the Leopold Writing Program and the Santa Fe International Literary Festival look forward to another year of meaningful literary connection and creative exchange, celebrating the power of storytelling to bring communities together.