Mark your calendar for not one, but two virtual events on Tuesday, May 19, 2026!
There are different Zoom links for these two separate events. You may come to both or one of these events.
2026 Annual Meeting
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
5:30 p.m.
Virtual
Click here to join the Zoom meeting
Meeting ID: 890 1685 3336
Passcode: 936626
If you are a current member of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Festival, we invite you to attend our annual meeting, which will be held on Zoom. We will discuss the many events, activities, and opportunities in the works for 2026.
If you are not yet a member . . . what are you waiting for? Become a member here and join in on the fun! Members get a few modest rewards, such as a waiver of the entrance fee to the Short Story Contest, a signed copy of the Honoree’s book, or an ad on our website, depending on the level of support. But the best reward is knowing that you contributed to the literary community of Montgomery County, Maryland. We are a nonprofit organization and your donation is tax deductible.
Unfit for Shelves? A Love Letter to Banned Books
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
6 p.m.
Virtual
Click here to join the Zoom meeting
Meeting ID: 814 4950 7302
Passcode: 864402
This event is free and open to the public. Come one, come all!
As we mourn the news that book reading (not to mention book reviewing!) is in decline across America, some books, particularly books on certain topics, are being removed from shelves. Are these books really unfit for our libraries, public schools, and centers of higher education? If not, why are the people of America being prevented from reading them?
Ron Charles and Maureen Corrigan will lead a discussion of this unfortunately timely topic—and offer a love letter to banned books everywhere.
Ron Charles was formerly a full-time writer for The Washington Post. He covered books and produced the weekly Book Club newsletter. He is now continuing to do great literary criticism on Substack.
Maureen Corrigan is The Nicky and Jamie Grant Distinguished Professor of the Practice in Literary Criticism in the Department of English at Georgetown University. For the past 35 years, Corrigan has been the weekly book critic on the Peabody Award-winning NPR program, ”Fresh Air.”
We hope to see you at one or both of these events. Do you have thoughts on book banning that you’d like to hear addressed by Ron Charles and Maureen Corrigan? Leave your thoughts on book banning, or any other topic relating to literature or our programming, in the new comment section on our website!
Short Story Contests Open Through June 30, 2026
We have two short story contests, one for adults and one for high school students. We are accepting submissions now through June 30, 2026. Click here to read the guidelines and submit your story.
