Mission:
The Saugatuck StoryFest invites innovators, agitators, liberators and world-makers to connect communities through story.
Vision:
The Saugatuck Story Festival and Writers’ Conferenceis a three-day event that combines a city-wide multidisciplinary literary festival with a craft-focused workshop-based writers conference.
Our History:
The Saugatuck StoryFest is unique among literary festivals; it is the only festival that is a product of a partnership between a public library and a public school system.
The Westport Library in Westport, CT, entertained the idea of creating a literary festival in Fairfield County for several years. It would be a natural extension of the library's successful WestportWRITES program, the library's flagship program supporting writers.
The same idea was in the minds of two members of the faculty at Staples High School, part of Westport Public Schools. They envisioned an event that would bring the literary festival experience to Fairfield County, while providing unique educational opportunities for their students outside of the classroom.
Through WestportWRITES's educational outreach, a solid partnership developed between the two organizations, and the shared dream of a festival centered on storytelling and storytellers took shape.
The festival is a natural extension of the core values of both organizations. For the Library, it is an expression of their deep commitment to the local writing community, and their desire to cultivate the writer in everyone. For Westport Public Schools, it is an extension of their commitment to providing students with dynamic, multilayered educational experiences that cultivate emotional and social awareness, principled leadership and the practice of learning always.
The Saugatuck StoryFest presents a progressive, forward-thinking vision of both organizations, and their evolution in a changing world. Libraries are more than a place for books. Schools are more than a place for lessons. They're dynamic, community-focused institutions that provide innovative ways for people to connect, one story at a time.
