Hay Festival Forum Dallas 2026

Hay Festival Forum Dallas brings three days of literature, journalism, music and ideas to Bishop Arts, October 16–18. The festival unfolds across The Wild Detectives, the Texas Theatre, Whose Books, Oak Cliff Cultural Center and other neighborhood spaces. Explore Sunday’s programme below; select an underlined event title for full details and tickets.Sunday, October 18 · Program12:00 PM · Toni at RandomDana A. Williams, in conversation with Janelle Gray The Wild Detectives — Ideas · FreeDana A. Williams reveals Toni Morrison’s transformative years as an editor at Random House. Drawing on her new book, she explores the Black writers Morrison championed and editing as both creative and political work.12:00–1:30 PM · The Real William Shakespeare As Told by Christopher MarloweScreening and workshop with playwright Shaul Ezer Texas Theatre — Downstairs · FreeA screening of Shaul Ezer’s imaginative play about authorship, espionage and the stories history remembers, followed by an interactive writing and adaptation workshop with the playwright.12:30 PM · Republic of Consciousness Prize presents: Hothouse BloomAustyn Wohlers, in conversation with Richard Bailey Texas Theatre — Upstairs · FreePresented by the Republic of Consciousness Prize, Austyn Wohlers discusses her debut novel Hothouse Bloom, a story of art, solitude and the natural world. She will also perform several songs.1:00 PM · Back for Blood: Never Whistle at Night Part IIA.J. Eversole and P.C. Verrone, in conversation with Gretchen VanWormer The Wild Detectives — Stories · FreeTwo contributors to the Indigenous horror anthology discuss folklore, history and the growing presence of Indigenous voices in contemporary horror.2:00 PM · Music, Memory & the Stories We InheritSama’an Ashrawi, Bun B, Hanif Abdurraqib and Baba Texas Theatre — Downstairs · $10Beginning with Sama’an Ashrawi’s Baba Was a Rolling Stone, this conversation explores family, mentorship and the way music carries memory across generations and places.2:00 PM · The Life of Frank BascombeRichard Ford Texas Theatre — Upstairs · $5Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Ford looks back on five decades of fiction and the evolving American life he has traced through his enduring character Frank Bascombe.2:30 PM · LiterNatura: Writing the Natural WorldJorge Comensal, Yásnaya Elena A. Gil and Gabi Martínez The Wild Detectives — Stories · FreePresented by LiterNatura, three writers consider how fiction, essays and Indigenous thought can change our relationship with land, biodiversity and the climate.3:30 PM · P FKN R: Bad Bunny and Music as ResistanceVanessa Díaz and Petra R. Rivera-Rideau Texas Theatre — Upstairs · $5The authors of P FKN R and the Bad Bunny Syllabus explore Puerto Rican identity, colonialism and music as a form of cultural resistance. This conversation will be in English and Spanish.3:30 PM · The Four Spent the Day TogetherChris Kraus The Wild Detectives — Ideas · FreeChris Kraus discusses her new novel, where autofiction and true crime meet stories of family, class and a changing America.4:00 PM · Rasputin Swims the PotomacBen Fountain The Wild Detectives — Stories · FreeDallas writer Ben Fountain discusses his new political satire and the challenge of turning the strangeness of contemporary public life into fiction.5:00 PM · From Records to Books: Music, Literature & Independent PublishingMichael Zilkha, Nina Hervé and Will Burns The Wild Detectives — Ideas · FreeThe minds behind ZE Books and Rough Trade Books consider what independent music culture brings to publishing, from creative collaboration and design to the physical book. Don’t miss out and sign up to our newsletter

Indie bookstore & cafe offering a variety of titles, light fare & drinks, author readings & music.

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Hay Festival Forum Dallas brings three days of literature, journalism, music and ideas to Bishop Arts, October 16–18. The festival unfolds across The Wild Detectives, the Texas Theatre, Whose Books, Oak Cliff Cultural Center and other neighborhood spaces. Explore Sunday’s programme below; select an underlined event title for full details and tickets.Sunday, October 18 · Program12:00 PM · Toni at RandomDana A. Williams, in conversation with Janelle Gray The Wild Detectives — Ideas · FreeDana A. Williams reveals Toni Morrison’s transformative years as an editor at Random House. Drawing on her new book, she explores the Black writers Morrison championed and editing as both creative and political work.12:00–1:30 PM · The Real William Shakespeare