Author Rebecca Makkai kicks off New Trier Lit Fest with community reading

Winnetka, Ill. – The New Trier High School English Department will be hosting Lit Fest 2026 on Feb. 26-27, featuring keynote speaker Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers, a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award Finalist, and, most recently, I Have Some Questions For You.

Lit Fest is an annual event that brings a lineup of professional literary artists and storytellers representing various genres to New Trier creative writing students for a full day of interactive workshops.

Ms. Makkai will kick off the festival on Wednesday, February 25, with an afternoon session as part of the New Trier English faculty retreat at The Winnetka Community House. She will then read that evening at The Bookstall, located on 811 Elm Street in Winnetka, from 6 to 7 pm. Click here to register for the event. On Friday, February 27, she will conduct two morning workshops for our students.

Ms. Makkai’s engagement is made possible by The Phyllis Marschall Curtis Cramer ’47 Endowment through the New Trier Educational Foundation.

The lineup of writers and artists for the festival includes Miles Harvey (nonfiction), Rowan Beaird (fiction), Rachel DeWoskin (poet), Mark Dvorak (musician), Julia Thiel (food writer), Michael Glover Smith (filmmaker), and more!

Check out the festival’s schedule below and follow us on social media for updates.