Deep Water Literary Festival Returns with a Weekend of Metamorphosis and Transformation

Since its launch in 2018, the Deep Water Literary Festival has drawn some of the most celebrated names in contemporary literature, and this year is no exception.

With a theme of Metamorphosis and Transformation, the 2025 festival welcomes authors like Douglas Stuart, Susan Choi, and Marlon James—alongside dancers, visual artists, and musicians—for a weekend of bold conversations and boundary-crossing performances.

Aaron Hicklin, co-founder and director of Deep Water, talks about this year’s highlights, the power of storytelling, and what it means to create a world-class literary event in a river town on the edge of New York and Pennsylvania.

Image: Author Douglas Stuart, who was awarded the 2020 Booker Prize for “Shuggie Bain,” will be appearing at the Deep Water Literary Festival. (Credit: Clive Smith/Booker Prize)