Amherst<\/a>\/Concord<\/a>\/Lenox, Massachusetts<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Resize-Body-01-Amhearst.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Is it in the water? This area is bursting with literary history, and some of America\u2019s greatest writers hung their hats here. The road from Concord to Lenox is paved with literary gold, and you\u2019ll see why the area was so inspirational to brilliant artistic minds when you traverse its great open spaces.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\nAmherst:<\/p>\n
\n- The Emily Dickinson Museum<\/strong> is the merged properties of two houses the poet called home, set on three acres of natural beauty that inspired much of her work.<\/li>\n
- Robert Frost taught at Amherst College<\/strong>, where the beautiful campus could inspire your own epic verses, and the main library, named for him, is full of treasures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Concord:<\/p>\n
\n- Philosopher and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson<\/strong>, lived in Concord for many years, and his house has been designated a National Historic Landmark.<\/li>\n
- Louisa May Alcott\u2019s house<\/strong>, where she wrote and set the beloved classic, \u201cLittle Women,\u201d also in Concord, is just how you would picture the March family home.<\/li>\n
- Cruise by Walden Pond<\/strong> to get your Thoreau on and discover how to live deliberately.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Lenox:<\/p>\n
\n- Edith Wharton\u2019s gorgeous house and grounds, The Mount<\/strong>, brings literature lovers to Lenox to see where the first female Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction lived and worked.<\/li>\n
- The Bookstore<\/strong> is a charming community fixture, which encourages visitors to \u201cget lit\u201d at the on-site wine bar.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Prague, Czech Republic<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Resize-Body-02-Prague.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The setting for many famous novels, including the \u201cUnbearable Lightness of Being\u201d and \u201cPrague Tales,\u201d this UNESCO City of Literature\u2019s part in bolstering the written word unfolded in cozy cafes, literary salons, and scholarly circles that included the likes of Franz Kafka, Milan Kundera, and Bohumil Hrabal.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- One of the highest concentrations of bookstores in Europe includes gems such as Globe<\/strong> (an English-language bookstore and caf\u00e9), Shakespeare and Sons<\/strong> (one of the best in the city, and also hosts author events), and PageFive<\/strong> (a newer, innovative bookstore and publishing house).<\/li>\n
- Events such as the Prague Writers\u2019 Festival<\/strong> and Deti Ctete<\/strong> (a festival that promotes children\u2019s literature) demonstrate the power of free speech that post-communist Prague embodies.<\/li>\n
- Pay tribute to the city\u2019s most famous literary figure at\u00a0the Franz Kafka Museum<\/strong>, where the long-term exhibit, The City of K. Franz Kafka and Prague, showcases how the city and the artist are inextricably intertwined.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Tangier, Morocco<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Resize-Body-03-Tangier.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Famously the home of Paul Bowles and partial setting for his novel, \u201cThe Sheltering Sky,\u201d Tangier captures the imagination of travelers looking to understand how \u201cin Tangier the past is a physical reality as perceptible as the sunlight.\u201d The Beat generation were moved to explore Tangier, thanks in large part to Bowles\u2019 descriptions. William Burroughs, for instance, wrote and set \u201cNaked Lunch\u201d in the Blue and White City.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Librairie des Colonnes<\/strong> is a charming bookstore with books in Arabic, French, English, and Spanish, and Les Insolites<\/strong> is the cozy, eccentric atmosphere of your bookstore dreams.<\/li>\n
- What\u2019s more writerly than spending long afternoons discussing ideas at cafes frequented by giants of literature? Caf\u00e9 Hafa<\/strong>, with its tiered terrace, may inspire the next great novel.<\/li>\n
- The International Books and Arts Exhibition of Tangier<\/strong> is a bustling event filled with conferences, roundtables, workshops, and readings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
San Francisco, California<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Resize-Body-04-San-Francisco.jpg\")
Via Yelp\/B W.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe Beats really got around, and San Francisco was a beloved stomping ground. Many generations of writers have been inspired by the City by the Bay, including Dashiell Hammett, who set \u201cThe Maltese Falcon\u201d here, and Rebecca Solnit, whose \u201cInfinite City\u201d reads like a love letter, map, and history lesson to this magic spot.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Litquake<\/strong> is the largest independent literary festival on the West Coast, and its Lit Crawl<\/strong> event has extended to at least 15 other cities.<\/li>\n
- City Lights Bookstore<\/strong> (and Vesuvio Caf\u00e9<\/strong> across the alley) is a legendary meeting space, Books, Inc.<\/strong> is the oldest independent booksellers in the West, and Book Passage<\/strong> is host to author readings and signings, classes, and conferences.<\/li>\n
- Literary spaces can be found all over the city, like 826 Valencia<\/strong>, Dave Eggers\u2019 brainchild, which is a writing center and creative space for young students. San Francisco Center for the Book<\/strong> is the place to discover the art of books and book making, offering classes and hands-on events.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Columbia, Missouri<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Resize-Body-05-Columbia.jpg\")
Via Yelp\/Yellow Dog Bookshop<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHome to the \u201cMissouri Review,\u201d which is consistently featured on lists of top literary journals, Columbia is also the primary setting for \u201cStoner\u201d by John Williams, a book lauded by many book lovers. Other writers influenced by this Missouri city are Thomas McAfee, a professor at the university who set many of his works here, and Alex George, noted Australian lawyer-author who still lives in Columbia.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Unbound Book Festival<\/strong> attracts writers and thinkers on every writer\u2019s must-see bucket list. Past guests include Salman Rushdie, Mary Jo Bang, Ishmael Beah, and 2018\u2019s keynote speaker is the incomparable Zadie Smith.<\/li>\n
- Find untold treasure in area bookshops like the family-owned Yellow Dog Bookshop<\/strong> (named for their beloved yellow lab mix), and genre shop, Village Books<\/strong>, which also runs a reading group.<\/li>\n
- Just under 100 miles northeast sits Hannibal, Missouri, Mark Twain\u2019s childhood home and inspiration for the fictional setting of \u201cThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer\u201d and \u201cAdventures of Huckleberry Finn.\u201d Take a short road trip and visit the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum<\/strong> and other landmarks of his life, such as the Huckleberry Finn House<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Iowa City, Iowa<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Resize-Body-06-Iowa-City.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
This city is legendary in the lit scene, and until 2017 was the only UNESCO City of Literature in the U.S. and the third in the world to be given the title. The University of Iowa consistently produces bright literary talent, and its Iowa Writers\u2019 Workshop has seen notable staff like James Alan McPherson and alumna like Jane Smiley, as well as produced 17 Pulitzer Prize winners, six poets laureate and many other prize winners.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Prairie Lights Books<\/strong> is as famous as bookstores come, and a must-visit while in town if you want to count yourself among the who\u2019s who.<\/li>\n
- The Prestigious Iowa Summer Writing Festival<\/strong> holds The Eleventh Hour<\/strong> lecture series, which is free and open to the public every weekday, beginning June 8. Another worthy event is Mission Creek Festival<\/strong>, a 6-day celebration beginning in early April, which focuses on quality performance, literature, and community that make this place such a hotbed of talent.<\/li>\n
- Iowa City Literary Walk<\/strong> pays tribute to 49 writers with Iowa ties, and includes bronze panels of quotes from the likes of Josephine Herbst, Flannery O\u2019Connor, Philip Levine, Robert Lowell, and Raymond Carver.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Portland, Oregon<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Resize-Body-07-Portland.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Maybe it\u2019s the rain, or the amazing coffee, or perhaps it\u2019s the lush green landscape\u2014whatever its secret ingredient, Portland has borne writers such as beloved children\u2019s author Beverly Cleary; PEN\/Faulkner finalist Molly Gloss; \u201cGeek Love\u201d author, Katherine Dunn; and multi-hyphenated artist Carrie Brownstein.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Wordstock<\/strong> is Portland\u2019s ever-growing book festival that includes a huge book fair, writing workshops, and pop-up readings. It\u2019s put on by Literary Arts<\/strong>, a non-profit organization that also runs the Portland Arts & Lectures<\/strong> series, which has welcomed authors such as Margaret Atwood, Jeffrey Eugenides, and George Saunders.<\/li>\n
- While in town, pop into the renowned Powell\u2019s Books<\/strong> and pick up a copy of Portland-based Tin House<\/strong>, arguably one of the best lit journals in the country.<\/li>\n
- The Loggernaut Reading Series<\/strong> highlights authors across genres as they share readings and thoughts on select nights at Mother Foucault\u2019s Bookshop<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Edinburgh, Scotland<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Resize-Body-08-Edinburgh.jpg\")
Via Flickr\/Kyle Taylor<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWith a long literary tradition, and home of bright names in literature, including J.K. Rowling, Irvine Welsh, Robert Burns, and Muriel Spark, Edinburgh was also the world\u2019s first UNESCO City of Literature. Jackie Kay, Scottish poet laureate, was born here, and the city maintains its well-read stature with one of the highest concentrations of libraries, at over 60 per 100,000 people.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Edinburgh International Book Festival<\/strong> takes place each August in a whimsical tented village specially created for the over 800 events that include a debates and discussion series, book signings, workshops, and panel discussions.<\/li>\n
- Sit in the very pubs and cafes where authors and poets have worked and played, such as \u201cPoets\u2019 Pub,\u201d Milnes Bar<\/strong> and The Elephant House<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Pay respects at The Writers\u2019 Museum<\/strong>, which honors three of Scotland\u2019s greats: Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Robert Burns. Displays include personal items and rare manuscripts of these three giants.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Austin, Texas<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Austin-1-1.jpg\")
Via Flickr\/MBandman<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAustinites embrace all things books, and the city finds many ways to celebrate that. One example being it has the world\u2019s 10th-most number of bookstores per capita (8.2 for every 100,000). Austin is home to authors such as Louis Sachar (his YA novel, \u201cSmall Steps\u201d is set in the city), and political writer and legend, Liz Carpenter. O. Henry lived and wrote in Austin, and you can visit his home-turned-museum. The city\u2019s also producing envelope-pushing publications like Fields magazine, which promotes the works of contemporary artists, including many writers and poets.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- The Texas Book Festival<\/strong> in October is one of the largest in the country, and includes the black-tie First Edition Literary Gala<\/strong>, which raises money for the festival and outreach programs. Austin is also one of the growing number of Lit Crawl<\/strong> cities, which is a literary romp of the most fun proportions. Events include games, flash fiction composition, and storytelling performances in spaces across the city\u2014there\u2019s even a reading in the cemetery.<\/li>\n
- BookPeople<\/strong> is the place to buy interesting works and has been since 1970. No Austin trip is complete without a visit to this independent bookstore.<\/li>\n
- University of Texas at Austin houses the Harry Ransom Center<\/strong>, a prestigious research library that collects and preserves writing\u2019s finest. Public tours are available, and includes viewing the Gutenberg Bible<\/strong>, the first full printing-press book, which dates from between 1450 and 1455.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Hay-on-Wye, Wales<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Resize-Body-10-Hay-On-Wye.jpg\")
Via Flickr\/Stephen Cleary<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIt may be small in size, but its commitment to literature is mighty. Described as a town of books, it\u2019s also designated the National Book Town of Wales. Hay-on-Wye loves its books so much its ratio of bookstores to people is around 2 for every 150. Traverse the castles, the historical town, and the surrounding countryside and get lost in a story of your own.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Honesty Bookshop<\/strong> at Hay Castle<\/strong> began in the 1960s and continues to be a lovely place to peruse, read, and take in the sights of the inviting outdoor space. The Poetry Bookshop<\/strong> is one of the only second-hand, (and the largest) all-poetry bookstores in the UK, and its selection will have poetry lovers swooning.<\/li>\n
- Richard Booth\u2019s Bookshop<\/strong> is many things at once and includes a caf\u00e9, cinema, studio for workshops, and, of course, shelves and shelves of beautiful books. Careful though, once you walk in, you may never want to leave.<\/li>\n
- Try your best to see the Hay Festival<\/strong> at least once, and though it has expanded to six other international destinations, the original is still in Hay-on-Wye. The 2018 theme is Imagine the World, and events include discussions by Margaret Atwood and Philip Pullman.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
New Orleans, Louisiana<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Resize-Body-11-New-Orleans.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The setting for countless novels and poetry, this city\u2019s literary ties are tight. It\u2019s been home to authors of all kinds, from queen of the underworld, Anne Rice, to stream of consciousness master, William Faulkner. Kate Chopin\u2019s Louisiana roots show in many of her works, including the seminal \u201cThe Awakening,\u201d meanwhile, the poet, journalist, and activist, Alice Dunbar Nelson was born in the city.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Enjoy the Big Easy the third week in March, when the Tennessee Williams\/New Orleans Literary Festival<\/strong> brings authors, actors, and musicians together to celebrate and benefit literary and theater programs.<\/li>\n
- Faulkner House Books<\/strong> has been described as America\u2019s most charming bookstore, and its association with the local literary community also makes it a most worthy stop on any NOLA visit. Just down Royal Street to Canal, is the Ignatius J. Reilly<\/strong> statue, which honors the idiosyncratic hero of the Louisiana-set classic, \u201cA Confederacy of Dunces.\u201d<\/li>\n
- Writers flock to certain haunts for various reasons, but once a location is part of the literati, the draw tends to remain. Such is the case with the Hotel Monteleone<\/strong>, where Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, and William Faulkner notably stayed. Tuck into the on-site classic Carousel Bar & Lounge<\/strong>, too, for an unforgettable drinking experience that echoes the toasts of writers past.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Stockholm, Sweden<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Stockholm.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Scandinavian noir hit the literary world with a bang, especially after the late Stockholm resident and writer Stieg Larsson\u2019s \u201cMillennium\u201d trilogy captured international imaginations (the city even runs a tour following in the footsteps of the characters). Sweden has a long and distinguished history of the written word, too, and its first literary text, the R\u00f6k Runestone, dates to 800 AD.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Stockholm Writers Festival<\/strong> is an invaluable resource for writers looking to enter the industry. Agents, editors, and established authors are on hand for networking and teaching with speaking events, panels, and breakout sessions held over three days in April.<\/li>\n
- Another superb event is Stockholm Literature<\/strong>, a festival held in October that brings together international figures and includes lectures, poetry walks, readings, and more.<\/li>\n
- There is perhaps no other place that lets you step into the realm of imagination as immersively as Junibacken<\/strong>. Based on the cherished children\u2019s stories of Astrid Lindgren, the fairytale museum is also home to the largest children\u2019s bookstore in Sweden.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Atlanta<\/a> & Decatur<\/a>, Georgia<\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Atlanta-4.jpg\")
Via Yelp\/Ben P.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nEmory University has a highly esteemed writing program and a library worth losing yourself in, especially in the Matheson Reading Room. Atlanta was home for a time to both Flannery O\u2019Connor and Margaret Mitchell, and other notable literary-leaning residents have been former U.S. poet laureate, Natasha Trethewey, Alice Walker, and W.E.B. Du Bois.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- The largest independent book festival in the country, AJC Decatur Book Festival<\/strong>, takes over downtown Decatur over Labor Day weekend.<\/li>\n
- Write Club Atlanta<\/strong> hosts monthly events at the Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge and produced a 2015 anthology of local literary voices.<\/li>\n
- If you\u2019re looking to score your own piece of Georgia literature, head to the stylish yet cozy Read Shop<\/strong>, mini-chain Posman Books<\/strong>\u2019 third (yet first outside NYC) shop, and get something for the kids at Decatur\u2019s charming Little Shop of Stories<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Santiago, Chile<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Santiago.jpg\")
Via Flickr\/Rafa Alvez<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe list of great Chilean writers is long, and Santiago has been home to or influenced many, including: Isabel Allende, Gabriela Mistral, poet Nicanor Parra, Roberto Bola\u00f1o (though he was distanced from his native country), feminist novelist and short story writer Mar\u00eda Luisa Bombal, Marcela Serrano, and, of course, Pablo Neruda. Evidence of their influence can be seen in murals, on the 5,000-peso bill, and at book-loving spaces like Caf\u00e9 Literario.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- The Neruda Foundation runs three of the poet\u2019s area homes as museums. La Chascona<\/strong> is the only in-city location and is fascinating for its clandestine origins as the house he built for his secret lover.<\/li>\n
- Santiago houses some wonderful bookstores, including the Feria Chilena del Libro<\/strong> (Chilean Book Fair), and for floor-to-ceiling options, try independent bookstore, Ulises<\/strong> in the Lastarria neighborhood.<\/li>\n
- Caf\u00e9 Literario<\/strong> has several city locations, but Bustamante is the liveliest, where books, food, and conversation meet, so come hungry for pastries and thirsty for knowledge.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Monterey<\/a> & Salinas, California<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Resize-Body-13-Monterey.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
American literary hero, John Steinbeck, has close ties to this area, as it\u2019s both his birthplace and source of material for many of his works, including the classics, \u201cEast of Eden\u201d and \u201cCannery Row\u201d. Perhaps his influence was instrumental in how the community formed a love of literature, but other factors, such as the beauty, history, and charisma of the area should not be overlooked.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces of note:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- While in Monterey, hit up the following literary landmarks and hotspots: Old Capitol Books<\/strong> stocks new, used, and antique books and has a special interest in American and regional authors; Robert Louis Stevenson House<\/strong> is the place where the poet wrote \u201cThe Old Pacific Capital,\u201d and was likely inspired to write \u201cTreasure Island\u201d; and the famed Cannery Row still houses buildings that were the bases for scenes in the eponymous story.<\/li>\n
- Visit and dine at the Victorian-style boyhood home of John Steinbeck, The Steinbeck House<\/strong>, in Salinas, where dinners are hosted on the first Friday of every month, and lunch is available Tuesday \u2013 Saturday. And don\u2019t miss the National Steinbeck Center<\/strong> in Oldtown to further celebrate his legacy with interactive exhibits, photos, documents, and more.<\/li>\n
- Look out over all of Salinas Valley, as Steinbeck once did and chronicled in \u201cTravels with Charley,\u201d at Fremont Peak<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Seattle, Washington<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Resize-Body-14-Seattle-1.jpg\")
Via Yelp\/Austin G.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe second U.S. city to be named a UNESCO City of Literature, Seattle certainly loves a good book more than the next city. So many bookstores are on hand for discovery, and plenty of lit-leaning bars will lift your bookish spirits and cafes will boost your creative drive. It\u2019s also another Lit Crawl city, during which lyrical love and merriment abound.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Seattle Arts & Lectures<\/strong> series brings the foremost thinkers and writers to town\u2014from Ta-Nehisi Coates to Jesmyn Ward\u2014and also borrows from the city\u2019s own hefty supply\u2014from Sherman Alexie to Timothy Egan. Another opportunity to engage is during Clarion West Writers Workshop\u2019s summer reading series, when instructors read and discuss new works.<\/li>\n
- Elliott Bay Book Company<\/strong> boasts a huge selection of books and an engaged staff, and also hosts frequent author events and book group gatherings.<\/li>\n
- Authors, Publishers and Readers of Independent Literature, or APRIL<\/strong>, is an organization featuring small press and independent literature.\u00a0They hold an annual festival, which we recommend for anyone who loves to get into a movement on the ground floor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Krakow, Poland<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Resize-Body-15-Krakow.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Home to Matras, the oldest bookstore in the world (the location being in continuous operation since the early 1600s), and housing publishers of literary and poetic periodicals stretching back to the 1690s, Krakow is a city that has literature in its blood. It should come as no surprise then that it was among the earliest chosen as a UNESCO City of Literature.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Milosz Festival<\/strong>, the largest celebration of poetry in Central Europe, was first organized by the Book Institute Poland\u2014which is an incredible artistic asset\u2014and sees poets from all around the world, who ponder a particular theme each year as audiences and fellow artists read, listen, and discuss.<\/li>\n
- You know a city is a good one when it possesses as many bookstores as Krakow does. Standouts include English-language Massolit Books & Caf\u00e9, Pod Globusem<\/strong> under the iconic metal globe clock tower, and caf\u00e9\/bookstore Bona<\/strong>, which also boasts incredible city views.<\/li>\n
- Various spots around the city tell the story of Krakow\u2019s literary heart and soul. Make stops at the statue of romantic poet Adam Mickiewicz; the mural, Lem\u2019s Robot, dedicated to science fiction writer, Stanis\u0142aw Lem; and long-time literary cabaret
<\/p>\n\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
Amherst:<\/p>\n
- \n
- The Emily Dickinson Museum<\/strong> is the merged properties of two houses the poet called home, set on three acres of natural beauty that inspired much of her work.<\/li>\n
- Robert Frost taught at Amherst College<\/strong>, where the beautiful campus could inspire your own epic verses, and the main library, named for him, is full of treasures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Concord:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Philosopher and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson<\/strong>, lived in Concord for many years, and his house has been designated a National Historic Landmark.<\/li>\n
- Louisa May Alcott\u2019s house<\/strong>, where she wrote and set the beloved classic, \u201cLittle Women,\u201d also in Concord, is just how you would picture the March family home.<\/li>\n
- Cruise by Walden Pond<\/strong> to get your Thoreau on and discover how to live deliberately.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Lenox:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Edith Wharton\u2019s gorgeous house and grounds, The Mount<\/strong>, brings literature lovers to Lenox to see where the first female Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction lived and worked.<\/li>\n
- The Bookstore<\/strong> is a charming community fixture, which encourages visitors to \u201cget lit\u201d at the on-site wine bar.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Prague, Czech Republic<\/a><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\nThe setting for many famous novels, including the \u201cUnbearable Lightness of Being\u201d and \u201cPrague Tales,\u201d this UNESCO City of Literature\u2019s part in bolstering the written word unfolded in cozy cafes, literary salons, and scholarly circles that included the likes of Franz Kafka, Milan Kundera, and Bohumil Hrabal.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- One of the highest concentrations of bookstores in Europe includes gems such as Globe<\/strong> (an English-language bookstore and caf\u00e9), Shakespeare and Sons<\/strong> (one of the best in the city, and also hosts author events), and PageFive<\/strong> (a newer, innovative bookstore and publishing house).<\/li>\n
- Events such as the Prague Writers\u2019 Festival<\/strong> and Deti Ctete<\/strong> (a festival that promotes children\u2019s literature) demonstrate the power of free speech that post-communist Prague embodies.<\/li>\n
- Pay tribute to the city\u2019s most famous literary figure at\u00a0the Franz Kafka Museum<\/strong>, where the long-term exhibit, The City of K. Franz Kafka and Prague, showcases how the city and the artist are inextricably intertwined.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Tangier, Morocco<\/a><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\nFamously the home of Paul Bowles and partial setting for his novel, \u201cThe Sheltering Sky,\u201d Tangier captures the imagination of travelers looking to understand how \u201cin Tangier the past is a physical reality as perceptible as the sunlight.\u201d The Beat generation were moved to explore Tangier, thanks in large part to Bowles\u2019 descriptions. William Burroughs, for instance, wrote and set \u201cNaked Lunch\u201d in the Blue and White City.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- Librairie des Colonnes<\/strong> is a charming bookstore with books in Arabic, French, English, and Spanish, and Les Insolites<\/strong> is the cozy, eccentric atmosphere of your bookstore dreams.<\/li>\n
- What\u2019s more writerly than spending long afternoons discussing ideas at cafes frequented by giants of literature? Caf\u00e9 Hafa<\/strong>, with its tiered terrace, may inspire the next great novel.<\/li>\n
- The International Books and Arts Exhibition of Tangier<\/strong> is a bustling event filled with conferences, roundtables, workshops, and readings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
San Francisco, California<\/a><\/h2>\n
Via Yelp\/B W.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The Beats really got around, and San Francisco was a beloved stomping ground. Many generations of writers have been inspired by the City by the Bay, including Dashiell Hammett, who set \u201cThe Maltese Falcon\u201d here, and Rebecca Solnit, whose \u201cInfinite City\u201d reads like a love letter, map, and history lesson to this magic spot.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- Litquake<\/strong> is the largest independent literary festival on the West Coast, and its Lit Crawl<\/strong> event has extended to at least 15 other cities.<\/li>\n
- City Lights Bookstore<\/strong> (and Vesuvio Caf\u00e9<\/strong> across the alley) is a legendary meeting space, Books, Inc.<\/strong> is the oldest independent booksellers in the West, and Book Passage<\/strong> is host to author readings and signings, classes, and conferences.<\/li>\n
- Literary spaces can be found all over the city, like 826 Valencia<\/strong>, Dave Eggers\u2019 brainchild, which is a writing center and creative space for young students. San Francisco Center for the Book<\/strong> is the place to discover the art of books and book making, offering classes and hands-on events.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Columbia, Missouri<\/a><\/h2>\n
Via Yelp\/Yellow Dog Bookshop<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Home to the \u201cMissouri Review,\u201d which is consistently featured on lists of top literary journals, Columbia is also the primary setting for \u201cStoner\u201d by John Williams, a book lauded by many book lovers. Other writers influenced by this Missouri city are Thomas McAfee, a professor at the university who set many of his works here, and Alex George, noted Australian lawyer-author who still lives in Columbia.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- Unbound Book Festival<\/strong> attracts writers and thinkers on every writer\u2019s must-see bucket list. Past guests include Salman Rushdie, Mary Jo Bang, Ishmael Beah, and 2018\u2019s keynote speaker is the incomparable Zadie Smith.<\/li>\n
- Find untold treasure in area bookshops like the family-owned Yellow Dog Bookshop<\/strong> (named for their beloved yellow lab mix), and genre shop, Village Books<\/strong>, which also runs a reading group.<\/li>\n
- Just under 100 miles northeast sits Hannibal, Missouri, Mark Twain\u2019s childhood home and inspiration for the fictional setting of \u201cThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer\u201d and \u201cAdventures of Huckleberry Finn.\u201d Take a short road trip and visit the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum<\/strong> and other landmarks of his life, such as the Huckleberry Finn House<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Iowa City, Iowa<\/a><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\nThis city is legendary in the lit scene, and until 2017 was the only UNESCO City of Literature in the U.S. and the third in the world to be given the title. The University of Iowa consistently produces bright literary talent, and its Iowa Writers\u2019 Workshop has seen notable staff like James Alan McPherson and alumna like Jane Smiley, as well as produced 17 Pulitzer Prize winners, six poets laureate and many other prize winners.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- Prairie Lights Books<\/strong> is as famous as bookstores come, and a must-visit while in town if you want to count yourself among the who\u2019s who.<\/li>\n
- The Prestigious Iowa Summer Writing Festival<\/strong> holds The Eleventh Hour<\/strong> lecture series, which is free and open to the public every weekday, beginning June 8. Another worthy event is Mission Creek Festival<\/strong>, a 6-day celebration beginning in early April, which focuses on quality performance, literature, and community that make this place such a hotbed of talent.<\/li>\n
- Iowa City Literary Walk<\/strong> pays tribute to 49 writers with Iowa ties, and includes bronze panels of quotes from the likes of Josephine Herbst, Flannery O\u2019Connor, Philip Levine, Robert Lowell, and Raymond Carver.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Portland, Oregon<\/a><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\nMaybe it\u2019s the rain, or the amazing coffee, or perhaps it\u2019s the lush green landscape\u2014whatever its secret ingredient, Portland has borne writers such as beloved children\u2019s author Beverly Cleary; PEN\/Faulkner finalist Molly Gloss; \u201cGeek Love\u201d author, Katherine Dunn; and multi-hyphenated artist Carrie Brownstein.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- Wordstock<\/strong> is Portland\u2019s ever-growing book festival that includes a huge book fair, writing workshops, and pop-up readings. It\u2019s put on by Literary Arts<\/strong>, a non-profit organization that also runs the Portland Arts & Lectures<\/strong> series, which has welcomed authors such as Margaret Atwood, Jeffrey Eugenides, and George Saunders.<\/li>\n
- While in town, pop into the renowned Powell\u2019s Books<\/strong> and pick up a copy of Portland-based Tin House<\/strong>, arguably one of the best lit journals in the country.<\/li>\n
- The Loggernaut Reading Series<\/strong> highlights authors across genres as they share readings and thoughts on select nights at Mother Foucault\u2019s Bookshop<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Edinburgh, Scotland<\/a><\/h2>\n
Via Flickr\/Kyle Taylor<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n With a long literary tradition, and home of bright names in literature, including J.K. Rowling, Irvine Welsh, Robert Burns, and Muriel Spark, Edinburgh was also the world\u2019s first UNESCO City of Literature. Jackie Kay, Scottish poet laureate, was born here, and the city maintains its well-read stature with one of the highest concentrations of libraries, at over 60 per 100,000 people.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- Edinburgh International Book Festival<\/strong> takes place each August in a whimsical tented village specially created for the over 800 events that include a debates and discussion series, book signings, workshops, and panel discussions.<\/li>\n
- Sit in the very pubs and cafes where authors and poets have worked and played, such as \u201cPoets\u2019 Pub,\u201d Milnes Bar<\/strong> and The Elephant House<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Pay respects at The Writers\u2019 Museum<\/strong>, which honors three of Scotland\u2019s greats: Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Robert Burns. Displays include personal items and rare manuscripts of these three giants.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Austin, Texas<\/a><\/h2>\n
Via Flickr\/MBandman<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Austinites embrace all things books, and the city finds many ways to celebrate that. One example being it has the world\u2019s 10th-most number of bookstores per capita (8.2 for every 100,000). Austin is home to authors such as Louis Sachar (his YA novel, \u201cSmall Steps\u201d is set in the city), and political writer and legend, Liz Carpenter. O. Henry lived and wrote in Austin, and you can visit his home-turned-museum. The city\u2019s also producing envelope-pushing publications like Fields magazine, which promotes the works of contemporary artists, including many writers and poets.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- The Texas Book Festival<\/strong> in October is one of the largest in the country, and includes the black-tie First Edition Literary Gala<\/strong>, which raises money for the festival and outreach programs. Austin is also one of the growing number of Lit Crawl<\/strong> cities, which is a literary romp of the most fun proportions. Events include games, flash fiction composition, and storytelling performances in spaces across the city\u2014there\u2019s even a reading in the cemetery.<\/li>\n
- BookPeople<\/strong> is the place to buy interesting works and has been since 1970. No Austin trip is complete without a visit to this independent bookstore.<\/li>\n
- University of Texas at Austin houses the Harry Ransom Center<\/strong>, a prestigious research library that collects and preserves writing\u2019s finest. Public tours are available, and includes viewing the Gutenberg Bible<\/strong>, the first full printing-press book, which dates from between 1450 and 1455.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Hay-on-Wye, Wales<\/a><\/h2>\n
Via Flickr\/Stephen Cleary<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n It may be small in size, but its commitment to literature is mighty. Described as a town of books, it\u2019s also designated the National Book Town of Wales. Hay-on-Wye loves its books so much its ratio of bookstores to people is around 2 for every 150. Traverse the castles, the historical town, and the surrounding countryside and get lost in a story of your own.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- Honesty Bookshop<\/strong> at Hay Castle<\/strong> began in the 1960s and continues to be a lovely place to peruse, read, and take in the sights of the inviting outdoor space. The Poetry Bookshop<\/strong> is one of the only second-hand, (and the largest) all-poetry bookstores in the UK, and its selection will have poetry lovers swooning.<\/li>\n
- Richard Booth\u2019s Bookshop<\/strong> is many things at once and includes a caf\u00e9, cinema, studio for workshops, and, of course, shelves and shelves of beautiful books. Careful though, once you walk in, you may never want to leave.<\/li>\n
- Try your best to see the Hay Festival<\/strong> at least once, and though it has expanded to six other international destinations, the original is still in Hay-on-Wye. The 2018 theme is Imagine the World, and events include discussions by Margaret Atwood and Philip Pullman.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
New Orleans, Louisiana<\/a><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\nThe setting for countless novels and poetry, this city\u2019s literary ties are tight. It\u2019s been home to authors of all kinds, from queen of the underworld, Anne Rice, to stream of consciousness master, William Faulkner. Kate Chopin\u2019s Louisiana roots show in many of her works, including the seminal \u201cThe Awakening,\u201d meanwhile, the poet, journalist, and activist, Alice Dunbar Nelson was born in the city.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- Enjoy the Big Easy the third week in March, when the Tennessee Williams\/New Orleans Literary Festival<\/strong> brings authors, actors, and musicians together to celebrate and benefit literary and theater programs.<\/li>\n
- Faulkner House Books<\/strong> has been described as America\u2019s most charming bookstore, and its association with the local literary community also makes it a most worthy stop on any NOLA visit. Just down Royal Street to Canal, is the Ignatius J. Reilly<\/strong> statue, which honors the idiosyncratic hero of the Louisiana-set classic, \u201cA Confederacy of Dunces.\u201d<\/li>\n
- Writers flock to certain haunts for various reasons, but once a location is part of the literati, the draw tends to remain. Such is the case with the Hotel Monteleone<\/strong>, where Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, and William Faulkner notably stayed. Tuck into the on-site classic Carousel Bar & Lounge<\/strong>, too, for an unforgettable drinking experience that echoes the toasts of writers past.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Stockholm, Sweden<\/a><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\nScandinavian noir hit the literary world with a bang, especially after the late Stockholm resident and writer Stieg Larsson\u2019s \u201cMillennium\u201d trilogy captured international imaginations (the city even runs a tour following in the footsteps of the characters). Sweden has a long and distinguished history of the written word, too, and its first literary text, the R\u00f6k Runestone, dates to 800 AD.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- Stockholm Writers Festival<\/strong> is an invaluable resource for writers looking to enter the industry. Agents, editors, and established authors are on hand for networking and teaching with speaking events, panels, and breakout sessions held over three days in April.<\/li>\n
- Another superb event is Stockholm Literature<\/strong>, a festival held in October that brings together international figures and includes lectures, poetry walks, readings, and more.<\/li>\n
- There is perhaps no other place that lets you step into the realm of imagination as immersively as Junibacken<\/strong>. Based on the cherished children\u2019s stories of Astrid Lindgren, the fairytale museum is also home to the largest children\u2019s bookstore in Sweden.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Atlanta<\/a> & Decatur<\/a>, Georgia<\/h2>\n
Via Yelp\/Ben P.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Emory University has a highly esteemed writing program and a library worth losing yourself in, especially in the Matheson Reading Room. Atlanta was home for a time to both Flannery O\u2019Connor and Margaret Mitchell, and other notable literary-leaning residents have been former U.S. poet laureate, Natasha Trethewey, Alice Walker, and W.E.B. Du Bois.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- The largest independent book festival in the country, AJC Decatur Book Festival<\/strong>, takes over downtown Decatur over Labor Day weekend.<\/li>\n
- Write Club Atlanta<\/strong> hosts monthly events at the Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge and produced a 2015 anthology of local literary voices.<\/li>\n
- If you\u2019re looking to score your own piece of Georgia literature, head to the stylish yet cozy Read Shop<\/strong>, mini-chain Posman Books<\/strong>\u2019 third (yet first outside NYC) shop, and get something for the kids at Decatur\u2019s charming Little Shop of Stories<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Santiago, Chile<\/a><\/h2>\n
Via Flickr\/Rafa Alvez<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The list of great Chilean writers is long, and Santiago has been home to or influenced many, including: Isabel Allende, Gabriela Mistral, poet Nicanor Parra, Roberto Bola\u00f1o (though he was distanced from his native country), feminist novelist and short story writer Mar\u00eda Luisa Bombal, Marcela Serrano, and, of course, Pablo Neruda. Evidence of their influence can be seen in murals, on the 5,000-peso bill, and at book-loving spaces like Caf\u00e9 Literario.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- The Neruda Foundation runs three of the poet\u2019s area homes as museums. La Chascona<\/strong> is the only in-city location and is fascinating for its clandestine origins as the house he built for his secret lover.<\/li>\n
- Santiago houses some wonderful bookstores, including the Feria Chilena del Libro<\/strong> (Chilean Book Fair), and for floor-to-ceiling options, try independent bookstore, Ulises<\/strong> in the Lastarria neighborhood.<\/li>\n
- Caf\u00e9 Literario<\/strong> has several city locations, but Bustamante is the liveliest, where books, food, and conversation meet, so come hungry for pastries and thirsty for knowledge.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Monterey<\/a> & Salinas, California<\/a><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\nAmerican literary hero, John Steinbeck, has close ties to this area, as it\u2019s both his birthplace and source of material for many of his works, including the classics, \u201cEast of Eden\u201d and \u201cCannery Row\u201d. Perhaps his influence was instrumental in how the community formed a love of literature, but other factors, such as the beauty, history, and charisma of the area should not be overlooked.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces of note:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- While in Monterey, hit up the following literary landmarks and hotspots: Old Capitol Books<\/strong> stocks new, used, and antique books and has a special interest in American and regional authors; Robert Louis Stevenson House<\/strong> is the place where the poet wrote \u201cThe Old Pacific Capital,\u201d and was likely inspired to write \u201cTreasure Island\u201d; and the famed Cannery Row still houses buildings that were the bases for scenes in the eponymous story.<\/li>\n
- Visit and dine at the Victorian-style boyhood home of John Steinbeck, The Steinbeck House<\/strong>, in Salinas, where dinners are hosted on the first Friday of every month, and lunch is available Tuesday \u2013 Saturday. And don\u2019t miss the National Steinbeck Center<\/strong> in Oldtown to further celebrate his legacy with interactive exhibits, photos, documents, and more.<\/li>\n
- Look out over all of Salinas Valley, as Steinbeck once did and chronicled in \u201cTravels with Charley,\u201d at Fremont Peak<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Seattle, Washington<\/a><\/h2>\n
Via Yelp\/Austin G.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The second U.S. city to be named a UNESCO City of Literature, Seattle certainly loves a good book more than the next city. So many bookstores are on hand for discovery, and plenty of lit-leaning bars will lift your bookish spirits and cafes will boost your creative drive. It\u2019s also another Lit Crawl city, during which lyrical love and merriment abound.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- Seattle Arts & Lectures<\/strong> series brings the foremost thinkers and writers to town\u2014from Ta-Nehisi Coates to Jesmyn Ward\u2014and also borrows from the city\u2019s own hefty supply\u2014from Sherman Alexie to Timothy Egan. Another opportunity to engage is during Clarion West Writers Workshop\u2019s summer reading series, when instructors read and discuss new works.<\/li>\n
- Elliott Bay Book Company<\/strong> boasts a huge selection of books and an engaged staff, and also hosts frequent author events and book group gatherings.<\/li>\n
- Authors, Publishers and Readers of Independent Literature, or APRIL<\/strong>, is an organization featuring small press and independent literature.\u00a0They hold an annual festival, which we recommend for anyone who loves to get into a movement on the ground floor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Krakow, Poland<\/a><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\nHome to Matras, the oldest bookstore in the world (the location being in continuous operation since the early 1600s), and housing publishers of literary and poetic periodicals stretching back to the 1690s, Krakow is a city that has literature in its blood. It should come as no surprise then that it was among the earliest chosen as a UNESCO City of Literature.<\/p>\n
\nBookstores – 📚📚📚📚📚
\nLiterary cred – 📜📜📜📜
\nLiterary events – 🎟🎟🎟🎟
\nWriting programs – 🖋🖋🖋🖋<\/p>\n
\nPlaces and events of note:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- Milosz Festival<\/strong>, the largest celebration of poetry in Central Europe, was first organized by the Book Institute Poland\u2014which is an incredible artistic asset\u2014and sees poets from all around the world, who ponder a particular theme each year as audiences and fellow artists read, listen, and discuss.<\/li>\n
- You know a city is a good one when it possesses as many bookstores as Krakow does. Standouts include English-language Massolit Books & Caf\u00e9, Pod Globusem<\/strong> under the iconic metal globe clock tower, and caf\u00e9\/bookstore Bona<\/strong>, which also boasts incredible city views.<\/li>\n
- Various spots around the city tell the story of Krakow\u2019s literary heart and soul. Make stops at the statue of romantic poet Adam Mickiewicz; the mural, Lem\u2019s Robot, dedicated to science fiction writer, Stanis\u0142aw Lem; and long-time literary cabaret
- You know a city is a good one when it possesses as many bookstores as Krakow does. Standouts include English-language Massolit Books & Caf\u00e9, Pod Globusem<\/strong> under the iconic metal globe clock tower, and caf\u00e9\/bookstore Bona<\/strong>, which also boasts incredible city views.<\/li>\n
- Elliott Bay Book Company<\/strong> boasts a huge selection of books and an engaged staff, and also hosts frequent author events and book group gatherings.<\/li>\n
- Visit and dine at the Victorian-style boyhood home of John Steinbeck, The Steinbeck House<\/strong>, in Salinas, where dinners are hosted on the first Friday of every month, and lunch is available Tuesday \u2013 Saturday. And don\u2019t miss the National Steinbeck Center<\/strong> in Oldtown to further celebrate his legacy with interactive exhibits, photos, documents, and more.<\/li>\n
- Santiago houses some wonderful bookstores, including the Feria Chilena del Libro<\/strong> (Chilean Book Fair), and for floor-to-ceiling options, try independent bookstore, Ulises<\/strong> in the Lastarria neighborhood.<\/li>\n
- Write Club Atlanta<\/strong> hosts monthly events at the Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge and produced a 2015 anthology of local literary voices.<\/li>\n
- Another superb event is Stockholm Literature<\/strong>, a festival held in October that brings together international figures and includes lectures, poetry walks, readings, and more.<\/li>\n
- Faulkner House Books<\/strong> has been described as America\u2019s most charming bookstore, and its association with the local literary community also makes it a most worthy stop on any NOLA visit. Just down Royal Street to Canal, is the Ignatius J. Reilly<\/strong> statue, which honors the idiosyncratic hero of the Louisiana-set classic, \u201cA Confederacy of Dunces.\u201d<\/li>\n
- Richard Booth\u2019s Bookshop<\/strong> is many things at once and includes a caf\u00e9, cinema, studio for workshops, and, of course, shelves and shelves of beautiful books. Careful though, once you walk in, you may never want to leave.<\/li>\n
- BookPeople<\/strong> is the place to buy interesting works and has been since 1970. No Austin trip is complete without a visit to this independent bookstore.<\/li>\n
- Sit in the very pubs and cafes where authors and poets have worked and played, such as \u201cPoets\u2019 Pub,\u201d Milnes Bar<\/strong> and The Elephant House<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- While in town, pop into the renowned Powell\u2019s Books<\/strong> and pick up a copy of Portland-based Tin House<\/strong>, arguably one of the best lit journals in the country.<\/li>\n
- The Prestigious Iowa Summer Writing Festival<\/strong> holds The Eleventh Hour<\/strong> lecture series, which is free and open to the public every weekday, beginning June 8. Another worthy event is Mission Creek Festival<\/strong>, a 6-day celebration beginning in early April, which focuses on quality performance, literature, and community that make this place such a hotbed of talent.<\/li>\n
- Find untold treasure in area bookshops like the family-owned Yellow Dog Bookshop<\/strong> (named for their beloved yellow lab mix), and genre shop, Village Books<\/strong>, which also runs a reading group.<\/li>\n
- City Lights Bookstore<\/strong> (and Vesuvio Caf\u00e9<\/strong> across the alley) is a legendary meeting space, Books, Inc.<\/strong> is the oldest independent booksellers in the West, and Book Passage<\/strong> is host to author readings and signings, classes, and conferences.<\/li>\n
- What\u2019s more writerly than spending long afternoons discussing ideas at cafes frequented by giants of literature? Caf\u00e9 Hafa<\/strong>, with its tiered terrace, may inspire the next great novel.<\/li>\n
- Events such as the Prague Writers\u2019 Festival<\/strong> and Deti Ctete<\/strong> (a festival that promotes children\u2019s literature) demonstrate the power of free speech that post-communist Prague embodies.<\/li>\n
- The Bookstore<\/strong> is a charming community fixture, which encourages visitors to \u201cget lit\u201d at the on-site wine bar.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Louisa May Alcott\u2019s house<\/strong>, where she wrote and set the beloved classic, \u201cLittle Women,\u201d also in Concord, is just how you would picture the March family home.<\/li>\n
- Robert Frost taught at Amherst College<\/strong>, where the beautiful campus could inspire your own epic verses, and the main library, named for him, is full of treasures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n