Dear Festival Friends,

We didn’t think we could be more excited to have Percival Everett kick off this year’s Festival, but now he’s gone and won the Pulitzer, and we can barely type.

Congratulations, Percival!

James, Everett’s reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of the enslaved runaway Jim, won the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction and was short-listed for the Booker Prize. Now that it’s won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, we can only assume the next award for Everett is the Nobel.

James was named one of the ten best books of 2024 by The New York Times and one of the best fiction books of the past thirty years by the Los Angeles Times. It was also named one of the best books of the year by The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Time, and The Economist. In its citation, the Pulitzer committee called the novel “an accomplished reconsideration … that gives agency to Jim to illustrate the absurdity of racial supremacy and provides a new take on the search for family and freedom.”

And if you didn’t think it could get any better, Steven Spielberg is making the film version.

Huge congrats to Everett on this well-deserved prize. Though his event is sold out, tickets are still available for award-winning authors (including more Pulitzer winners!) Jonathan Eig, Cristina Rivera Garza, Colum McCann, Marie Arana, Deborah Jackson Taffa, Gabrielle Zevin, and Ramona Emerson.

And be sure not to miss this article about the Festival in The Albuquerque Journal, as well as co-founder Carmella Padilla’s interview with Terry Travis on the Weekend with Terry Travis podcast.

We wish to thank Thornburg Investment Management for their steadfast support of the Santa Fe International Literary Festival over the past three years. As a company rooted in integrity, long-term vision, and deep community engagement, Thornburg has been an invaluable partner in fostering literary dialogue and cultural exchange in Santa Fe. Their ongoing commitment has enabled writers, readers, and thinkers from around the world to gather, share ideas, and inspire one another.

For the 2025 Festival, we are especially honored to recognize Thornburg as our Conversation Stage Sponsor. Their generous support not only sustains the vibrant conversations that are the heart of our festival but also reflects their dedication to enriching the cultural life of our region and beyond. Thornburg’s legacy of philanthropy and community-mindedness is evident in their broad support for the arts, education, and meaningful civic engagement.

To learn more about Thornburg, please visit thornburg.com.

Board of Directors
Edward Gale, Chair

Janet Bailey | Mark Bryant | Clare Hertel

Jenny Kimball | James McGrath Morris

Carmella Padilla | Jenna Scanlan

Mary Sloane | Maria Gale, Ex Officio

Founders
Clare Hertel | Carmella Padilla | Mark Bryant