October 2–4, 2026

The Stonington Literary Festival is a multi-day celebration of literature, music, and ideas, honoring the centennial of poet James Merrill. Set in historic Stonington, it will bring together acclaimed writers, artists, scholars, and readers for readings, conversations, performances, and community gatherings. ​

James Ingram Merrill was an American writer of poetry, essays, fiction, and plays. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1977. He purchased 107 Water Street in 1956 and left it to the Stonington Village Improvement Association (SVIA) when he died in 1995. 

Learn about our Writer-In-Residence program, find out what it’s like to live and work in the James Merrill House, and find information about our Residency. The residency provides living and working space to a writer to complete a project of literary or academic merit.

A National Historic Landmark in Stonington, Connecticut, the 1901 James Merrill House is a late-Victorian commercial & residential building significant for its forty-one-year association with American poet James Ingram Merrill. Learn more about 107 Water Street.

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