The Deep Water Literary Festival dates and program were announced this week. Once again, The Hound Books will curate Deep Water's Annual Book Fair, which will bring together independent presses who play a pivotal role in shaping the current literary landscape. Come browse this year’s selections of recent releases. The exhibiting publishers’ rich catalogs include genre-defying works, celebrated authors, as well as underrepresented writers.

In its third year, the Book Fair moves to Main Street and is presented in association with The Shops in Narrowsburg.

This year’s festival is devoted to TIME SHIFT: stories, performances, and art that refuses to move in a straight line. From speculative fiction and historical revision to memoir, biography, installation, and live performance, the 2026 program explores what happens when the past won’t stay buried, and when the future feels suddenly very present.

The festival opens with a special keynote presentation by Jad Abumrad, the multiple Peabody Award winning creator of Radiolab, beginning with the only surviving audio recording of Virginia Woolf – a voice trying to name a consciousness for which no adequate language yet exists. From there, Abumrad moves through more than a century of writers, musicians, filmmakers, and other “weirdos” wrestling with what he calls “time-quakes.” You really don’t want to miss this.

From Joyce Carol Oates to Francine Prose, Nghi Vo, and Rebecca Lehmann, and George Packer, Ben Fountain, and Amal El-Mohtar the program features renowned authors in intimate conversations on stage.

Our favorite part? The Deep Water Festival Pass which gets you into all the events. For the first time this year, a limited number of these full access passes are available on the website. Many events are free or by donation; marquee conversations at the Tusten Theater and the festival party are $15 each, with a 15% discount when you book four tickets or more. The festival pass is not only the way to go but also supports the festival in a meaningful way.