Past Speakers of the Festival of Faith & Writing
Speaker Archives
Discover a rich history of inspiring voices.
Explore the remarkable individuals who have graced the Festival of Faith & Writing stage as speakers throughout the years. Our history showcases diverse thinkers, writers, and artists who have shared their unique perspectives and enriched our understanding of the written word, spirituality, and the human experience.
1990
Will D. Campbell
Larry Woiwode
1992
Frederick Buechner
1994
Doris Betts
Kaye Gibbons
Denise Giardina
Luci Shaw
1996
Madeleine L’Engle
Annie Dillard
Donald Hall
1998
John Updike
Elie Wiesel
Philip Yancey
David James Duncan
2000
Maya Angelou
Anne Lamott
Chaim Potok
2002
Kathleen Norris
Oscar Hijuelos
Kaye Gibbons
2004
Joyce Carol Oates
Leif Enger
Jacqueline Woodson
Barbara Brown Taylor
2006
Walter Wangerin
Alice McDermott
Marilynne Robinson
Salman Rushdie
2008
Michael Chabon
Yann Martel
Katherine Paterson
2010
Wally Lamb
Eugene Peterson
Kate DiCamillo
2012
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Gary D. Schmidt
Marilynne Robinson
Jonathan Safran Foer
2014
Rachel Held Evans
Miroslav Volf
James McBride
Anne Lamott
2016
Christian Wiman
Ashley Bryan
Tobias Wolff
Zadie Smith
2018
Kwame Alexander
Jen Hatmaker
Bill McKibben
Edwidge Danticat
2022
Min Jin Lee
Kevin Young
Nikki Grimes
2024
Anthony Doerr
Yaa Gyasi
Tracy K. Smith
Kaveh Akbar