Switchyard, an international festival of literature, music, and ideas, began Tuesday, welcoming dozens of authors to Tulsa.
The festival features authors like Art Spiegelman (Maus), Maia Kobabe (Gender Queer), Rebecca Makkai (The Great Believers), Valeria Luiselli (Lost Children Archive), and dozens more speakers and performers to Tulsa from May 30-June 4.
This year’s theme for the festival is “banned books”, highlighting attempts to ban, censor or suppress challenging ideas.
During the day, the theme will be represented in lectures, roundtables, and panel discussions. At night, the theme is represented in the form of music with iconic performing artists. Artists include Rodney Crowell, John Fullbright, Teresa Miller, Larry Campbell, and many more. A total of 14 bands and 26 speakers are scheduled for the six-day festival.
“From the cultural and historical significance of Council Oak and Black Wall Street to the musical influence of Western Swing and the Tulsa Sound, Tulsa has contributed to the fabric of America. While the past is dotted with conflict, and sometimes tragedy, it’s imperative that we open ourselves to examination through the lens of writers, artists and scholars,” said Sean Latham, director of The University of Tulsa’s Oklahoma Center for the Humanities and organizer of Switchyard. “The speakers and performers for this inaugural event set a high bar for what is sure to be an enlightening and entertaining annual gathering.”
Switchyard invites people to explore complicated histories, seek new points of connection, and activate the transformative power of art.
In partnership with the Black Wall Street Legacy Festival, Switchyard will feature former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey on June 1. Trethewey will premiere Ground Truth, a new work about the mass graves recently excavated in Oak Lawn Cemetery and what they tell us about the legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. A limited number of free tickets to this event will be distributed by Legacy Fest.
Switchyard will also coincide with Tulsa's annual World of Bob Dylan event, which draws academics and fans of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from around the world.
Main events will take place at venues in downtown Tulsa, including the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Cain’s Ballroom, the Tulsa Arts District, and the historic Greenwood District.
“The University of Tulsa is an important partner in the city’s cultural, artistic and economic success,” said the University of Tulsa President Brad R. Carson. “Switchyard fills a void for a thoughtful exploration of the humanities in this region of the country.”
Switchyard passes are on sale online with various levels of access.