HP LitFest Gearing UP for 27th Year
Highland Park High School is gearing up to celebrate all things language during the 27th-annual Highland Park Literary Festival “LitFest.”
The LitFest tradition goes back to 1995 with a collaboration between parents and the Highland Park High School English Department.Each year LitFest awards the Fred Damiano scholarship, created by students and parents, in recognition of English Teacher and LitFest founder Fred Damiano.
This year’s festivities kick off with FlickFest, LitFest’s largest fundraiser. It will include a showing of the 2021 movie 12 Mighty Orphans at the Angelika Film Center, as well as a panel discussion led by Highland Park High School sports commentator, Jae Ellis and featuring a producer and actor from the film.
Adapted from the book by New York Times bestselling author and local sportswriter Jim Dent, 12 Mighty Orphans tells of a Fort Worth orphanage, its boys, and the man who created one of the greatest football teams in Texas history, the Masonic Home Mighty Mites team.
Set during the Great Depression, the film stars Luke Wilson, Robert Duvall, and Martin Sheen. Highland Park football fans will especially love looking for the Scots in the film. Attendees can make donations of $35 or more online.
The next event is the elementary poetry contest, which has an “adventure” theme and a Feb. 24 deadline.
The keynote event featuring the national bestseller and award-winning author Peter Heller, award-winning adventure writer and the author of four nonfiction books, will be March 2.
LitFest student workshops, in which students learn from 20+ novelists, journalists, poets, songwriters, and playwrights, is March 3.
An open mic night and high school talent contest will also be March 3, the high school student writing contest has a March 10 deadline, and the student awards breakfast is set for April 19.
For more information, visit LitFest’s website.
