MILFORD, PA — Every year, as the crowds wind down, Carol McManus gets hugged by festival attendees. “I would never miss this festival,” they tell her, or “I look forward to it every year.” 

After a decade of building the Milford Readers & Writers Festival from the ground up, that is the type of feedback that tells you you’re doing something right. McManus is the festival co-chair, alongside Brian Carso, and she is also the president of Pike Artworks, the nonprofit that puts on the event every fall. 

This year the festival celebrates its 10th anniversary, and if the lineup is any indication, it has no intention of slowing down. 

A festival built on surprise, intimate conversations

What makes the Milford Readers & Writers festival different from a standard author talk or literary fest isn’t just the caliber of the local writers. It’s what happens when the right people end up in the same room. McManus describes it simply as “We put the right players in the seats, and let the magic happen.” 

Case in point: a past festival appearance by Tony Award-winning playwright and actor Harvey Fierstein, who had recently published his memoir. What began as a conversation about the book quickly became something else entirely: A rolling, raucous exchange of stories, with his fan club (which had traveled from New York City) joining in, the room laughing and the energy of the room electric. 

Fierstein, close friends with the late Angela Lansbury, recounted that a guest spot on “Murder, She Wrote” helped pave his way to the Emmys when he was broke, a story the crowd loved.

“No matter what you plan or think is going to happen,” McManus says, “it can be different.” That unpredictability, year after year, is part of the draw of these intimate conversations between author and audience. 

This year’s headliners

The 2026 festival runs Friday through Sunday, September 18-20 in Milford, with main stage ticketed events on Saturday, September 19 at the Milford Theater. 

Saturday’s main stage features four authors who between them cover comedy, reality TV, literary fiction and American history. Michael Kosta—Emmy-winning comedian and “Daily Show” host—opens the evening with his memoir “Lucky Loser,” about going from professional tennis player to late-night television.

Stephen Fishbach is both a Pushcart Prize-winning novelist (his book “Escape!” was a national bestseller) and a two-time “Survivor” contestant. 

Mary Beth Keane, a New York Times bestselling author, will discuss her novels including “Ask Again,” “Yes” and her forthcoming “Whale Harbor.” 

And with America turning 250 this year, historian Dr. Emily Sneff brings the Declaration of Independence to life in a way that feels anything but textbook. “When the Declaration of Independence Was News” focuses on the nation’s founding document at the moment of its creation in 1776 and explores how the Declaration was communicated to people in the new nation and around the Atlantic world. 

“Our authors are chosen very organically” McManus says, “and we survey the audience as well for feedback, resulting in a line-up that appeals to a broad variety of interests.” 

The festival is also more affordable than most of its kind; a full day of main stage programming runs just $125, which is a fraction of what similar events charge. 

Rooted in Milford’s literary history

Few people know that Milford has a deep claim to literary history as a birthplace of the science fiction genre, and it is a legacy the festival has always honored. This year’s speculative fiction panel, “Legacy: What Happens When Your Work Lives Well Beyond Your Lifetime,” continues that tradition with authors and agents, and a conversation about what it means for writing to outlast its creator. The panel is free and open to all.

Writers’ Day and the next generation

Three years ago, festival surveys started telling a consistent story: attendees wanted something for writers, not just readers. The result was Writers’ Day—a Friday workshop series at Pike County Public Library held the day before the festival officially opens. 

This year features two sessions. Author Judy Kentrus leads “Build a Book,” an interactive workshop in which every participant contributes to a shared story and walks out with a framework of their own. McManus herself leads “Grok, ChatGPT, Claude—Oh My!,” a live demonstration of how AI tools can function as research assistants, brainstorming partners and early-draft editors without replacing the human creativity at the center of the work. “Think of it as a writing partner to bounce ideas off,” she says. “You’re still the creative brains behind whatever goes down on paper.”

Co-chair Brian Carso, a history teacher who regularly coordinates with fellow educators to get students reading and writing, is visiting Delaware Valley High School the Friday before the festival, free tickets in hand—the festival attracts not only young attendees, but has had youth authors present their work or participate on a panel as well. 

“The written word isn’t just for today; it is also for the future,” Carso says. “It’s how the future will know what our time was like, just like we read the words of the past to understand where we came from.” 

Ten years in, the hugs are still coming—and like the last page of a good book, you’ll leave already looking forward to the next one.