The 21st annual San Miguel Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival will take place from Wednesday, February 11, to Sunday, February 15, 2026, at the Hotel Real de Minas. This year’s conference theme is “Our Stories, Doors to the World,” according to Executive Director Jodi Pincus,
“I’m so excited about what’s unfolding for 2026 — it’s shaping up to be our most dynamic year yet!” Pincus says. “We’re expanding opportunities for Mexican writers with a new Emerging Writers Program, along with university and teen programs, and for the first time ever, a kids’ program. We’ll offer nearly 100 workshops in both Spanish and English.”
2026 marks the 21st anniversary of the conference
The conference was founded in 2006 by critically acclaimed writer Susan Page. It started with a few dozen participants and has now grown to over three thousand visitors from around the globe.
Page moved to San Miguel in 2002. “The town captivated us,” she says. “I was surprised that there were no author readings and no place for local authors to sell our books. So, I just called a gathering of writers. Twenty-eight people showed up, and we all got excited about what we could do. We started a program of monthly author readings, partnered with a local bookstore and started several other programs. A year into it, we decided to do the Writers’ Conference. It started small but grew fast!”
Globally acclaimed author Abraham Vergheese is a 2026 keynote speaker
This year’s festival promises to be the biggest yet, with a lineup of keynote speakers including award-winning authors Abraham Verghese, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Rebecca F. Kuang, Emily St. John Mandel, Maira Kalman, Andrés Neuman, and Yásnaya Elena Aguilar Gil.
“Beyond that,” says Pincus, “we will have dozens of free offerings, from open mics and discussion circles to two Big Reads (one in Spanish and one in English), plus wellness activities like morning yoga and walk-and-write sessions. And of course, there’s that feeling you get here in San Miguel — surrounded by creativity, visceral beauty, and community. I can’t wait to feel that spark again.”
Preparation for the 2026 festival began the day after the 2025 festival ended
The conference lasts only a week, but the preparation is a year-long job. “The hardest part is keeping all the moving pieces aligned while still holding onto the magic that makes the festival so special,” says Pincus. “There are hundreds of details — speakers, workshops, volunteers, partners, and most importantly, attendees — and it can feel like assembling a giant puzzle. But beneath all the logistics is a deep sense of purpose: creating a space where writers and readers from around the world truly connect, grow, and feel inspired. Balancing the practical and the soulful is always the biggest challenge — and the most rewarding.”
This balance requires an organizational team of professionals, such as Pincus, Page and Mexico News Daily’s own Karla Parra, the Director of Partnerships and Education.
“We’ve been preparing for the 2026 Conference since the last one ended, but the final stretch is always the most demanding. There are so many small, meaningful details that shape the attendee experience, and my biggest challenge is making sure each one that I’m overseeing gets the proper attention it deserves!” says Parra.
“I am most excited about all the people I get to meet each year at the conference – fellow writers and our incredible faculty and keynotes. There’s a really special energy that’s created throughout our week together and I always leave feeling more connected than ever to the literary community and to my home city of San Miguel,” says Parra.
The festival offers writers and book lovers ample opportunities for networking. Attendees can connect with fellow writers, agents, publishers, and other industry professionals.
For the original founder Page, the evolution of the conference has been both astonishing and rewarding. “What surprises me most?” Page asks. “I would say it is what we have accomplished with a limited budget. We have never had an endowment from a wealthy donor. We raise all our funds from enthusiastic Patrons and sponsors. We are truly a grass roots organization, supported by both local and international individuals, who recognize the value of our event. We are distinctive from any other such events. We are genuinely tri cultural, with a rich, highly intentional mix of the literary communities of Canada, the U. S., and Mexico.”
San Miguel de Allende provides a beautiful setting for writers and readers to meet
Of course, the magic of San Miguel de Allende is a draw in and of itself, having earned the title of “best city in the world” by Travel + Leisure magazine again in 2025.
“San Miguel has such a beautiful rhythm,” says Pincus. “Life here feels grounded, inspired, and connected. People come to San Miguel to be in community and to truly live. For our bi-cultural family, my husband, who was born and raised in Guanajuato, and me, originally from South Africa and raised in the U.S. from age eleven, San Miguel is the perfect place. It’s a fusion of all our identities. My family loves the sense of community, the mix of cultures, and the art everywhere you turn. There’s a feeling that people are genuinely present here, whether at a local café, in a parade, or watching the sunset from a rooftop. San Miguel invites you to slow down, connect, and create. Anything is possible in San Miguel, and we feel so grateful to call it home.”
For the most up-to-date program information, check the official San Miguel Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival website. “Make sure to read our weekly newsletter and in January, the periodic e-mails our team will be sending. In those communications, we’re providing important preparation details and invitations to opportunities that will make your conference experience even richer, such as how to join our Affinity Groups!” says Parra.
Anne Richards is a San Miguel de Allende-based author.
