Anyone can be a writer.
If you’ve ever told a story to someone about something that happened to you or a person you know — like the time you witnessed a wild goose stealing french fries out of someone’s car while driving home — then you already have what it takes to put it down on paper.
Enter Proof: A Midwest Lit Fest, a festival with a range of events that welcome anyone who loves the written word.
Are you a little one who doesn’t know how to read yet but loves stories? There are not one but two story times for you.
Are you a sage individual with a crazy story or two under your belt, that you definitely don’t want to take to the grave? There is a memoir workshop for you.
Are you a book gobbler who’s curious about what’s under every book cover in the world? There’s a book fair for you.
And that’s just scratching the surface.
Proof also has events for writers who want to grow their careers or just meet like-minded people.
Here are some of the Proof events we’re looking forward to.
For aspiring writers
Magical realism as a vessel for marginalized voices
🗓️ 11a.m.-12:30 p.m. Oct. 11
📍 Indiana Humanities, 1500 N Delaware St.
Hear from author Téa Franco about how magical realism can be a secret weapon in sociopolitical writing, and learn how to work a little magic into your own writing.
Craft of crime writing
🗓️ Noon-1 p.m. Oct. 11
📍 Speck Gallery, 1500 N Delaware St.
Catch this panel of Midwestern crime writers talking about how to craft a juicy mystery.
Real life, reimagined
🗓️ 1-2:30 p.m. Oct. 11
📍 Indiana Humanities, 1500 N Delaware St.
This workshop with author Sarah Layden digs into how you can use moments and details from real life to bring authenticity to a fictional story.
How did that get on stage? The evolution of “The Egg”
🗓️ 4-5:30 p.m. Oct. 11
📍 Underground at the Harrison Center, 1505 N. Delaware St.
Catch this panel of Midwestern crime writers talking about how to craft a juicy mystery.
For avid readers
Conversation with Bernardo Wade and Ross Gay
🗓️ 4:30-5:30 p.m. Oct. 10
📍 Sanctuary at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 1505 N Delaware St.
Poet Bernardo Wade, assistant editor of “Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora,” and New York Times best-selling author Ross Gay, will discuss their art and careers.
Literary landscapes of the Midwest
🗓️ Noon to 1 p.m. Oct. 11
📍 The Indianapolis Propylaeum, 1410 N Delaware St.
Important and unassuming places in the Midwest have been immortalized in books. This conversation looks at the mosaic of places that make the Midwest literary region and the stories they hold.
The legacies of Booth Tarkington
🗓️ 1:30-2:30 p.m. Oct. 11
📍 The Indianapolis Propylaeum, 1410 N Delaware St.
Booth Tarkington — like William Faulkner, John Updike and Colson Whitehead — won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction twice. But his legacy is complicated. This panel of historians and novelists will take a close look at the famous Indianapolis author.
How we show up: Building literary communities
🗓️ 3-4 p.m. Oct. 11
📍 Speck Gallery, 1500 N Delaware St.
Important and unassuming places in the Midwest have been immortalized in books. This conversation looks at the mosaic of places that make the Midwest literary region and the stories they hold.
Conversation with Danez Smith
🗓️ 4:30-5:30 p.m. Oct. 11
📍 Speck Gallery at the Harrison Center, 1505 N. Delaware St.
Poet Danez Smith was a finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. They are the author of four poetry collections, including “Homie” and most recently “Bluff.”
For making bookish buds
Zine Machine launch party
🗓️ 4-6 p.m. Oct. 10
📍 Tomorrow Bookstore, 882 Massachusetts Ave.
A vending machine that cranks out zines and lit mags? Say less. Tomorrow Bookstore is hosting a launch party for the Zine Machine. You can even contribute a zine to the “Local Legends” section, if you’ve got one to share.
Playing with words
🗓️ 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 11
📍 City Gallery at the Harrison Center, 1505 N. Delaware St.
As much as we love Scrabble, it’s far from the only game in town for bookworms. Stop by this free-to-play game library to match wits with a fellow word nerd.
Found poetry and collage
🗓️ 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 11
📍 Lawn at the Harrison Center, 1505 N. Delaware St.
Stop by this station between other events to create a poetry collage out of clippings from magazines, letters, photos and more.
For breaking the writer’s block
Letters to dead authors
🗓️ 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 11
📍 Loudmouth Books, 212 E. 16th St.
Looking for a little inspiration from the beyond? Stop by this station at Loudmouth Books to send a postcard to a late literary legend. As a bonus, the very-much-alive author Kelcey Ervick will be there signing books 3-4 p.m.
Cracks in the concrete: Documentary poetics in the face of injustice
🗓️ 10:30 a.m.-noon Oct. 11
📍 Underground at the Harrison Center, 1505 N. Delaware St.
Documentary poems use text from political speeches, news articles or court documents to explore a real-life issue or situation. Poet Teresa Dzieglewicz will guide you in using this art form to crack open the official narrative.
“Aye! Slow down for a minute,” or your nervous system is safe here
🗓️ 2-3:30 p.m. Oct. 11
📍 Underground at the Harrison Center, 1505 N. Delaware St.
With a combination of sound bathing and guided writing prompts, author Thomas Kneeland will help you unblock your creative flow.
A Haiku Workshop
🗓️ 3-4:30 p.m. Oct. 11
📍 Indiana Humanities, 1500 N Delaware St.
Hear poet David Hoppe read from his new collection of contemporary American haiku, then take a stab at writing one of your own.
For families
The Book Fairy
🗓️ 4-7:30 p.m. Oct. 10
📍 Indiana Humanities, 1500 N Delaware St.
Sylvia is a gutted 1965 Avion trailer, also known as “The Book Fairy.” Why? Because it is a kids’ bookstore on wheels, rolling into Proof to bring the joy of reading to children and families.
Paws to read
🗓️ 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 11
📍 Lawn at Harrison Center, 1505 N. Delaware St.
At this event, trained therapy dogs are all ears. Little readers can read out loud to the doggies or quietly and in good company. Big readers can do the same.
Mapping memories: A family write-in
🗓️ 12:30-1:30 p.m. Oct. 11
📍 Underground at the Harrison Center, 1505 N. Delaware St.
Think of this family workshop as the equivalent of wearing matching sweaters for a photo. Everyone gets on the same page and works together to tell the stories of important moments.
Zine making workshop
🗓️ 1-2:30 p.m. Oct. 11
📍 The Indianapolis Propylaeum, 1410 N Delaware St.
In this workshop, young writers can learn techniques to craft a personal story — and make their own zine to publish it.
Sacred stories: Writing about spirituality for children
🗓️ 5-6 p.m. Oct. 10
📍 Indiana Humanities, 1500 N Delaware St.
Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso and Dr. Joseph L. Tucker Edmonds will discuss how storytelling can foster empathy in children and help them engage with life’s big questions.
See the full Proof: A Midwest Lit Fest schedule for more events to explore. You might see familiar names from Mirror Indy stories, like Kristine Esser Slentz, Lou Harry, Corey Ewing, Samantha Fain and even Proof organizer Mitchell L. H. Douglas. What can we say? We love writers.
Related
We played basketball Mad Libs with “Martyr!” author Kaveh Akbar
Akbar also talked about the Midwest’s “pathological politeness,” the Butler professor who helped him get sober and the awe and mystery of grace.
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