Join us this fall for an enriching cultural experience that explores the life and work of C. S. Lewis through collaborations by the arts, education, and faith communities. Festival events are held in Petoskey in beautiful Northern Michigan.
C.S. Lewis Festival Release Agreement & Liability Waiver
Youth, up to 18 years of age, are invited to submit a poem for the 2026 C.S. Lewis Festival’s Community Arts Night at Great Lakes Center for the Arts on Friday, October 2.
Poetry submissions must be about C.S. Lewis, his The Chronicles of Narnia, J.R.R. Tolkien, his The Lord of the Rings trilogy, or fairy tales, all to fit our 2026 theme: Remember Your Fairy Tales: Finding Hope in Lewis & Tolkien. Poems may not exceed one page of double-spaced 11-point font content.
The two top poems selected will be featured on the C.S. Lewis Festival’s social media accounts, announced in our monthly e-newsletter, and the winner will receive a curated book bag made possible through an educational grant awarded by the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation. The winning poets will also be invited to read their poems on stage during the Community Arts Night.
Poems must be submitted by Friday, July 31, 2026.
Please fill out the submission form by clicking on the button below!
Youth, up to 18 years of age, are invited to submit their artwork for consideration as the cover of the 2026 C.S. Lewis Festival’s event program. All submitted artwork will be displayed at the Community Arts Night at Great Lakes Center for the Arts on Friday, October 2 (no fee to attend).
Art submissions may be in any medium featuring imagery and imaginings about C.S. Lewis, his The Chronicles of Narnia, J.R.R. Tolkien, his The Lord of the Rings trilogy, or fairy tales, all to fit our 2026 theme: Remember Your Fairy Tales—Finding Hope in Lewis & Tolkien.
The selected work of art will be featured on the 2026 event program cover, shared on the C.S. Lewis Festival’s social media accounts, announced in our monthly e-newsletter, and the winner will receive a curated book bag made possible through an educational grant awarded by the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation.
The physical submissions must be dropped off at the Petoskey District Library on Thursday, May 14, from 11:30AM–2:30PM. Artwork pick-up will be coordinated via email at a later date. Art submissions may also be dropped off in Gaylord on Tuesday, June 2, from 4:00–5:00PM, at North Life Church.
By submitting artwork you are giving the C.S. Lewis Festival permission to display the art, and, in the case of the selected art, allowing the C.S. Lewis Festival to publish the art digitally (social media, e-newsletter, website) and physically on the 2026 printed event program. Artist name will be attached to each work of art, but can be presented as 1) first and last name or 2) first name, last name initial.
Please fill out the submission form by clicking on the button below!
Help us kick off the Festival weekend with a screening of Tolkien & Lewis: Myth, Imagination & The Quest for Meaning. Our weekend theme focuses on “Remember Your Fairy Tales: Finding Hope with Lewis & Tolkien,” and this documentary will set the tone! Plus, we’ll have opening remarks by documentary producer and Festival Co-founder David Crouse.
Join us for an evening celebrating youth art!
Student artwork will be on display, with student poetry readings and monologues presented on stage, followed by a performance from the C.S. Lewis Festival House Band accompanied by a live on-stage painting by artist Megan Davis inspired by C.S. Lewis. More details to come!
Plus, the first 100 students through the door receive a copy of The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis!
*Ticketing Note: Tickets for the Community Arts Night will be processed through Great Lakes Center for the Arts. Adult tickets (19+) are Pay-What-You-Can, with a $5 minimum. Student tickets (0–18) are free, but registration is required because seats are limited.
The seminar’s three sessions include talks with Griffin Gooch and Pete Peterson, a short film screening, and a table reading involving attendees, Pete, and Keynote Speaker Malcolm Guite. Lunch, catered by Julienne Tomatoes, will be served during the Saturday Seminar.
Our Keynote Address, presented by The Manthei Speaker Series, features Dr. Malcolm Guite, a poet and priest, who will discuss his most ambitious project: a four-volume epic reimagining the Arthurian legends, beginning with Merlin’s Isle: Galahad & the Grail. More details to come!