WRITE OUT LOUD Announces 14th ANNUAL TwainFest August 19th 11am – 6pm

Heritage County Park in Old Town San Diego

limited capacity – reservations required

San Diego:

WRITE OUT LOUD, an organization founded in 2007 with a commitment to inspire, challenge and entertain by reading literature aloud for a live audience – announces the 14th Annual TwainFest. Twainfest will take place on Saturday, August 19th from 11am – 5pm in Heritage County Park, 2455 Heritage Park Row in Old Town. There is a limited capacity – so reservations are required for your FREE entry. Learn more and Register for Attendance at https://writeoutloudsd.com/twainfest/

TwainFest, now a tradition for many San Diego families, is an all-day FREE festival celebrating Mark Twain and the literature and culture of 19th Century America. There is something for everyone at this festive old-fashioned gathering.

Write Out Loud Artistic Director, Veronica Murphy, shared “We are so grateful to be returning to Heritage Park for this year’s celebration. TwainFest #14 provides new interactive experiences with Robin Hood, Pinocchio, two bilingual performances, and other literary favorites, as well as games and giant puppets. Family-friendly literary fun is what we do – we look forward to sharing it with the community.

Returning Festival Favorites:

  • Local San Diego performers present 19th Century stories and poems by Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll, Miguel de Cervantes, Carlo Collodi, William Shakespeare, as well as traditional folktales from Africa and South America. 
  • Mad Hatter’s Tea Party – Immerse yourself in an interactive event with The Mad Hatter, Alice, White Rabbit & Door Mouse as you explore Wonderland!
  • Tom Sawyer’s Fence Painting  – Tom Sawyer, Aunt Polly and Becky Thatcher seek out children at the park. Working together, they find things to trade with Tom for permission to help him whitewash the fence!
  • Foresting with Robin Hood – Join the beloved outlaw on an interactive adventure through Sherwood Forest! Careful to avoid the Sheriff of Nottingham!
  • The Authors Salon provides the opportunity to meet beloved writers of the period: Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson and Charles Dickens.
  • Giant puppets of Mark Twain, Emily Dickinson, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Edgar Allan Poe will wander the park.
  • An arcade of unique literary games and activities designed especially for TwainFest will entertain players of all ages. Games & activities include: Calaveras Jumping Frog Launch, Frog Toss, Never-Ending Story, Election of 1872, Huck Finn’s Rope Making, Fishing for Words, Wheel of Fiction, Chortle This, Colors of Twain and Red Queen’s Croquet.
  • Free Books are provided at the Book Emporium to all who participate.

Cast and Musicians Include

  • Andrea Agosto                                
  • Bryan Barbarin
  • Beatrice Basso
  • Pamela Brittian
  • Laurence Brown
  • Freddy Gomez Cruz
  • Rebecca Duckworth
  • Dave Fenner
  • Geoffrey Ulysses Geissinger
  • Cynthia Gerber
  • Julia Giolzetti
  • Will Harris
  • Paul Jaques
  • Steven Lone
  • Brian Mackey
  • Paul Maley
  • Eric Minella
  • Milena Phillips
  • Mark Robertson
  • Sandra Ruiz
  • Steve Smith
  • Liliana Talwatte
  • Connie Terwilliger
  • Ari Trette
  • Eddie Yaroch
  • Tim West
  • Travis Rhett Wilson

Write Out Loud serves over 30,000 people annually with their core programs: In addition to Twainfest, Write Out Loud presentsasix show season of Story Concerts, PoeFest – a celebration of Edgar Allan Poe and other writers of the macabre, Kamishibai StoryBox Theatrefor elementary students, Poetry Out Loud for high school students, Read Imagine Create for teens; Let Your Voice Be HeardStudent Poetry Initiative, Ripples From Walden Pond – a one-man play about Henry David Thoreau; and Stories for Seniors.

Susan Clausen/Clausen Communications [email protected] 619-933-0038