PRESS INVITATION: Arts & Ideas Season Preview Event | April 23

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Stacy Graham-Hunt

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Mar 30, 2026, 7:47:34 AM (4 days ago) Mar 30
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2026

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Stacy Graham-Hunt
International Festival of Arts & Ideas Invites Press to Exclusive Season Preview Event 
An Evening of Poetry, Storytelling, and Community

Thursday, April 23 at 5:30 p.m. at Shubert Theatre's Cabaret Space, 247 College Street, New Haven, CT
New Haven, CT (April 7, 2026)  — The International Festival of Arts & Ideas cordially invites members of the press to an exclusive season preview event on Thursday, April 23 at 5:30 p.m. at the Shubert Theatre’s new cabaret space. The evening launches both the Festival’s 2026 season and its NEA Big Read, a national program celebrating the power of shared reading, with an intimate gathering of poets, community voices, neighbors, and artists.
Inspired by Sandra Cisneros’ beloved novel “The House on Mango Street,” this year’s Big Read is a natural extension of the Festival’s 2026 theme: Home and Belonging. Local poets and community voices will share readings and reflections exploring what it means to find yourself, name your place, and tell your own story, themes as urgent today as when Cisneros first put them on the page.

Recently named #3 Best Art Festival in the United States by the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, the Festival enters its 30th season with national momentum and a deeply local heart. The April 23 event is a celebration of both.

The evening begins with the Big Read Kick-Off at 5:30 p.m., featuring poetry, storytelling, and community readings inspired by The House on Mango Street. Readers, neighbors, and artists will come together to mark the beginning of the Big Read journey as a community. The program will be followed by an after-party and official 2026 season announcement where Festival leadership will unveil the full programming lineup over cocktails in the Shubert’s elegant new cabaret space.

“There is something profound about gathering in a room to hear stories about home — especially in a city as layered and alive as New Haven,” said Risë Nelson and Annie Lin, Board Co-Chairs of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. “The House on Mango Street has spoken to generations of readers because it tells the truth about longing and belonging. We cannot think of a more fitting way to open this season than with those words, that community, and this city.”

For press, this is an early look at a season built around one of the most resonant questions in American life right now: what does it mean to belong? And who gets to feel at home?

Press RSVPs are requested by Friday, April 18. To confirm attendance or request additional information, please contact Stacy Graham-Hunt at in...@stacygrahamhuntpr.com or 203.843.5991.

EVENT AT A GLANCE
  • What: International Festival of Arts & Ideas Season Launch: NEA Big Read Kick-Off & After-Party
  • When: Thursday, April 23, 2026 | 5:30 p.m.
  • Where: Shubert Theatre Cabaret Space | 247 College Street, New Haven, CT 06510
  • Theme: Home and Belonging | Inspired by The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS & IDEAS
The International Festival of Arts & Ideas is a year-round organization that culminates with an annual celebration of performing arts, lectures, and conversations each June in New Haven, Connecticut. The Festival convenes leading artists, thinkers, and changemakers from around the world for dynamic public programs that engage, entertain, and inspire a diversity of communities. More than 85% of Festival programs are free to the public.
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