WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, March 26 at 7:30pm, the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Eudora Welty Foundation welcome one of America's most beloved storytellers, author Kate DiCamillo, to deliver the 2026 Welty Lecture, inspired by the writing and life of famed author Eudora Welty. DiCamillo will talk about her career as a best-selling author including stories about her early experiences with the publishing industry to her writing influences and the evolution of her work.

Some of DiCamillo's best-known novels include Because of Winn-Dixie (2000), The Tale of Despereaux (2003), and Flora & Ulysses (2013), which have all been adapted into popular family films. She is a former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and a two-time Newbery Medalist.

"I was nineteen years old when I read Eudora Welty's 'Why I Live at the P.O.'" DiCamillo shared. "The story electrified and delighted me. I remember thinking, 'This is what I want to do.' Welty's words have been a beacon for me since that moment. I owe her a tremendous debt. It is a very great honor for me to give this lecture."

"Kate DiCamillo writes books for children that can also be read by adults, adults who can bear to remember how terrifying and mystifying and full of wonder childhood actually was," added former Welty Lecturer and acclaimed author Ann Patchett (Bel Canto, The Dutch House), who will introduce DiCamillo. "When, in my fifties, I read her books, I felt like I had found a magic portal. All I had to do to pass through was believe that I was still small enough to fit."

A book-signing and wine reception will follow the talk.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at folger.edu/welty or by contacting the Folger Box Office at (202) 544-7077. The Welty lecture will also be available for online viewing from April 6 through June 30 for $15 at the above link. 

Previous Welty Lectures were delivered by Salman Rushdie, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Richard Ford, Jesmyn Ward, Ann Patchett, Elizabeth Strout, Natasha Trethewey, and Amor Towles.

About the Speakers

Kate DiCamillo is one of America's most beloved storytellers. She is a former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and a two-time Newbery Medalist. Born in Philadelphia, she grew up in Florida and now lives in Minneapolis.

The theme of hope and belief amid impossible circumstances is a common thread in much of Kate DiCamillo's writing. In her instant #1 New York Times bestseller The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, a haughty china rabbit undergoes a profound transformation after finding himself face down on the ocean floor—lost, and waiting to be found. The Tale of Despereaux—the Newbery Medal–winning novel that later inspired an animated adventure from Universal Pictures—stars a tiny mouse with exceptionally large ears who is driven by love to become an unlikely hero. And The Magician's Elephant, an acclaimed and exquisitely paced fable, dares to ask the question, "What if?"

Kate DiCamillo's own journey is something of a dream come true. After moving to Minnesota from Florida in her twenties, homesickness and a bitter winter helped inspire Because of Winn-Dixie—her first published novel, which, remarkably, became a runaway bestseller and snapped up a Newbery Honor. "After the Newbery committee called me, I spent the whole day walking into walls," she says. "I was stunned. And very, very happy."

Her second novel, The Tiger Rising, went on to become a National Book Award Finalist. Since then, the master storyteller has written for a wide range of ages. She is the author of six books in the Mercy Watson series of early chapter books, which stars a "porcine wonder" with an obsession for buttered toast. The second book in the series, Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride, was named a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book by the American Library Association in 2007. She is also the co-author of the Bink and Gollie series, which celebrates the tall and short of a marvelous friendship. The first book, Bink & Gollie, was awarded the Theodor Seuss Giesel Award in 2011.She also wrote a luminous holiday picture book, Great Joy.

Her novel Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures won the 2014 Newbery Medal. It was released in fall 2013 to great acclaim, including five starred reviews, and was an instant New York Times bestseller. Flora & Ulysses is a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format—a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black and white by up-and-coming artist K. G. Campbell. It was a 2013 Parents' Choice Gold Award Winner and was chosen by Amazon, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Common Sense Media as a Best Book of the Year.

Kate DiCamillo, who was named National Ambassador for Young People's Literature for 2014–2015, says about stories, "When we read together, we connect. Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another." Born in Philadelphia, the author lives in Minneapolis, where she faithfully writes two pages a day, five days a week.

Ann Patchett is the author of novels, nonfiction, and picture books. She is the owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2021 she gave the Eudora Welty lecture in Miss Welty's home in Jackson. Kate DiCamillo is her dearest friend.

About Folger Shakespeare Library

The Folger Shakespeare Library showcases the utility of Shakespeare and the humanities in cultivating healthy civic life. Anchored by the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the Folger is also home to a world-renowned collection of books, manuscripts, and prints from the 1500s to the early 1700s. Visitors to the Folger can choose how they want to experience the arts and humanities, from interactive exhibitions to captivating performances, and from pathbreaking research to transformative educational programming. The Folger fosters curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking, and welcomes visitors from Washington, DC and from across the globe. Learn more at folger.edu.

About the Eudora Welty Foundation

The Eudora Welty Foundation's broad mission is to preserve Eudora Welty's literary legacy. The Foundation accomplishes its mission in part by events like the Welty Lecture which is intended to encourage both writers and readers. The Foundation's goals are to celebrate Eudora Welty and enhance appreciation of her work through educational activities, programs, and research. The Foundation also assists the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in preservation of Eudora's home and garden and the Welty Collection of manuscripts, correspondence, and photographs. To visitors from across America and around the world, the Welty Home and Garden provides a literary experience to increase understanding of Welty's life and work. Welty's fiction affirms that the imagination can be a powerful force to combat suffering, both physical and spiritual. Programming emphasizes Welty's striking intellect and creative powers, her devotion to the humanities, the place of literature in our lives, and the role of the writer in our society. Learn more at eudorawelty.org.

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SOURCE Folger Shakespeare Library