Six meetings with as many authors, four workshops for adults, children, and teens, and several locations throughout the city center and other neighborhoods: "Tea with Author" is back, the reading promotion project organized by the Artisti Fuori Posto association with the support of the Municipality of Cagliari.
The 2026 edition will run from October to December with a program that combines public meetings, books, live readings, and educational activities. The goal is to introduce different audiences to reading and writing, bringing the events to various locations around the city and also involving schools.
Artistic direction is entrusted to Francesca Saba, who will lead the six literary meetings. The format calls for authors to discuss their relationships with books, reading, writing, and libraries, directly engaging the audience. The conversations will be accompanied by readings by professional actors, including Anna Murgia, Alessandro Pani, Filippo Salaris, and Piero Murenu.
The dates
The program kicks off on Thursday, October 15th at 5:30 pm at Spazio SEARCH, with Piergiorgio Pulixi and his new book, Il fattori gatto, published by Marsilio. On October 29th, again at 5:30 pm, at Intrepidi Monelli, Gianmichele Lisai will present La grande storia della Sardegna, published by Newton Compton.
On November 12th at 5:00 PM, at the Fondazione di Sardegna, Valeria Usala will present Nelle case degli altri, published by Garzanti. On November 26th at 5:30 PM, at Palazzo Siotto, Antonio Boggio will present Nero Mediterraneo, published by Mondadori.
The final two events will be in December: on December 3rd at 5 pm at MEM with Ilenia Zedda and Se mi guardo da dentro, published by Salani, and on December 10th at 5 pm at Casa Saddi with Fabio Sanna, author of Ciak! Si vive, published by Villaggio Maori. During the events, the books will be available for purchase thanks to the Ubik bookstores on Via Sonnino and Ubik Mieleamaro.
From book presentations to workshops
“Tea with the Author” combines public events with a workshop program for both adults and students.
For adults, there is an expressive reading course, led by actor Filippo Salaris, consisting of six 90-minute sessions, and an Italian diction course with actor and speech therapist Piero Murenu, consisting of eight 90-minute sessions. The first will focus on techniques for more effective and engaging reading; the second will focus on standard Italian pronunciation and useful tools for clear and well-articulated communication.
A specific part of the project will be hosted in Cagliari's schools. "How Stories Are Born," hosted by actor and author Alessandro Pani, will guide middle school students in crafting original narratives based on reality and personal experiences. The "Foiso Fois" Art and Music High School and the "Antonio Pacinotti" Scientific High School in Cagliari will be involved.
For younger children, "È viva la lettura" (Reading is Long Live) is a workshop led by Filippo Salaris, centered around the educational book Orazio Canino. Texts, images, and the protagonist's adventures will serve as tools to stimulate imagination, curiosity, and a love of reading. The program will involve the primary school of the "Giusy Devinu" Comprehensive Institute and the Nuovo Collegio della Missione in Cagliari.
Francesca Saba (Artistic Director)
Tea with the Author was born as an activity to promote reading, and from the very beginning, I envisioned a way to put books, authors, and, above all, readers at the center. For me, building the program means choosing voices and stories capable of describing the present from diverse perspectives. I sought out authors capable of sparking curiosity, offering new perspectives, and raising questions, creating a journey that spans different genres, languages, and sensibilities. This diversity is the festival's true richness: giving space to contemporary literature and letting the words, and those who write them, guide the audience to discover new worlds.
Alessandro Pani (Organizing Director)
Organizing a festival like Te con Autore means creating, even more than a program, a meeting place. We want to bring diverse authors, readers, and languages to Cagliari, creating opportunities where literature can transcend the pages and become a forum for discussion, participation, and community. It's a complex undertaking, but we strongly believe in the cultural value of this event and its ability to grow alongside the city.
