Founded by Paul J. Willis in 2003 as a way to promote information about HIV and AIDS in literature,[1] Saints and Sinners has since expanded to include works of fiction and nonfiction relating to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues.

[2] The Festival provides a forum for the dissemination of ideas and promotes those writers and publishers within the community who have successfully brought the issues of LGBTQ+ individuals to the forefront.

Past participants in the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival include Dorothy Allison, Poppy Z. Brite, Patrick Califia, 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Cunningham, 2008 National Book Award winner Mark Doty, Amie M. Evans, Jewelle Gomez, Emanuel Xavier, Greg Herren, William J. Mann, Jeff Mann, Martin Pousson, Radclyffe, Michelle Tea, and Scissor Sisters front man Jake Shears, among many others.

Participants provide support to the literary community, the NO/AIDS Task Force, and the economy of the City of New Orleans.

This article about a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ)-related festival or event is a stub.