LitFest Pasadena 2022 (Photo – litfest)
PASADENA – ColoradoBoulevard.net:
LitFest Pasadena, cited in a study that designated Pasadena as the number one city in the U.S. for book lovers, was created by writers, for writers and lovers of the written word.
By News Desk
LitFest Pasadena embraced a dynamic new format this year with five days of literary events spread over three weeks, branching out to host events at Mountain View Mausoleum, Red Hen Press, and the Altadena Library. LitFest Pasadena concludes tomorrow, Saturday, May 14, with a wide variety of panel discussions at Pasadena Presbyterian Church and Vroman’s Bookstore.
Memoir fans will enjoy “Telling on Yourself: The Challenges and the Rewards of Writing Memoir” with Samantha Dunn, Cassandra Lane, Tembi Locke, Maggie Rowe, and Erika Schickel at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. Another memoir panel, developed by Open Book, a program of the Pasadena Literary Alliance, explores memoirists’ journeys of resilience and what motivates them to share their stories with Antong Lucky, Obed Silva, and Silvia Vasquez-Lavado. Two-time
Caldecott winner Marla Frazee joins Helena Ku Rhee, Andrea J. Loney, and Michelle Markel for “Beyond Words,” a picture book roundtable; “Facing the Unknown: Inclusivity & Hope in Today’s Middle Grade Fiction” gathers authors Brenda Woods, Chris Baron, Ernesto Cisneros, Dana Middleton, and Lori Snyder; and “Yay, YA!” discusses the importance of books that empower teens to self-advocate, with authors Zabé Ellor, Carly Heath, Brandie June, Naz Kutub, and Alexandra Overy.
Two romance panels, organized by The Ripped Bodice bookstore, explore how authors are updating iconic markers of the genre to suit today’s reader and how reality must be incorporated into a genre that is often viewed as escapist. “Modern Love” includes writing duo Emily Wibberly and Austin Siegemund-Broka, as well as CB Lee, and Alana Quintana Albertson, and “Love in the 21st Century” brings together authors Tessa Dare, Sarah Kuhn, Minerva Spencer, and Rebekah Weatherspoon.
“Cowboys and Conductors” features horse-whispering cowboy Dustin Davis and conductor turned CEO Paul Jan Zdunek, and moderated by Kiran Sanghera. Poet Laureate Emerita Thelma T. Reyna brings together poets and medical professionals facing the frontline in “When Covid Came Calling.” The Ripped Bodice will be on site to sell romance novels, and Once Upon a Time will showcase memoir, storybook, middle grade, and young adult books.
Vroman’s Bookstore once again partners with LitFest Pasadena, hosting two fiction panel discussions: “Eating Our Words” with Kim Fay, J. Ryan Stradal, Michelle Huneven, and Colleen Dunn Bates (moderator), and “California Dreaming and Scheming” with Mary Camarillo, Dana Johnson, Mary Kuryla, J. Ryan Stradal, and Lou Mathews (facilitator). LitFest Pasadena closes its 2022 festival with Larry Wilson, public editor of the Pasadena Star-News, in conversation with U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, author of Midnight in Washington.
LitFest Pasadena is produced by the Light Bringer Project, a nonprofit organization that delivers unique arts and learning programs throughout Los Angeles County.
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