LitFest Pasadena, the thriving annual event that brings acclaimed authors together for a variety of powerful and inspiring literary and social conversations, will return to an in-person format for its 10th year.
The literary do will be held for five days over three weeks, with programs scheduled on three Saturdays, April 30, May 7, and May 14, and two Wednesdays, May 4 and May 11. The event is free and no registration is required.
LitFest kicks off at the Mountain View Mausoleum in Altadena with a conversation between bestselling crime authors Michael Connelly and Gregg Hurwitz.
Other programs include panel discussions on various types of literary mysteries with authors including Wendy Heard and Joe Ide; horror with novelists including Carlos Allende and Peter Atkins; and geography of crime with Steph Cha, Claire Phillips, Jervey Tervalon, and Antoine Wilson.
2022 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Image Award nominee Natashia Deón will also hold a discussion on the juxtaposition of speculative fiction with authors Dr. Jalondra Davis, Kate Maruyama, and Nicole Sconiers.
The two events scheduled for the pair of Wednesdays will be hosted in partnership with the Altadena Library.
The highlights include panel discussion on “Writing as a Tool for Social Justice and Social Change,” featuring Reyna Grande, Rachel Harper, Naomi Hirahara, and Attica Locke, and “The Macondo Writers Workshop: A Homeland for Writers Making Change” led by Pat Alderete with Cecilia Caballero, Rene Colato Lainez, and Juanita Mantz.
May 7 is Red Hen Press day. Red Hen is Pasadena’s powerhouse literary publisher. Activities will include a panel discussion of local publishers on the current state and future of publishing, a multi-genre craft writing discussion, multi-genre writing workshops, and readings by locally published authors.
LitFest Pasadena culminates on May 14 at the Pasadena Presbyterian Church.
A panel discussion titled “Telling on Yourself: The Challenges and the Rewards of Writing Memoir” with writers including Samantha Dunn and Cassandra Lane will be held that day.
That same day, two-time Caldecott winner Marla Frazee joins Helena Ku Rhee, Andrea Loney, and Michelle Markel for a picture book roundtable.
LitFest Pasadena closes the festival with Larry Wilson, public editor of the Pasadena Star-News, in conversation with U.S. House Representative Adam Schiff, author of Midnight in Washington.
LitFest Pasadena is presented by Light Bringer Project, the Pasadena-based arts and education nonprofit, and Locavore Lit LA. Its partners include Red Hen Press, Vroman’s Bookstore, Playhouse Village Association, and Omega Sci Fi Awards.
For more, visit https://litfestpasadena.org/.
