LitFest Pasadena concludes Saturday, May 14 with a wide variety of panel discussions to wrap up a dynamic new format this year that presented five days of literary events spread over three weeks.
Saturday’s more-than-a-baker’s-dozen of events lineup will be split between Pasadena Presbyterian Church and Vroman’s Bookstore. (Earlier happenings were staged at Mountain View Mausoleum, Red Hen Press, and the Altadena Library.)
The jam-packed day starts at 1:30 p.m. and runs through the evening.
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. House Representative Adam Schiff, author of Midnight in Washington.
LitFest Pasadena is produced by Light Bringer Project, a nonprofit organization that delivers unique arts and learning programs throughout Los Angeles County. The organization produces LocavoreLit LA, an online journal and classroom resource designed to provide relevant reading and writing experiences for youth in public schools.
For the lineup details, click here.
