Spring is in the air and so is LitFest Pasadena, returning for its fourth year to the byways, bookstores, wine bars, theaters, coffee houses and streets of Pasadena’s Playhouse District. Come celebrate our fourth year of toasting Southern California’s best literature with a fun free afternoon and evening of readings and salon-style panels featuring, among others, Jonathan Gold, Jillian Lauren, Paula Williams Madison, Francesca Lia Block, Steph Cha, Lynell George, Naomi Hirahara, Rachel Howzell Hall, Desiree Zamorano, Ron Koertge, Jervey Tervalon, leading YA authors, poets, food writers, and much more.

Where: Pasadena’s Playhouse District

Date: Saturday the 9th

Time: 11:45 am –until the wee hours

Venues: Vroman’s Upstairs, Vroman’s Paseo, Pasadena Playhouse courtyard, Pasadena Playhouse, El Portal Restaurant

Admission: Free; some paid parking

Website: http://litfestpasadena.org

Select Schedule; More on Website

2015 Schedule

May be subject to change…

11:45 am … Vroman’s Upstairs
Diverse Poets in Our Backyard
Linda Dove, Nancy Shiffrin, Vibiana Aparicio-Chamberlin; Thelma Reyna, Moderator

3:00 pm … Vroman’s Paseo
Ideograms: The Chinese Diaspora in California Writing
Writers with Chinese roots have spread throughout the world. What does it mean in a time when the Middle Kingdom is not only culturally important but increasingly economically and politically dominant?
Jason Chuan, Yunte Huang, Thomas Tseng, Paula Madison Williams, Elizabeth Wong; Jinghuan Liu Tervalon, Moderator

3:00 pm … Vroman’s Upstairs
Strength in Numbers: the Diversity of YA Literature
YA lit is a world of Demons, Dragons, Heartbreak, Heroism, Sacrifice, Suspense, Romance, Music, Mystery, History, and of course teen angst. But it’s the sheer diversity of the genre that makes it so much fun! From graphic novels to fractured fairy tales, if you don’t know anything about YA literature, this panel will be a great introduction.
Cecil Castelucci, Lisa Freeman, Elissa Sussman and Ron Koertge; Aquita Winslow, Moderator

5:45 … Vroman’s Paseo
Pasadena Prize in Prose Award

6:15 pm … Pasadena Playhouse
L.A. On Foot
Notions of culture, geography, and rootedness shift when LA is traversed on foot.
Lynell George, Geoff Nicholson, James T. Rojas; Steve Reich, Moderator

8:15 pm on … El Portal Restaurant
Antojitos, margaritas and open mic readings