“Romantasy” is in the air.
The hot book genre combines romance with fantasy and is one of the highlights of this weekend’s Santa Barbara Literary Festival, the first of its kind for Santa Barbara.
“I really wanted to highlight a very popular genre that a lot of young people are reading and a lot of people in general,” said event founder Leslie Zemeckis.
The event features panel discussions and workshops and takes place Saturday and Sunday at several mostly downtown locations. Much of the festival also spotlights strong women and their voices. Zemeckis said she was inspired by the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and wanted to create something similar with books.
Zemeckis, a documentary filmmaker, writer and columnist, said there are many creative people in the area and she wanted to bring them all together. She also hosts The Plotpoint Podcast with True Crime writer Sara Divello.
The show was recently picked up by Evergreen streaming for production and distribution.
“We interview some of the leading literary lights that are world renowned,” Zemeckis said.
She reached out to authors and they agreed to come to Santa Barbara, Zemeckis said.
Keynote speakers include authors Walter Mosley, Kim Michele Richardson, Steven Rowley and Chris Whitaker. The event also features kids book authors, youth fiction panels and writing workshops.
Authors include Mosley, Richardson, Whitaker, Rowley, Susan Orlean, Ann Liang, Ariel Sullivan, Katherine Stewart, Paula McLain, Danielle Trussoni, Shannon Watts, Tod Goldberg, Roda Ahmed, Romina Garber, Beatrice Dixon, Mike Bender, Daniel Humm, Stuart Gibbs, Morgan Matson, Pete Oswald, Justina Blakeney, Dawn Tripp, Faith Phillips, Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström, Jane Borden, Chelsey Goodan, Edward Humes, and more.
The Bad Girls panel will bring together writers “who explore women on the margins—rule breakers, rebels, and antiheroines who refuse to behave.”
Zemeckis, DiVello, Ivy Pochoda and Alycia Vreeland will “examine how ‘bad’ women have been portrayed, misunderstood, sensationalized, and reclaimed across history, true crime, and fiction.”
“It is a celebration of storytellers from all genres from screenwriters and inspirational speakers to best-selling authors,” Zemeckis said.
To see all events and book tickets, click here
