Literary Festival Returns to Pasadena With Focus on Character and Wildfire Recovery

A celebration of literature and community dialogue returns to Pasadena next month when ‘LitFest in the Dena 2025’ convenes at the Pasadena Presbyterian Church in Playhouse Village.

The event builds upon last year’s gathering, which drew several thousand attendees discussing books that changed the world, their communities and their lives.

Scheduled for Friday, May 2nd (6-9:30 p.m.) and Saturday, May 3rd (10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.) at 585 E. Colorado Blvd., the free festival will feature approximately 150 diverse authors examining this year’s theme, “Books That Teach Us About Character,” which explores how literary characters help readers stay true to their own values.

This year’s programming places special emphasis on recent wildfires that affected the region. A session titled “Poetry as Memory and Collective Processing” will feature poets Lisa Eve Cheby, Carla Sameth, Noriko Nakada, Hazel Kight Whitham, and Romaine Washington sharing their work. Additional wildfire-themed events include “Celebrate the Dena” presented by Altadena Poets Laureate and “Unsinged by Flames: Dena Students Unite,” showcasing responses to the crisis by students from the Pasadena Unified School District Think Tank.

The exploration of character, this year’s festival theme, will unfold across multiple panels. “When Good People Write Bad People” brings together authors Diana Wagman, Janet Fitch, Gary Phillips, Alex Espinoza, and David L. Ullin to discuss the complexities of character creation.

Writers Daniel Olivas, Naomi Hirahara, Chip Jacobs and Justin Chapman will examine “Pasadena As a Character,” while Thomas Backer, Ph.D., Scott O’Connor, Aaron Philip Clark, and Victoria Patterson delve into dramatic character transformations in “Character Imploded: Falling From Grace.”

The festival offers several unique interactive experiences. Eugene Cordell and Stefanie Warner of Authoress Cafe will collaborate with William Loving and Ellen Snortland to pair tea flavors with literature in “Tea & Fiction.” Daryl Gussin of Razorcake will lead participants in creating their own publications during a hands-on zine workshop.

Music emerges as a significant component of the festival’s programming. Russell Mark and Mika Larson of The Nextdoors will lead both a panel discussion and performance titled “Grief and Healing Through Music and Song,” addressing post-fire emotions. Notes and Letters members Bill Cushing and Chuck Corbisero will perform music and poetry before hosting “Take the Mic, Show Your Character,” an open mic session for attendees.

The diverse programming continues with “That Adult Crash: Poetry & Punk,” featuring Daryl Gussin, Dig Wayne, Priyanka Voruganti, and Spice Lioness. Comic book enthusiasts can attend “Creating Comics Characters that Jump Off the Page,” a conversation with Jordan Morris, Yehudi Mercado, Sara Phoebe Miller, and Elliot Kalan. For aspiring authors, Red Hen Press will guide a panel on the publishing process titled “From Manuscript to the Shelf.”

Workshops include Brandie June’s “Twisted Fairytales,” guiding participants in creating their own retellings of classic stories, and Jennifer Chen’s “YA Writing Workshop,” which examines the young adult market and effective writing strategies for the genre.

Attendees can also enjoy a food truck, tea samples, and a pop-up bookstore. The event’s partners and sponsors include Red Hen Press, Omega Sci-Fi Project, Locavore Lit, Flintridge Books, and host site Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

A complete schedule of events is available at www.litfestinthedena.org/schedule.

For media inquiries, contact Natalie Lydick, LitFest Spokesperson, at (626) 228-4220 (cell), (626) 590-1134 (office), or litfestinthedena@gmail.com.