Pride Month 2021 is upon us, and this weekend comes Pride Book Fest, the first festival ever to completely present queer stories from across all ages, demographics, genres, intersections, and mediums.
Featuring 100+ queer creators, literary agents, editors, librarians, bookstagrammers and bookTokers, Pride Book Fest will feature over 20 panels, including two live bookstore events, and a few Instagram Lives as well. The best part? It’s totally free and you can watch it from the comfort of your own home!
Author Steven Salvatore’s (Can’t Take That Away) idea was simple, create an independent book festival designed to promote queer authors and books through an annual event. But until Jacob Demlow (A Very Queer Bookclub) came on board, that’s mostly what it was, just an idea. While other festivals have presented panels of LGBTQIA+ authors and themes, no one event had focused purely on queer books and queer authors, until now.
Happening June 11-13, Pride Book Fest will hold its inaugural event featuring a list of guests that quite frankly, boggles the mind. You’ll see superstars and New York Times Bestselling authors such as Leah Johnson, Becky Albertalli, Adam Silvera, Kalynn Bayron, Aiden Thomas, Claribel A. Ortega, Jason June, and Nic Stone, to 2021’s hottest, most anticipated Queer debuts such as Daniel Aleman, Nicolas DiDomizio, and Mia P. Manansala, Pride Book Fest features a who’s who of LGBTQIA+ authors.
“It’s really fantastic. It felt very…I don’t know…like cosmic in terms of timing,” says Salvatore. “It felt like everything happened when it was supposed to. I have had this idea for a while. And Jacob had this idea of separately for a while too. And it just felt like the universe brought us together.”
The event aims to:
- highlight voices that often lack representation
- spark important conversations in the LGBTQ+ book community
- promote diverse authors and books
- celebrate debut queer authors
- connect readers to their favorite queer authors
- inspire new readers and writers to find their voices
With a full slate running all weekend, including tons of pre-recorded and live panels, expect to see a wide range of topics, many of which were chosen by the authors themselves. From politics, to activism, to own voices, middle grade, fantasy, and many more, there’s something for just about everyone. And be on the lookout for “PBF’s OUTbursts”, 15-30 minute conversations spread throughout the festival on YouTube!
Pride Book Fest 2021 is happening June 11-13, with prerecorded panels on the Pride Book Fest YouTube channel. Make sure to follow them on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with the latest announcements, panels/scheduling, and updates.
