Romance Read-In to Benefit Authors Against Book Bans

We’re calling on the power of romance novels to fuel our fight against censorship across our communities! Authors Ella Dawson and Katherine Grant invite you to join fellow romance lovers to read romance, talk about romance with featured authors, and raise money for Authors Against Book Bans.

This event is designed for introverts, beginning with quiet side-by-side reading time. Bring whatever romance is on your to-be-read. Bonus points if it is about characters fighting against existing power structures! Then, some of your favorite romance authors will lead small groups in discussion about the books you’re reading and why romance can be such a transformative genre.

Featuring special guests Sarah MacLean, TJ Alexander, and Celestine Martin!

The Plot (What to Expect):

• Chapter One: Welcome!
• Chapter Two: Quiet reading time
• Chapter Three: Break into interest groups based on the themes of your books. Each group is led by one of our hosts or featured authors!
• Chapter Four: Discussion of your books and how romance inspires us to change the world around us
• Chapter Five: Raffle and thank-you!

Proceeds from each ticket go directly to fund Author Against Book Bans’s fight to protect communities from censorship.

Authors Against Book Bans is a coalition of writers, illustrators, anthology editors and contributors, and other book creators who stand united against the deeply unconstitutional movement to limit the freedom to read. AABB unequivocally supports the availability of diverse voices on our library shelves, in our schools, and in our culture. We pledge to band together against the oppression of literature, to speak when our voices are silenced, to go where our bodies are needed, and to fight as one to ensure this freedom. Together, we will be fearless.

Find out more at https://www.authorsagainstbookbans.com/

Ella Dawson is an NYC-based sex and culture critic and the author of But How Are You, Really, a romance novel about college reunions and millennial angst. She is also the host of the Rebel Ever After podcast about progressive romance novels. She was once internet famous for having herpes, but that’s a whole other story. Ella is proudly bisexual, anxious, and addicted to Diet Coke. Follow her on social media as @brosandprose.

Katherine Grant is an award-winning author of radical Regency romance novels and host of the Historical Romance Sampler podcast, introducing listeners to a new historical romance author every week. Find out more at www.katherinegrantromance.com

TJ Alexander is a Lambda Literary Award finalist and USA Today bestselling author who writes about queer love. Originally from Florida, they received their MA in writing and publishing from Emerson College in Boston. They live in New York City with their wife, cats, and various houseplants.

Sarah MacLean is a New York Times, Washington Post & USA Today bestseller. Translated into more than twenty-five languages, the books that make up “The MacLeaniverse” are beloved by readers worldwide. In addition to her novels, Sarah is a leading advocate for the romance genre, speaking widely on its place as a feminist text and a cultural bellwether. She is a founding board member of Authors Against Book Bans and the co-host of the weekly romance podcast, Fated Mates. Her latest novel, These Summer Storms, will be released in paperback in May.

Celestine Martin writes whimsical and flirty paranormal romance that celebrates the beauty of everyday magic. She’s the author of Witchful Thinking, Kiss and Spell and Deja Brew all published with Forever.

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[ABOUT THIS EVENT: This is a ticketed event. The rear half of the store will be used exclusively for this event. The front bar will be open to the public for drinking & chatting. Book browsing will be limited to a few display tables and shelves closest to the front of the store.]

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