The Power of Romance

In honor of Valentine's Day, Sojourner House and Heartleaf Books are teaming up to host a literary discussion event with romance authors Sarah MacLean, Jenny L. Howe, Carissa Broadbent, and Crystal Maldonado! We'll be chatting about #relationshipgoals, consent, and the power romance novels have to influence societal expectations around love, sex, and dating. It's sure to be a lot of fun!

Sarah MacLean is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author known for writing regency-set romances with brilliant and badass heroines. She's also the co-host of the popular podcast, Fated Mates, a romance columnist for The Washington Post, and a leading advocate for the romance genre, speaking widely on its place as a feminist text and a cultural bellwether.

Jenny L. Howe has mastered the art of the feel good rom-com! Her books are filled with sweetness, fun, and beautiful plus-sized heroines. When she's not writing meet-cute's and grumpy/sunshine banter, she's working as a professor at UMASS Dartmouth, teaching literature courses that focus on the romance genre and the representation of bodies and identity.

Carissa Broadbent is a New York Times bestselling author, a BookTok sensation, and the powerhouse creative behind the popular romantasy series, The Crowns of Nyaxia. With this series and with her other works, her goal is to write fantasy books that have a heaping dose of badass ladies and a big pinch of romance.

Crystal Maldonado writes romcoms about (and for) fat, Puerto Rican girls, including The Fall of Whit Rivera, which People Magazine called a “pumpkin-spice-latte-flavored treat”; Fat Chance, Charlie Vega, which was a New England Book Award winner; and No Filter and Other Lies, which was named a POPSUGAR and Seventeen Magazine Best New YA.

Sojourner House is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting healthy relationships and supporting survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Since their founding in 1976, they've helped more than 60,000 survivors of abuse access safe shelter, emotional counseling, and a pathway to emotional and economic wellbeing. In 2024 alone, Sojourner House supported 1,900 clients from 42 different Rhode Island cities and towns.

Heartleaf Books is unique! They're Rhode Island's only employee-owned, queer/trans owned, cooperative, cat-managed bookstore, and seemingly the first bookstore ever in Federal Hill. Heartleaf exists because of the community, and their store reflects that: they carry a little bit of everything!

Jess Lee(she/her) has been reading since she was 5 and stealing romances from her mom since she was a teen. Prioritizing, supporting, and celebrating Black stories, authors of colors, queer and disabled stories is her mission and tied to her career leading global DEI and anti-racism work. When not reading, Jess is hiking, playing with her kids, teaching dance, near water, or talking soothingly to her tomato plants like any self-respecting millennial.

Shannon McDonnell (she/her) is the Communications Manager at Sojourner House. It's her job to bring Sojourner House to the community and the community to Sojourner House; using digital media to share information about housing clinics, support groups, and legislative initiatives that could benefit or cause undue harm to victims of violence. Prior to her role at Sojourner House, Shannon worked as a member of the Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services team at the URI. Here she facilitated over 300 workshops on consent, interpersonal violence, and sexual health.

Host or Publisher Sojourner House