Black Romance Book Festival to be held in Atlanta in 2025

The first-ever Black Romance Book Festival will take place in Atlanta in 2025. From May 30 to June 1, romance lovers across the country will celebrate the literature and voices of Black romance authors who have made their hearts race, their tear ducts churn, and created rich, diverse narratives.

The event is the brainchild of Atlanta-based author Lauren Lacey. From best friends to lovers to second-chance romances to the unexpected discovery of healing and love on an island, Lacey has been weaving Black love stories since 2023. When she recently attended a large-scale book festival, Lacey shared that she was thrilled to see a few Black authors in attendance. However, her enthusiasm didn’t reflect the interest of other festival-goers.

“What was discouraging was that I didn’t see that they were attracting a lot of visitors. And that was because it wasn’t our space,” Lacey said. “It wasn’t our target audience. It wasn’t the people who love and enjoy reading our books.”

As a first-time author, Lacey knew she wanted to create a space where emerging and established Black authors could come together and connect with their readers. But most importantly, a space where authors could be appreciated for their work and where the invisibility she saw at that festival could be transformed into a shining light.

Over 105 independent and traditional authors have been announced for the festival, a feat that is the result of unwavering hope and dedication. As a one-of-a-kind event, Lacey revealed that she and her team reached out to over 100 authors and after a few rejections, those rejections quickly turned into yeses. Buzz for the event reached a fever pitch when New York Times bestselling author Kennedy Ryan was confirmed as the author.

“She just applied like she was just a writer. And we were like, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could get Kennedy Ryan?’ When we saw the application form, we were like, ‘Oh my God.’”

“His support was a blessing. It was an emotion of the most intense kind. And that’s not all, the authors too, they are as enthusiastic as the readers.”

The event will feature panel discussions, all-day book signings, vendor booths, a group reading lounge, and fun events like a historical fiction decades-long dance party and a romantic comedy night. Influencers/content creators and book clubs who have been instrumental in promoting Black authors will also be on hand to host these events.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in 2020, reports have shown that American consumers have spent more than ever on recreational reading. For many, it has rekindled an interest that had been dormant for years; for others, it has marked the beginning of a new journey toward discovering new literary works that they can read for pleasure. From the birth of BookTok to recommendations from avid readers on other social media pages, a new spotlight has been shed on authors, particularly Black authors.

“A lot of times, publishers don’t really give us the opportunity to showcase our work. And our work is so beautiful. Our work is so great. It’s emotional and raw and relevant. The impact of social media has been so great because it’s really amplified the voices of so many authors. We’re not going to be silenced because that’s how we were able to create the Black Romance Book Festival.”

It’s not uncommon for Black authors to be pigeonholed into genres that are seen as a way to rehash trauma. But with the festival, Lacey said she wants to dispel those stereotypes and show that Black stories and authors aren’t just living in a monolith, but are making a name for themselves through the infinite number of narratives that can be told within the realm of romance. The festival will feature all subgenres of Black romance, including paranormal, young adult, sports, fantasy, queer/LGBTQIA+, street fiction, suspense, contemporary, erotica, inspirational and more.

Lacey said the response has been overwhelmingly positive. But despite the sponsorship and partnership opportunities that have come her way, she wants to make sure the event stays true to its goal of creating an inclusive space that benefits Black authors and readers.

“It’s not just a personal thing. It’s an American thing. It’s a community thing. And I think that’s what’s so beautiful about it.”

“We want to remember why we’re doing this, and we don’t want our space to be convoluted or tainted in any way because of opportunities that maybe we haven’t received before. We want to make sure that we respect our readers, and we also want to make sure that we respect our authors. And so, I think it really helps our authors too, because we’ve been rejected many times. We’ve been rejected and overlooked and dismissed, but not anymore.”

While planning the festival, Lauren said she was working on her next series, a small-town romance reminiscent of an early 2000s HBCU called “The World Around Us.”

For a full list of confirmed authors, visit the website. Limited tickets are still available at Blackromancebookfestival.com

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