Black Romance Book Festival to take place 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 writers who make their hearts beat faster, tear up their tear ducts, and create rich and diverse stories.

The idea for the event came from Atlanta-based author Lauren Lacey. From best friends to lovers to second-chance romances and the unexpected discovery of healing and love on an island, Lacey has been spinning black love stories since 2023. When she recently attended a major book festival, Lacey said she was happy to see some black authors there. However, her joy did not reflect the interest of other festival-goers.

“What was discouraging was that they didn’t have much traffic. And that was because it wasn’t our area,” Lacey said. “It wasn’t our target audience. It wasn’t the people who love our books and enjoy reading them.”

As a young author, Lacey knew she wanted to create a space where emerging and established Black writers could come together and connect with their readers. But even more, she wanted writers to be recognized for their work and for the invisibility she saw at this festival to be transformed into a shining light.

Over 105 independent and traditional authors were announced for the festival, a success born of sheer hope and dedication. Lacey revealed that she and her team contacted over 100 authors at this first event of its kind, and after a few no’s, those no’s soon turned to yes’s. The excitement for the event reached its peak when they confirmed New York Times bestselling author Kennedy Ryan as a writer.

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

“Their support was just a gift from God. It was just the most overwhelming feeling. And not only that, but the authors – they are just as excited as the readers.”

The event will include panel discussions, all-day book signings, vendor booths, a group reading lounge, and fun events like a dance party featuring historical novels from across the decades and a romantic comedian night. Book influencers/content creators and book clubs that have been instrumental in promoting Black authors will also be in attendance and hosting these events.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. in 2020, U.S. consumers reportedly spent more money on recreational reading than ever before. For many, an interest that had been dormant for years was reignited; for others, a new journey began in search of new literature to read for pleasure. From the birth of BookTok to recommendations from avid readers on other social media sites, a new light has been shed on Black authors, especially 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. It’s raw and it’s relatable. And that’s why the impact of social media has been so great because it’s really amplified the voices of a lot of writers. 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 perceived as nothing more than a means of dealing with trauma. But with the festival, Lacey hopes to dispel these stereotypes and show that Black stories and authors don’t just live in a monolith, but make their mark in the infinite number of narratives that can be told in the realm of romance. The festival will showcase every subgenre of Black romance, including paranormal, young adult, sports, fantasy, queer/LGBTQIA+, street fiction, suspense, contemporary, erotica, inspirational, and much more.

Lacey said the response has been overwhelmingly positive, but despite the sponsorship and partnership opportunities that are coming 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.

“This is not just my thing. This is a U.S. thing. It’s a community thing. And I think that’s the beauty of 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 by opportunities that we may not have gotten before. We want to make sure that we respect our readers, and we want to make sure that we respect our writers as well. And I think it really helps our writers too, because we’ve been rejected so many times. We’ve been rejected and neglected and dismissed, but that’s over now.”

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

A full list of confirmed authors can be found on the website and there are still some tickets available on Blackromancebookfestival.com.

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