Fall is in the Air

Fall is in the air. We’ve needed all this rain and the cooler weather is such a relief after a long, hot, smoky summer.

Fall is also when I start feeling bookish. My TBR (to be read) pile steadily grew over a summer that was too busy for much more than listening to audio books on the run. My family had a big life change; moving our only daughter to Arizona for college, and health concerns put hobbies on the backburner to focus on things that needed doing over things I wanted to do.

Just a few off the TBR pile

Now that things are slowing down, it’s time to start pulling all those stories back out. Not just the books, but the human stories I want to hear and listen to and read about. I visited Samizdat Bookstore and Teahouse and picked up a few new releases I’ve waited some time for. It smells like rosemary and baked goods and tea in their store right now, their new chef is really helping those fall vibes sink in. I love the space and the people who operate it. It reminds me that other folks out there believe in the power of community and storytelling the same way I do, the same way LAAC does as an organization.

When Jill Lang and I first talked about a literary festival in Los Alamos, it was almost as a joke. Pulling off new activities here can be challenging. Venues are a hot commodity. Hotels can be hard to secure or very expensive. There isn’t a whole lot in the way of weekend public transportation to or around Los Alamos. Last year, I applied for a grant and told Jill “let’s just see what happens”. Eight weeks later, we were hosting the first annual Pajarito Literary Festival (Itty Bitty Lit Fest). We didn’t know quite what we were doing but somehow we pulled it off.

This year, when we talked about doing it again, Jill and Aimee started contacting the publishing houses they work with after Jill was certain she’d be able to keep her doors open sometime in early spring. It was another big risk. Last fall was hard for both organizations both fiscally and emotionally. The Arts Council had drastically cut staffing and pivoted into a new direction to support operations on a shoestring budget. Jill was facing uncertainty around higher costs of operations due to tariffs and fluctuating sources for her teas and books. LAAC was facing a financial shortage when programs we’d relied on to carry us through fall were in danger from fewer sign ups, less grant and sponsor support as money shifted towards social service organizations, and we were both very cautious about making promises we didn’t know we could keep.

When Jill launched the supper club to help folks who may have been hurt when SNAP benefits were cut, we talked about how it seemed like such a far away thing to be thinking about a Literary Festival in 2026. All we could do was keep our communities safe, connected, and think about the day right in front of us.

But the Los Alamos community stepped up; both for LAAC and the bookstore and so in spring of this year, we started talking in earnest about the 2nd annual literary festival. The fates sealed it for us when Century Bank here in Los Alamos stepped in and supported us with a sponsorship not just for Lit fest, but last minute support for our Kite Festival as well. That, along with the patrons at the bookstore, LAAC's donors and sponsors, meant that we could give this crazy idea another go. 

Now we’re just around three weeks from the 2nd Annual Literary Festival. We have 29 authors from all walks of life coming to Los Alamos to speak on panels, host workshops and intimate sessions at the bookstore. We’re coordinating schedules, hotels and transportation, trying to manage getting everything done before the opening cocktail reception on Friday October 2nd.

One thing I've found interesting is how much we've heard from the community about the cost of the festival. At LAAC, we have a policy - and Samizdat shares this value - that we never want someone's ability to pay to be the thing that keeps them from participating. 

We've also heard from the community that some folks don't see the ticket price as worth the cost, and even a few suggest that the festival should be free. 

I think both pieces of feedback are worth listening to, and we're trying to find ways to make the festival feel accessible while also recognizing the time, work and resources that go into putting something like this together. 

To be quite frank, LAAC and Samizdat will be lucky to break even on the event even after the donations, sponsors, and ticket sales. Charging for tickets is by no means about funding our futures; it’s about ensuring the authors who are coming to speak are compensated to the best of our ability. And we do believe that has tremendous value. For LAAC, it is another opportunity to get as much money into the hands of artists (because authors ARE artists), as we can while ensuring that the other programs we’re responsible for do not suffer. We have so many free events, the decision to make this one a paid event was not made lightly.

It means that Jill can go to the publishers who are taking a big risk on our event and prove that her tiny bookstore in our tiny corner of Northern New Mexico is WORTH the risk. It means more signings, more signed books, more book launches, and more leverage for her in the publishing community. For LAAC it means the opportunity to grow a program. This is the first new program we’ve added to our keystone cultural events in over a decade. It means highlighting the authors and poets who we want to support as part of our network of artists. It means shining a light on the written and spoken words that keep us bound together. 

Telling stories, as I’ve said time and again, is the original art that made us who we are.

Jillian R., Jill L., and Brandi E. at the first of many “Spill the Beans” storytelling events at Samizdat Bookstore

I want to be clear; if you cannot pay, we have a way for you to attend. You can volunteer before or during the event. You can reach directly to our Lit Fest staff via email at LitFest@laac-flac.org and we can talk about ways to connect you with the panel or workshop you are the most interested in. 

Our bottom line is about ensuring that as many folks attend this event as possible to create a positive experience for all involved. For those who are able to pay for a ticket, you are ensuring we can provide for those who cannot. We are so grateful that you are choosing to spend your money to support this endeavor. It means so much to everyone involved in ways you may not even realize.

A fall coffee in Flagstaff during NAU move in weekend, life is moving fast, but we can slow down