Pajarito Literary Festival

May 10th & 11th

Welcome to Los Alamos and the Pajarito Plateau!

The Pajarito Literary Festival (Itty Bitty Lit Fest) is a brand new adventure brought to you by the Los Alamos Arts Council and Samizdat Bookstore and Teahouse.

In February of 2024, Brandi Engeman, Executive Director of the Arts Council, and Jill Lang, owner of Samizdat Bookstore and Teahouse joked about hosting a literary festival in Los Alamos. Fast forward to February 2025 and thanks to several private funders as well as a grant from the New Mexico Creative Industries, the joke is now a reality!

What is it?

It’s more than just a literary festival, it’s a weekend of cultural events with an emphasis on local and regional vendors at the annual Spring Craft Fair, author talks, book signings, workshops and more.

This is a pilot to test our model for a three day Literary Festival in 2026. You’ll be attending the first ever Pajarito Literary Festival in Los Alamos County and helping us plan for next year!

The schedule is filling out as we confirm plans we’ve been working on for months and that some events will be identified as General Admission, VIP, or Open to the Public. Snagging a badge gets you access to the calendar of events that require an RSVP as well as early information on events that have limited capacity.

You will see new sponsors, partners, and have an opportunity to learn more about each of the weekend’s programs. If you’d like to be a sponsor, we have information below on the various ways to get your business in front of attendees and visitors.

Creative Professionals will have the chance to attend professional development workshops in the weeks leading up to the event, as well as attend social hours to meet others who are using their creative passions to meet their personal and career goals.

A full schedule, as well as a link to purchase tickets for the weekend’s badged activities, will be coming soon. VIP Badges will be limited this year, so snag them early. There is no limit to general admission tickets, but some events will have limited seating so RSVP early with your badge and password!

The Pajarito Literary Festival is made possible by a grant from the New Mexico Creative Industries, a division of the New Mexico Economic Development Department

Saturday

Sunday

On May 6th, the general admission and VIP calendars will be open to ALL badge holders in order to increase attendance and prevent cancellation of certain events.

VIP Badge holders will receive a $25.00 gift card and three month membership to the LAAC in their gift bag to recognize their support of the event!

There are no RSVPs required for the speaking engagement by our guest authors, these are included in your ticket, regardless of tier. Please see the schedule pages for information about these events and use the button below to see the program! Any other events than the author talks require registration - don’t miss out!

Beer Tastings at Bathtub Row Brewing Coop

Badge Holders Only: RSVP for one of three craft beer tastings with head brewer, Adam Auden, at Bathtub Row Brewing Coop. Limited to 10 RSVPs per session.

Tabletop Gaming

Badge Holders Only: RSVP to a small game session featuring tabletop games led by Weckiai Ranilla. Limited to 8 RSVPs per session.

Los Alamos Spring Arts and Craft Fair

Open to the Public: Our annual Spring Craft Fair, May 10th 9AM-3PM on the Fuller Lodge Lawn

Small Group Yoga Sessions with local yoga studio

Badge Holders Only: RSVP for a small group yoga session Saturday or Sunday. These sessions will be a great way to start your day before you adventure and engage with local artists at the Craft Fair, enjoy poetry and tea, or just explore the festival. Limited to 15 RSVPs per session.

Author Talks and Book Signings

Badge Holders Only: All day Saturday at the Fuller Lodge, a growing list of local and regional authors, poets, and illustrators will be doing engagements with badge holders followed by signings in the Fuller Lodge Art Center Gallery. These events will be first-come first-serve seating, with room for up to 90 people at each session. Check out our current list of confirmed authors below!

Samizdat Bookstore and Teahouse is OPEN!

Open to the Public: Peruse a variety of books at our Lit Fest Partner site. Serving hot and cold tea, Boba, and carrying a variety of books, stationery and table top games, you’ll want to make this part of your Saturday stop and fill that tote!

Small Group Tea Tasting

Badge Holders Only: RSVP to a small group tea tasting on either Saturday or Sunday, hosted at Samizdat Bookstore and Teahouse. Enjoy tea, light snacks, and great company with Pajarito Lit Fest Partner, Jill Lang. Limited to 25 RSVPs per session.

Mother’s Day Tea and treats at Samizdat Bookstore and Teahouse

Badge Holders Only: You can purchase a weekend badge for only $25.00 and bring your mom to tea! Of course, that also gets you into so many other great events during the weekend, why not enjoy the other activities with your pass! This tea will feature some light mother’s day brunch treats, poetry readings between “courses” and is a great way to round off the weekend or kick off mother’s day! Limited to 40 RSVPs.

SALA Event Center

All weekend long SALA Event Center will be hosting a variety of new and classic films, as well as a mini film festival fundraiser for a local group of outdoor enthusiasts! VIP badge holders receive a SALA pass to any regular theater showing throughout the weekend. Fundraising events require a separate ticket purchase through SALA.