Presented by the Dallas Public Libraries

Exceeding $1Billion in sales every year, Romance Novels make up about 20% of all book sales, with the average romance reader reading 2 to 3 books a week. With numbers like these, it is still a genre that evokes shame and is often thought of as anti-feminist or contributing to the heteronormative patriarchy. Referring to Romance novels- a genre geared towards women as "guilty pleasures" or even the descriptor "trash fiction," dismisses and discounts women's stories, equality, needs, and desires, all of which are the bases in romance novels. Why wouldn't they be considered feminists?

A discussion of Romance novels & Feminism was held with these professional romance readers. Led by Melody Carlisle, host of the nationally acclaimed romance podcast- Heaving Bosoms, joined by Leah Koch, owner of the first-ever all romance book store- The Ripped Bodice, Professor Jayashree Kamblé, Associate Professor of English at LaGuardia Community College and Nisha Sharma, author of Dating Dr. Dil, coming out March 15!

Location: Online/Virtual

Supporting Authors & Independent Bookstores:

Please consider buying books by our festival authors from the official Dallas Literary Festival bookstore Interabang, or from your own local independent bookseller.