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

We are building an amazing weekend! Check back soon for more details.

We’ll have a full schedule soon! We’re working hard to confirm all of our participants. For now, here’s what we know is happening throughout the weekend! VIP pass holders can RSVP to any event requiring a pass.

VIP ONLY
Beer Tastings at Bathtub Row Brewing Coop. VIP badge holders can RSVP for one of three craft beer tastings with head brewer, Adam Auden, at Bathtub Row Brewing Coop. Limited to 10 RSVPs per session.

Badgeholders Only
All Badgeholders can 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: No Pass Required
Our annual Spring Craft Fair, May 10th 9AM-3PM on the Fuller Lodge Lawn

VIP ONLY
Small Group Yoga Sessions with local yoga studio. VIP Badge holders can 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.

Badgeholders Only
Author Talks and Book Signings. All day Saturday at the Fuller Lodge a growing list of local and regional authors, poets, and illustrators will be doing engagments with badge holders followed by signings in the Fuller Lodge Art Center Gallery. These events will be FCFS seating, with room for up to 90 at each session. Check out our current list of confirmed authors below!

The Bookstore is OPEN!! 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!

VIP ONLY
VIP Badge holders can 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.

Badgeholders Only
Mother’s Day Tea and treats at Samizdat Bookstore and Teahouse. 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.

Movies at 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.

Get Tickets!

Pajarito Literary Festival 2025: VIP Pass

$50.00

Your VIP badge is your pass to all of the VIP and General Admission events during the pilot Pajarito Literary Festival to be held May 10th and 11th 2025.

What sort of events are VIP only? Beer tastings at Bathtub Row Brewing Coop, Tea Tastings at Samizdat Bookstore and Teahouse, Yoga sessions in the morning, and a special event lecture on the intersection of Folklore and Fantasy on Sunday!

Some of the events have limited seating. You will receive a link to RSVP to these events in the first weeks of April. Some events are First Come, First Served seating. We do not allow “seat saving” so please make sure all of your guests are present when selecting your seat.

VIP passes recieve a coupon code good at the Fuller Lodge Art Center or Samizdat Bookstore with their pass as well as coupons to local events at the SALA Event Center, a free coffee at Sugar and Cream cafe, and a whole lot of other goodies! You’ll receive tote for your weekend book and art haul as well as other fun swag and surprises!

Pajarito Literary Festival 2025: General Admission Badge

$25.00

This is your passport to all of the events listed as part of the pilot Pajarito Literary Festival. This pass gets you into any event marked as a general admission event including author talks and book signings. Some events are for VIPs only, so make sure to select the right badge for your weekend!

Some of the General Admission events have limited seating. You will receive a link to RSVP to these events a few weeks prior to the festival. Some events are First Come, First Served seating. We do not allow “seat saving” so please make sure all of your guests are present when selecting your seat.

General Admission passes recieve a coupon code good at the Fuller Lodge Art Center or Samizdat Bookstore with their pass.