There’s nothing as charming as a good “meet-cute” in a romantic comedy film or novel. Burbank writers Emily Barth Isler and Erin La Rosa have their own version, which sparked the idea for this Saturday’s Burbank Book Festival.
The two authors kept bumping into each other during regular writing sessions at Three Sisters Coffee and Tea on Magnolia Blvd. They soon realized they both lived a few blocks away in Magnolia Park and enjoyed writing at the cozy coffee shop.
As Isler prepared for the March 2024 launch of her young adult novel, The Color of Sound (Carolrhoda, 2024), she mentioned to La Rosa that they should host a book event together. “It’s more fun to promote books with a friend and fellow author than doing it alone,” Isler said.
La Rosa, author of the romantic comedy novels For Butter or Worse (HQN, 2022) and Plot Twist (Canary Street Press, 2023), had a similar idea of bringing together Burbank authors to sell books and meet readers. From there the idea for the Burbank Book Festival grew organically. Since the conversations happened at Three Sisters, they approached owner Kristen Sagona, who offered space at the shop. “It seemed meant to be,” Isler said.
They each knew a few authors living and working in Burbank, so they began reaching out to gauge interest in a potential book festival. “We originally thought we’d have maybe five or six authors willing to join us,” Isler said. However, the response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Not only were all the authors they contacted eager to participate, but many also introduced them to other local authors. Before long, they had nearly twenty authors on board.
The Burbank Book Festival will take place on Saturday, August 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Three Sisters Coffee and Tea, located at 1706 W. Magnolia Blvd, Burbank. Attendees can pre-order books or purchase them at the event for author signings. Additional book-themed merchandise will also be available for sale. Participating authors include Isler, La Rosa, Jennifer Chen, Amanda Deibert, Cassandra Federman, Carly Greenwald, Jennifer Jackson, Robert Kraut, Nicole Maggi, Jerry Mahoney, Vanessa McGrady, Bridget Morrissey, Jennie Palmer, Amy Spalding, Kate Spencer, J. Ryan Stradal, and Eren Unten. All the authors have works published by traditional publishing houses.
Both Isler and La Rosa are fairly recent transplants to Burbank and love the community for its inclusive and family-friendly vibe. La Rosa and her husband moved to Burbank in 2023, a few months before their second daughter was born. Isler and her husband moved to Burbank from New York in 2019. She recalled visiting the Los Angeles area with her husband to explore different neighborhoods. “We were seeking great public schools, a family-friendly atmosphere, some walkable areas, public parks, and public pools to swim in, and Burbank really checked all the boxes,” she said.
Isler also had another consideration as they searched for the perfect home: wondering where all the “book” people lived in Los Angeles. She didn’t find a definitive answer to that, but over time has discovered that Burbank, though known for its studios, has a lot of authors and writers living in its city limits. “I realized that any community that invests in public schools and the arts–as Burbank does–is going to attract writers, book people, and book lovers of all sorts,” Isler said.
The authors envision a bright future for Burbank, hoping this event will showcase the community’s appetite for more bookstores, especially independent ones. This would complement the city’s cult-favorite horror bookstore, Dark Delicacies, at 822 N. Hollywood Way, and the chain bookstore Barnes & Noble, at 731 N. San Fernando Blvd. “If someone is looking to open a bookstore…[I hope] they’ll think of Burbank,” Isler said.
