Mission
To celebrate the craft of storytelling across genres by bringing readers, writers, and the community together across diverse venues in downtown Santa Barbara in a festival that fosters creativity, connection, and cultural dialogue for all.
Vision
To grow into an internationally acclaimed, citywide literary festival that establishes Santa Barbara as a celebrated nexus for literature, cultural exchange, and artistic inspiration.
Values
Accessibility – Cultivating an inclusive space where literature is open and welcoming to everyone, regardless of background or experience.
Creativity – Celebrating innovation in storytelling across genres, mediums, and formats.
Community – Building connection through events that bring together diverse voices to celebrate shared stories.
Integrity – Upholding excellence, respect, and authenticity in every facet of programming and partnership.
Meet the Team
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Co-FounderLeslie Zemeckis is a best-selling author, award-winning actress, and award-winning documentarian whose work spotlights formerly marginalized and stigmatized trailblazing women on our pop culture. Her books including the Amazon Editor’s pick Behind the Burly Q, Goddess of Love Incarnate and Feuding Fan Dancers. She has acting opposite Steve Carell Tom Hanks, Richard Lawson, and Colin Firth.
She is a founder of Stories Matter, a mentorship initiative supporting emerging female storytellers sponsored by ENTITY Magazine and the SBIFF. She writes a monthly book column in the Montecito Journal is a TedX speaker and was honored with the Ellis Island Island Medal of Honor in part for “sharing and preserving stories of women.
Zemeckis’s extensive experience as a writer and producer of acclaimed literary events and film projects is an invaluable asset to the Santa Barbara Literary Festival.
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Co-FounderLorissa Rinehart is a TEDx speaker, women’s historian, author of First to the Front: The Untold Story of Dickey Chapelle, Trailblazing Female War Correspondent as well as the forthcoming Winning the Earthquake: How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become America’s First Congresswoman. Rinehart is also the creator of The Female Body Politic, a Substack exploring 250 years of women’s participation in American democracy.
For a decade, Rinehart curated contemporary art and performances in New York City at venues ranging from the Queens Museum and the Armory to a derelict mechanic shop and corner bodegas. Her literary knowledge as well as her experience organizing arts events make her an essential voice and co-creator of the Santa Barbara Literary Festival.
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Director of Children's ProgrammingMike Bender is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Awkward Family Photos and has written the Junior Library Guild selection, The Book About Nothing, The End Is Just The Beginning, The Most Serious Fart, and Bored Panda, which has been selected as one of Amazon's Best Children's Books of the Year.
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Director of Cuisine & Zine ProgrammingNinette Paloma is a producer, writer, and creative director with over two decades of leadership experience in the arts and culture field. Her food, travel, art, and wine articles have been published in the Santa Barbara Independent, Santa Barbara Magazine, Santa Barbara DANCEworks, and American Riviera Magazine. She has curated and directed art exhibitions, international festivals, and performing arts productions throughout the United States and Europe. In 2021, Paloma launched American Riviera Media and ARM Studio, a quarterly arts and culture publication and salon gallery in downtown Santa Barbara. Her curations have led her across the globe, where she has produced, directed, eaten, slept and written her way around an unforgettable experience.
