It is a truth universally acknowledged that a reader in possession of a good book, must be in want of a literary festival – and that is exactly what a Bushey resident and the founder of MeetCute has provided.
As the UK’s first romance book festival, MeetCute Book Fest was founded in 2024 by Andi Michael Forsythe as a way of bringing readers and authors together to celebrate the popular genre.
This year’s event on Saturday, June 28, welcomed around 350 romance lovers and nearly 100 authors.
Several panels and talks took place across five stages, where readers could pick the minds of authors on a range of topics – from writing about healthy relationships, to platonic friendships, and even sports romance.
Speaking with Bushey News, Andi shared: “It went really well and everyone was so pleased to chat to so many people. Authors were milling around as guests, and everyone got really involved.”
The festival also offered attendees the unique opportunity to meet one-to-one with agents and learn more about the publishing process.
Showing their mastery at the Bookish Pub Quiz, authors were quizzed on their romance knowledge.
Participants also got their creative juices flowing at Whose Meet Cute Is It Anyway? where they penned their own story as a group.
Andi said: “We are working hard to make romance inclusive, and I am proud and grateful it went well because it’s just me doing this and some amazing friends who turned up.
“My goal and purpose has always been celebrating romance in the face of snobbishness, and recognising that reading can also just be fun!”
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