THE ESSENTIAL A&E PICKS FOR AUG 15 - 21 

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Romance Day @ The King's English
As we discovered back in March when we spoke to local writers of romance fiction, that community is rich and thriving in Utah. The stigma attached to romance novels is one based on old paradigms, and those who create them are blazing interesting new trails for those who enjoy reading them. And both writers and readers get to celebrate the form this week when The King's English presents a day of events celebrating romance fiction.

The fun begins with a Historical Romance Tea Party, a ticketed event at 10:30 a.m. featuring tea service, party favors, and a copy of the new historical romance Accidental Courtship with the Earl by Utah author Samantha Hastings (pictured). At 2 p.m., writers from the League of Utah Writers' Romance Chapter offer a 90-minute Romance Writing Workshop for budding authors, sharing tips, tropes, tricks for marketing and finding an agent, and much more information about getting your own writing rolling; the event is free, but registration is required. At 5 p.m., authors Yamile Saied Mendez and Bradeigh Godfrey join moderator Krysti Meyer for a panel discussion about contemporary romance fiction. Then, the evening wraps up with an "after-hours" Romance Trivia Night at 7 p.m., with a pub-quiz-style team format for dropping all of your romance lit knowledge; tickets are $10 with wine provided, but admission cost is redeemable against cost of purchasing any in-store item that night.

All events take place at The King's English Bookshop (1511 S. 1500 East) on Saturday, Aug. 17. Visit kingsenglish.com for registration links and additional event information. (SR)

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City Weekly Utah Beer Festival
Once upon a time, the idea of a grand celebration of any kind of alcoholic beverage in Utah seemed preposterous; this was hardly considered the place either for creators or consumers of adult beverages. That was before an explosion in the market for craft brews and spirits, driven in part by talented local creators helping to teach Utahns what great beer could taste like. Celebrating the growth and success of that industry and its customers is what led to the creation of the initial Utah Beer Festival by City Weekly in 2010, and we're back for more in 2024.

More than 200 different beers, ciders and other libations will be on tap from vendor booths representing more than 70 Utah-based and national brewers, as well as food trucks and merchandise vendors. Live music will also be available on the festival grounds by great local bands, and transportation via Trax is convenient and safe. Says City Weekly publisher Pete Saltas, "We learned Utahns want to come together and enjoy the final days of summer with great food, music and of course, beer."

The 14th annual City Weekly Utah Beer Festival returns to The Gateway (400 W. 200 South) Aug. 17 – 18, 2 p.m. – 8 p.m. daily, with 1 p.m. early-access for VIP and "early beer" ticket holders. Advance ticket prices for the 21+ event include $20 admission only/designated driver passes, $35 advance/$40 day-of-event single-day passes which include 10 punches for sample pours, to $90 for VIP packages. Full weekend passes are also available. Visit utahbeerfestival.com to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (SR)

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Utah Dance Film Festival
During the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020 and 2021, many dance companies pivoted to recorded presentations to connect with their audiences—but as any of those artists would tell you, dance for the camera is its own distinct creative form. The Utah Dance Film Festival celebrates that form as a place for both filmmaking and recognizing the potential for compelling use of dance in filmmaking, in a weekend of short films, workshops and filmmaker conversations.

The program includes more than 30 shorts representing creators from around the country and around the world, as well as locally. Made-in-Utah highlights include: The Star, a production of the Provo High School Dance Company inspired by works in New York's Metropolitan Art Museum; The Weight of Salt by Irishia Hubbard and Kellie St. Pierre, exploring resilience in the face of climate change's impact on the Great Salt Lake; Pushing Limitations by James Coca, profiling Mexico-born choreographer Alan Salazar; and Nonlinear by Jessica Heaton, investigating evolving ideologies through the collapse of building blocks.

The 2024 Utah Dance Film Festival comes to the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center (138 W. 300 South) with presentations of four individual 75-minute film/Q&A programs, on Saturday, Aug. 17 at 6 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 18 at 4:30 p.m. & 7 p.m. The 90-minute filmmaking workshop takes place Aug. 17 at 2 p.m., and the awards ceremony follows the 7 p.m. screening on Aug. 18. Select shorts will also be available online Aug. 18. Visit utdancefilmfest.com for additional information, and arttix.org for tickets. (SR)