Colorado SunFest 2026 is a daylong event bringing Coloradans together to discuss what makes “A Better Colorado” — and the state’s rich literary scene is a part of that.

Seven award-winning authors will be happy to engage with guests at the authors table in the main gathering area. And they’ll have copies of their books on hand for sale and signing.

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Here’s the literary lineup:

Cynthia Swanson

Cynthia Swanson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the psychological suspense novels “The Bookseller,” “The Glass Forest” and “Anyone But Her” and the recently released short story collection “This Isn’t New: Women’s Historical Stories.” She’s a two-time Colorado Book Award winner and also edited and contributed to the award-winning anthology “Denver Noir.”

Allyson Reedy

Allyson Reedy is a fiction writer, food journalist, and restaurant critic. She is the author of several cookbooks, and her novel “Mrs. Wilson’s Affair” reimagines “The Great Gatsby” through the eyes of one of that story’s secondary characters. Aside from food, she loves nothing more than talking “Gatsby” — she owns more than 50 copies of the Fitzgerald novel and even named her dog Gatsby.

Meg Wingerter

Meg Wingerter started writing her recently released novel, “The Silence that Remains,” right out of college. Eight years, five jobs, four states, one pandemic later, she finished this powerful work of historical fiction set in Stalin’s early 20th-century Russia — though it definitely has resonance today. She also covers health for The Denver Post.

Samuel Marquis

Samuel Marquis, born and raised in Colorado, is the ninth-great-grandson of legendary privateer Captain William Kidd, and the author of “Captain Kidd: A True Story of Treasure and Betrayal” and “Blackbeard: The Birth of America.” He has written a total of 12 American histories, historical novels, and works of suspense. He also promises to have cool poster board visuals of Captain Kidd’s sailing routes. 

Pardeep Toor

Pardeep Toor is the winner of the PEN America Dau Prize, and his writing has appeared in the Best Debut Short Stories 2021, Southern Humanities Review, Electric Literature, Catapult, and Longreads. His short story collection, “Hands” was published in April 2026. He grew up in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, and is currently a librarian in Colorado.

Kevin Fitzgerald

Kevin Fitzgerald has practiced veterinary medicine in Denver for over 40 years. He helped pay for his education working for rock promoters and providing security for touring bands. For 11 seasons he was one of the featured veterinarians on Animal Planet’s popular series “Emergency Vets” and “E-Vet Interns.” He is a staple of the Denver comedy scene and has worked with Joan Rivers, Norm McDonald, Kevin Nealon and others. In his book “It Started with a Turtle” he recounts those adventures, as well as how he became a strong advocate for conservation.

G. Brown

G. Brown has navigated the Rocky Mountain musical landscape for decades, both as a journalist and as a radio personality, interviewing well over 2,500 musicians. He is the founding director of Colorado Music Experience, a nonprofit established to preserve the legacies of Colorado music. He’s the author of “On Record,” an award-winning series of books celebrating popular music from 1978-1998. He also co-hosts the Daily Sun-Up’s monthly music podcast.

The fourth annual Colorado SunFest is Friday, May 1, at Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs on the University of Denver campus. Tickets for the event are available on The Colorado SunFest event page.

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Other Colorado SunFest Sessions

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