Meet Elena Henry, Ben And Emily Sledge | Fantasy book event owners

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elena Henry, Ben And Emily Sledge and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elena Henry, Ben and Emily Sledge, we’d love to hear about a book that’s had an impact on you.
Elena and I read A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) before we even knew each other, and like millions of other readers, we fell in love with the magic and romance. But we never could have predicted how dramatically it would change our lives.

Seeking out ACOTAR content on social media, we started seeing fantasy balls themed around this series, and desperately longed to attend. When tickets sold out to a local event, Elena realized she could throw her own ACOTAR party here in the Springs.

She quickly sold out two nights, and I met her through those events. Noticing she had no online presence, my husband and I offered to partner with her in starting a new company focused on crafting fantasy book events in Colorado.

As we connected with book lovers all over the state and even the world, we realized how deeply readers craved stepping into a magical world and building relationships with each other. So in addition to our ethereal balls, we began to plan free or at-cost bookish gatherings.

Together, the three of us are building up the bookish community here in Colorado, and we hope to expand across the nation and eventually internationally. Our goal lies in addressing the chronic loneliness of our generation by creating connection among readers everywhere.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Elena, Ben, and I (Emily) experienced a wide range of careers before we created this business together. Ben has enjoyed a fair amount of success as a graphic designer, web developer, and author, while Elena and Emily have worked in a wide range of fields.

Elena currently also works for a holistic mental and behavioral agency that supports families and works closely with CPS, offering support to under-resourced kids. She has developed a wide range of skills and certifications in order to support these kids. This plays into our desire to pull mental health themes into the way we run this business.

Emily has worked in communications and marketing primarily for established businesses, start ups, and even a church. She has also volunteered as a 12 step recovery leader for over a decade. But until she co-started this business with the others, she never felt like she really belonged or could bring all her passions and skills to the table.

Sometimes you have to start your own company in order to create the position you wish you’d had all along!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We all love everything Colorado has to offer! When guests are in town, we keep a long list of places to visit. For places outside, we have to take them to Garden of the Gods, 7 Falls, the Cave of the Winds, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and our favorite hiking trails in the Cheyenne Canyon area like Helen Hunt Falls.

While Colorado gets a bad rap in the foodie realm, we enjoy proving people wrong by taking them to places like COATI, Sushi Row, Cowboy Star, Garden of the Gods Cafe, and Shuga’s. Our favorite dark academia speakeasy is District Eleven in downtown Colorado Springs, and we love the eclectic Alamo Drafthouse movie theater in Denver!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
All three of us are avid fantasy book readers, so we are incredibly grateful to every writer who bravely created these stories and released them into the world! But our business never would have existed without Sarah J Maas and all the readers who share in the love of her books.

We also would never have been able to create at the level we have been without the support of photographer and videographer duo, Jennifer and Nolan Thompson of 42 at Vesper and East to Opal.

Website: https://Www.mountainsandmagic.com

Instagram: @mountainsandmagicevents

Facebook: Mountains and Magic Events page

Other: We’re also on TikTok and Threads with the same handle: @mountainsandmagicevents

Image Credits
Jennifer and Nolan Thompson, East to Opal and 42 at Vesper