An author-panel discussion with bestselling authors Jane Smiley, Ellen Sussman and Janis Cooke Newman.

What exactly is Chick Lit? And why do serious authors dread the label? If women's fiction tends to be about matters of the heart (home, relationships, family) couldn't all women's literature be labeled "chick lit?" And who cares about labels anyway if they help sell books?

Wading into the controversy this evening will be Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley (A Thousand Acres), New York Times bestselling novelist Ellen Sussman (French Lessons), and Los Angeles Times book prize finalist Janis Cooke Newman (Mary). The panel will be moderated by Litquake co-founder Jane Ganahl.