I’m looking forward to my second StokerCon on June 15-18 in Pittsburgh. I’m participating in two events on Saturday:
9 am – Author Reading
with Sarah Read, Zachary Rosenberg, & Tamika Thompson
12pm – “Listening to the Voices in Your Head: Crafting Point of View”
with Douglas Ford, Ruthann Jagge,, Joseph Scipione, Catriona Ward, & Valerie B. Williams
Looking forward to celebrating the new Philadelphia Barnes & Noble and Independent Bookstore Day with Main Point Books. Come say hi!
Barnes & Noble Philadelphia Grand Reopening
Book Signing
Friday, April 14, 5-7pm
1708 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA
Independent Bookstore Day at Main Point Books
Book Signing
Saturday, April 29, noon-2pm
116 N. Wayne Ave, Wayne, PA
I’m excited to join the Rooftop Reading series in Brooklyn on March 28!
Rooftop Reading Series
with Julia Bartz, Fran Hawthorne, and Nicholas Kaufmann
Tuesday, March 28, 7pm
Barrow’s Intense Tasting Room, 86 34th StreetBrooklyn, NY
Tickets available here. (Note: ticket website has yet to be corrected to March 28)
Here it is, my fall 2022 calendar! Check the events page for updates.
Philadelphia Saturnalia Launch Party
with A.C. Wise and Gina Tomaine
October 11, 7pm
Main Point Books | Wayne, PA
Share and RSVP via Eventbrite
A Requiem for Witches at Fall for the Book
with Hester Fox
October 15, 1pm
George Mason University | Fairfax, VA
Full Festival Schedule
Cul-de-Sac Book Launch
with Nick Perilli, Daniel DiFranco, and Christina Rosso
October 21, 7pm
Arcadia University | Glenside, PA
Share and RSVP via Facebook
I’m exciting to join AC Wise in conversation as she launches her new novel, Hooked, set in the same world as last year’s fantastic Wendy, Darling. Celebrate with us at Main Point Books (Wayne, PA) on Tuesday, July 12, at 7pm. (As of today, masks required.) We’ll talk about feminist retelllings, grief and survivor guilt, and of course, monsters and the enduring allure of Peter Pan.
Register for free at Eventbrite and order your copy of Hooked from Main Point.
Once invited, always welcome.
Once invited, never free.Captain James Hook, the immortal pirate of Neverland, has died a thousand times. Drowned, stabbed by Peter Pan’s sword, eaten by the beast swimming below the depths, yet James was resurrected every time by one boy’s dark imagination. Until he found a door in the sky, an escape. And he took the chance no matter the cost.
Now in London twenty-two years later, Peter Pan’s monster has found Captain Hook again, intent on revenge. But a chance encounter leads James to another survivor of Neverland. Wendy Darling, now a grown woman, is the only one who knows how dark a shadow Neverland casts, no matter how far you run. To vanquish Pan’s monster once and for all, Hook must play the villain one last time…
This summer, I’m excited to bring back my four-week boot camp on structuring the novel!
This course—open to those who have yet to start writing, and those who are revising full-length drafts—guides you in developing a complete story structure for your novel. It provides tools for outlining new projects and finding fresh insight into stalled projects.
In this course, we will use written guides, writing exercises, assigned stories, and discussions to move from premise to detailed synopsis, identifying universal principles that will make your distinct story a satisfying read. Writers will leave with outlines for their works-in-progress and a toolkit of strategies for future projects.
Join us for readings, exercises, workshops, and zoom discussions on Thursday evenings, 8:30-10pm EST, from July 28-August 15. Read more and register here and feel free to be in touch with any questions.
It’s happening! My first in-person Philadelphia reading since… you know when.
March 24, 6pm
with Piyalia Bhattacharya, Ariel Delgado Dixon, Carmen Maria Machado, Sara Nović, and Asali Solomon
Kelly Writers House
3805 Locust Walk, Philadelphia (UPenn campus)
In-person attendance is free and open to the public. Proof of vaccination required.
Register here.
I’m excited to return to the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts, March 16-20 in Orlando. Here’s my schedule:
Weds., 3/16, 4:30 pm:
I’m hosting a reading for Valya Dudycz Lupescu, Gregory Frost, Jacob Weisman, and Rick Wilbur
Vista A
Thurs., 3/17, 10:30am:
Creative Panel: Is there a Craft?
with Eileen Gunn, Joe Haldeman, and Marge Simon
Vista B
Thurs., 3/17, 2:30 pm:
Author Reading with Dennis Danvers, Micah Dean Hicks, Elle E. Ire (host), and Alethea Kontis
Vista A
This winter, I’m excited to bring back my one-day intensive and four-week bootcamp, both for aspiring and dedicated novel-writers.
For aspiring novelists who who have an idea but don’t know how to start, Laying the Groundwork tackles the fundamentals of character and conflict; the elements of a satisfying narrative arc; and practical strategies for completing that first draft. Our time together will include presentations, guided writing, and discussion. In the end, you’ll leave with fresh ideas and concrete plans for your novel, as well as three worksheets to apply to this and future writing projects.
Solve Your Novel’s Structure takes a more in-depth approach. Over four weeks, we will use written guides, writing exercises, assigned stories, and discussions to move from idea to detailed synopsis, identifying universal principles that will make your distinct story a satisfying read. Writers will leave with outlines for their works-in-progress and a toolkit of strategies for future projects. The course is designed for both students who have yet to start writing and those who are revising full-length drafts.
Read more about Laying the Groundwork for Your Novel Intensive and Solve Your Novel’s Structure Boot Camp and/or ask me a question.
Read more and sign up via Catapult.
I’m excited to join this year’s virtual Readercon! On Saturday, August 14, 11am-noon EST, I’ll be moderating the panel “Reading Fantasy Through a Motif Lens Index,” which includes speakers Katherine Crighton, Jeffrey Ford, Karen Heuler, and L. Penelope.
Folklorists use motif indexes to catalog and analyze folk tales from around the world. The existence of TV Tropes suggests the need for new motif indexes that fit new forms of literature, but we can also apply folklore motif indexes to 21st-century fantastical fiction. Which motifs have had staying power for hundreds of years, and what other expected or unexpected patterns do we find? What does treating fiction as folklore bring to the reading experience?
Register here for the weekend event. Recordings will remain available for members for six months following the convention.