SATURNALIA Event Calendar

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

Continue reading “SATURNALIA Event Calendar”

In Conversation with GennaRose Nethercott on Sept. 19

I’m thrilled to help Main Point Books welcome GennaRose Nethercott to Philadelphia and celebrate the release of her debut novel, Thistlefoot. The reading, conversation, and shadow puppet show are free and open to the public. RSVP here.

In the tradition of modern fairytales like American Gods and Spinning Silver comes a sweeping epic rich in Eastern European folklore – a debut novel about the ancestral hauntings that stalk us, and the uncanny power of story.

The Yaga siblings – Bellatine, a young woodworker, and Isaac, a wayfaring street performer and con artist – have been estranged since childhood, separated both by resentment and by wide miles of American highway. But when they learn that they are to receive a mysterious inheritance, the siblings are reunited – only to discover that their bequest isn’t land or money, but something far stranger: a sentient house on chicken legs.

GennaRose Nethercott and Special Guest Stephanie Feldman

July 12: In Conversation with AC Wise for the launch of HOOKED

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…

May 12-15: StokerCon Appearance

I’m excited to attend my first StokerCon in Denver on May12-15. Here’s my schedule:

Thurs., 4pm:
Fiction Reading
with David Rose and Sam Rebelein

Sat., 3pm:
“Ghost Stories: They Haunt Your Dreams”
with Heather Graham, Usman Malik, Karley Pardue, and AC Wise

March 24: The CLAW Reading

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.

Or stream live via YouTube.

March 16-20: ICFA 43 Events

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

Winter 21-22 Classes for Novelists

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.

 

August 14: Readercon (Online)

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.

Oct. 16: One-Day Novel Workshop

I’m looking forward to leading my three-hour intensive “Laying the Groundwork for Your Novel” again on October 16. Join us online to tackle the fundamentals of character and conflict; the elements of a satisfying narrative arc; and practical strategies for completing that first draft.

Students of all levels are welcome to participate, though this class is best-suited for folks who have their first novel idea but aren’t sure where to go next. 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.

Read more and sign up here.