Online workshop: writing across genres

Hello! I will be teaching a 2-hour online workshop with Augur Magazine on August 5th, 9-11am CDT. The workshop, Writing Across Genres: Literary and Speculative, is $10, with free and pay-as-you-can options. Expect discussion and writing exercises around genre expectations, from the level of the sentence to the level of structure to submission practices. Participation is limited to 25 so if you’re interested, I recommend you sign up sooner rather than later! I’m looking forward to it.

Reading at DreamHaven Books, Wednesday July 5, 6:30pm

I will be reading here in Minneapolis at DreamHaven books on Wednesday, July 5th, 6:30pm! Please come!

Book Launch!

Ink Blood Sister Scribe comes out on May 30th!!! That’s NEXT MONTH, omg. If you haven’t yet, please consider pre-ordering the novel!

If you’re in or around the Twin Cities, I’d love to see you at my book launch on June 1st, 6pm, at Moon Palace Books! There will be refreshments, book swag, and short readings from local literary luminaries Lesley Nneka Arimah, Abbey Mei Otis, and Sally Franson. Afterparty next door at Arbeiter Brewering.

Also, I now have a monthly newsletter, called “News & Mews,” which will feature relevant writing news plus photographs of my glorious feline companion, Igor. You can sign up for the newsletter here.

"As One Listens to the Rain" by Andrea Chapela in Uncanny, translation

My translation of Andrea Chapela’s beautiful story, “As One Listens to the Rain,” is free to read at Uncanny Magazine right here, and available by ebook if you’d like to support Uncanny and purchase it here. Come for the stunning imagery of a post-deluge Mexico City, stay for the cuteass sapphic flirtation!

Event with Argo Bookshop and Neon Hemlock: All the Stories We Can't Stay Away From

On Thursday, July 21st, at 8pmEST, Neon Hemlock presents: an evening of shared readings and discussion from Andrea Chapela, Izzy Wasserstein, Elly Bangs, Iori Kusano, Gordon B White, and Emma Törzs (me).

Come hear work from several of my beloved and talented Clarion West classmates and then stay for a panel co-moderated by me and Andrea! It is free and open to the public; you’ll need to RSVP HERE and get a Zoom link.

This event is hosted by Argo Bookshop in Montréal, and is in celebration of Izzy Wasserstein’s fantastic new collection of speculative fiction, All the Hometowns You Can’t Stay Away From. Annalee Newitz called this collection “Inventive, fascinating, and deeply moving,” and I could not agree more. Izzy is a gorgeous writer with an incredible, tender imagination, who manages to rip my heart to shreds while still leaving me hopeful. One of my favorite of her stories, Requiem Without Sound, appears in this collection — and is available to read online if you want a taste!

"Hard Mother" in American Short Fiction

I have a new story out in Issue 75 of American Short Fiction, which you can order from their website! It’s about a cyborg who gets her MFA. I wrote it as sort of an inside joke with myself; a mashup of what sci-fi writers may think of when they think of literary fiction, and what literary writers may think of when they think of sci-fi. Fun to write — fun to read?

"The Path of Water" in Uncanny Magazine

I am very happy to have a new story out with Uncanny Magazine!

“The Path of Water," my first real foray into fairy tales, is free to read online here and is also available by ebook if you’d like to purchase issue 45 here.

This story a) took me two years to write, all told, and b) is one of only two stories I’ve written in those past two years, because I have been head-down noveling! I hope you like it.

Upcoming Spring Classes: two versions of "Straddling Literary and Speculative Markets"

1. Webinar. On February 19th, 6pm PST/7pm CST, I will reprise my recent Clarion West class as a free, one-hour seminar. This class is for those interested in writing and submitting short fiction to both “literary” and “speculative” markets, and will cover submission practices and expectations for both fields, as well as discussing key differences and similarities. SIGN UP HERE!

2. Craft workshop. In three 75-minute Monday sessions starting April 11th, 4:00-5:15 PST/5-6:15 CST, we will focus on crafting short stories that might appeal to both “literary” and “speculative” markets. My constant use of scare quotes will be addressed, LOL. Other topics covered will be reader expectations (i.e., what do readers expect when they approach Clarkesworld vs. when they approach Granta? How might cultural expectations change the perceived genre of a given story?) and the language used in stories (i.e., how do stories telegraph genre at the very level of the sentence, with their syntax, word choice, rhythm?). The third class will be a workshop with peer feedback. Expect readings, discussion, and writing exercises. This class is best for intermediate-advanced writers who can come with a story in hand. The supporting tuition rate is $102, but there are scholarship options for BIPOC, marginalized and economically-strapped students. SIGN UP HERE!

YAYYYYY I SOLD MY NOVEL

Coming in 2023, my debut novel, Ink Blood Mirror Magic Ink Blood Sister Scribe! A standalone contemporary fantasy for your reading (hopefully) pleasure!

I am so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so happy about this.

"The Wait" by Andrea Chapela -- Translation -- in Slate's Future Tense

Yayyy, another story by the amazing Andrea Chapela! “The Wait” is a story about family, sinister bureaucracy, a government that tracks its citizens, and the meaning of “safety.” This one does some interesting things with time/tense that made it quite fun and also challenging to translate. Check it out right here: The Wait.