LITERARY WOMEN
Celebrating Women Authors Since 1982
Meet the Authors for the March 9, 2024 Festival
Lily Brooks-Dalton
Richly described and devastatingly more fact than fiction, The Light Pirate illustrates a world where the earth has taken control in order to either heal or implode. It is here we meet Wanda, a girl “born at exactly the wrong time, under exactly the wrong circumstances, given exactly the wrong name” whose resilience in the face of environmental and personal tragedy is inspiring. Her actions provide a snapshot of a lifestyle we may be forced to reckon with—soon.
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Diane Marie Brown
In a spellbinding debut, local author Diane Marie Brown explores generational trauma and the beautiful, conflicted relationship between mothers and daughters. Victoria wants to protect her family but must decide how far to go and how much to reveal. Spanning four generations, 1,900 miles, and dozens of secrets, Black Candle Women keeps the reader guessing as it explores the line between magic and manifestation.
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Kim Fu
This wildly imaginative story collection, Lesser-Known Monsters of the 21st Century, mesmerizes readers with original worlds that blur the boundaries of real and fantastic, and confirms Kim Fu as one of the most exciting short story writers in contemporary literature. The twelve unforgettable tales offer surprising insights into human nature while unmasking contradictions that make the strange seem familiar and the familiar feel strange.
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Rebecca Makkai
—I Have Some Questions for You— The latest novel from award-winning author Rebecca Makkai, is a page-turning murder mystery. Unsettling and riveting, the story revolves around successful film professor and podcaster Bodie Kane who is unable to let go of the past, particularly the drowning death of her high school roommate. It is a literary whodunit that begs important questions about what is right, what is wrong, and what is truth.
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Ann Napolitano
The brilliantly crafted Hello Beautiful, by New York Times bestselling author Ann Napolitano, is a profoundly moving portrait of the Padavano sisters and the young man who marries into the family. When the darkness from his past surfaces however, it results in a family rift that changes their lives. Selected as Oprah Winfrey’s 100th book club pick, Hello Beautiful vibrates with tenderness as it explores family, ambition, expectation, love and forgiveness.
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Shelley Read
Inspired by true events surrounding the destruction of the Colorado town of Iola in the 1960s, Go as a River is a story of deeply held love in the face of hardship and loss, but also of finding courage, resilience, friendship, and , finally, home―where least expected. With a lyrical voice, Shelley Read’s stunning debut explores what it means to lead your life as if it were a river―gathering and flowing, finding a way forward even when a river is dammed.
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Warsan Shire
This collection of poems by the Somali-British Poet, Warsan Shire is beautifully crafted with expressive language and styles. The poetic forms used –incantations, chants and spells– are appropriate to her subjects which are far-reaching. Shire’s poems are revelatory, unforgettable, profoundly moving, and bring a new understanding to those “who have a compassionate heart.”
— They are to be savored slowly! —
Shelby Van Pelt
With wit and charm, Shelby Van Pelt’s luminous debut novel, Remarkably Bright Creatures, explores the unlikely friendship of a widow and a giant Pacific Octopus. After her husband dies, Tova begins working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium where she encounters curmudgeonly Marcellus. In the midst of this remarkable friendship the mysterious past of two young men begins to unfold, untangle, and ultimately offer a future that once seemed impossible.
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