Literature

Writers’ Workshop alum Bret Anthony Johnston will read from his new novel, We Burn Daylight. "Symphonic and suspenseful, We Burn Daylight reimagines events at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco. In an epic act of empathy, Bret Anthony Johnston inhabits every point of view, from doomed devotees to perplexed law enforcement, and even manages to infuse the tragedy...

Writers Workshop graduate Ruthvika Rao will read from her debut novel, The Fertile Earth. "The Fertile Earth is the kind of novel that you find yourself wanting a friend to read alongside you, to share in the beauty, tragedy, triumph and heartbreak of the world brought to life within its pages. Ruthvika Rao has crafted an astonishing, intelligent...

Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate and author of The Travelers Regina Porter will read from her new novel, The Rich People Have Gone Away. She will be in conversation with Claire Lombardo.  “Regina Porter weaves beauty and humor with pathos, in prose that is winding, prescient, and profound. She shows us worlds inside of worlds—of queerness, of love and relationships,...

Godshot author Chelsea Bieker will read from her new literary suspense Madwoman. She will be joined in conversation by Rachel Yoder.  “Madwoman is brilliant. The rare kind of book that lives in your bones, as riveting as it is intimate. This is emotional suspense at its best, but it's also a chronicle of modern womanhood, an exploration of...

Poets Hannah Bonner and Dan Wriggins will read from their debut poetry collections. Hannah Bonner will read from Another Woman, published by Eastover Press. Poet Carlie Hoffman writes, "“A book of eros and "wild risk," Hannah Bonner's spellbinding debut, Another Woman, conjures "a water so febrile it is almost fire." In the aftermath of the end of a...