Siel Archives - Page 8 of 18

February 6, 2017October 6, 2023

I’ll be at AWP in DC signing and reading from Cake Time

Will you be in Washington DC later this week? If so, let’s catch up! I’ll be signing books — and reading — and singing karaoke — at the AWP conference, and hope to see your friendly face —

AWP, for those who don’t know, stands for Association of Writers & Writing Programs — a professional organization for writers with a focus on college and university writing programs. Each year, AWP has an annual conference that brings many thousands of people together, and this year that conference happens February 8 – 11 at Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington DC.

And I’ll be there! First, about the book signing: Officially, Cake Time isn’t out until April 6, 2017 — but early copies of my novel-in-stories will be available at AWP! Please come by the Red Hen Press booth — # 412/414/416 — to check out a copy and say hello. I’ll be there all three days:

* Thurs, Feb. 9, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
* Fri, Feb. 10, 10:30 am – 11:30 am
* Sat, Feb. 11, 11 am – noon

Continue reading “I’ll be at AWP in DC signing and reading from Cake Time”

February 3, 2017October 6, 2023

One book review in Los Angeles Review of Books

Visit Los Angeles Review of Books today, and you’ll find on the front page a new book review I wrote — “To Be Young, Rich, and Screen-Addicted: Lindsey Lee Johnson’s The Most Dangerous Place on Earth.”

Here’s a little excerpt:

Although the teens in The Most Dangerous Place on Earth never grow up enough to contend with a world beyond their own lives, the novel effectively highlights the perils of sharing anything personal or meaningful today. Anything you say or do can be uploaded onto Instagram, dissected on Twitter, ridiculed on Facebook — the private has become public in a very different way.

Read the rest at Los Angeles Review of Books!

January 25, 2017October 6, 2023

Cake Time receives a Kirkus starred review

It’s almost Cake Time — and my forthcoming novel-in-stories received a Kirkus starred review!

“A promising start for a brave and unapologetically bold new writer,” ends the review. You can read the rest at Kirkus.

Early copies of Cake Time will be available at AWP in Washington DC in February — and I’ll be going on a west coast book tour around the book launch on April 6, followed by an east coast book tour in June. The itinerary is still being worked out, but some readings are already listed on my events page, with more to be added soon. Hope to see you your town!

Preorder now: Barnes & Noble | Target | IndieBound | Skylight

January 9, 2017October 6, 2023

Hear my story on 52 Men The Podcast

One of my favorite books read last year is Louise Wareham Leonard’s 52 Men, a thinly veiled memoir written in tiny, flash pieces, each one about a guy with whom the narrator had a relationship — some brief, some longer, some intimate, some cruel (full microreview here).

Now, 52 Men has launched in podcast form! Called 52 Men the Podcast: Women Telling Stories About Men, the audio series launched November 15. Each 10-minute episode features one woman writer telling, well, a story about men.

And my story, “Acceptance,” is the latest! As Louise puts it, the story is about woman with a lover “who seems to be two different people – one loving and wonderful and the other, well — not so loving and wonderful. How to tell which is the real person, and whether one should stay or go?”

Give it a listen.

Other women writers featured on the podcast include Lisa Locascio, Amalia Negreponti, Lynne Tillman, Rebecca Baumann, and others.

And you can be on the podcast too! To be considered, send a short prose piece of up to 900 words to 52menthepodcast@gmail.com. Louise says the podcast seeks “positive stories about men as well as stories of trouble.”

December 28, 2016October 5, 2023

One book review in The Los Angeles Review

Pick up the Fall 2016 issue of The Los Angeles Review, and near the back you’ll find a review I wrote of Bruce Bauman’s fantastic novel, Broken Sleep.

My favorite piece in this issue was a story called “Kona Kai Village, Part I” by Navid Saedi. It’s about the dark side of Venice — dilapidated drug dens, desperate letters that end up in strangers’ hands, days lost to blackouts. I really hope there’s a Part II coming —

December 14, 2016October 5, 2023

Tongue & Groove: A Monthly literary variety show at Hotel Cafe

Literary readings often happen in makeshift spaces: classrooms, coffee shops, someone’s tiny studio apartment. But one Los Angeles reading series — Tongue & Groove — puts writers on a famous spot: The main stage at Hotel Cafe.

Hotel Cafe’s known as an intimate performance space for musicians in Hollywood — but Tongue & Groove takes over the venue one Sunday a month, each evening event featuring a handful of writers reading fiction, poetry, personal essays, and spoken word.

Organized by Conrad Romo, this reading series is now in its 13 year. Attendees queue up at Hollywood and Cahuenga, pay the $7 cover, then enter the darkened space to buy drinks and chat before sitting down at one of the tables or couches to take in the show. In keeping with the spirit of the place, a musical act also performs.

The next Tongue & Groove event happens this Sunday, Dec. 18 at 6:30 — and I hope you can make it because I’ll be reading — alongside Bonnie Johnson and Samantha Emily Evans. See you there —

Tongue & Groove. One Sunday a month, 6 pm at Hotel Cafe, 1623 N Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles. Cost: $7.

Earlier: Roar Shack: A Monthly Echo Park reading series with music and a Livewrite