Friday, Aug. 3

Laughing Out Loud

An kick-off party with Michelle Tea, as well as comedy sets by Anthony Oakes, Camille Roberts, and Joanna Cifredo. Hosted by Chelsea Shorte.

6:30-9:30 p.m.
Ten Tigers Parlour
3813 Georgia Ave. NW
$15 in advance, $20 at door

Saturday, Aug. 4

All events take place in the Reeves Center, 2000 14th St. NW.

Exhibitor Booths

Booksellers, authors, artisan tea makers, jewelry designers, custom T-shirt designers, and other groups sell their wares.

10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Love Lines and Life Lines

A reading with Kathy Anderson, Larry Benjamin, Rashid Darden, and Randi Triant.
10-11 a.m.
Downstairs Reading Room

Between Worlds

A speculative fiction reading featuring Genevieve Iseult Eldredge, Racheline Maltese, Jenn Polish, and Don Sakers.
10-11 a.m.
Upstairs Reading Room

Mining Trauma for Writing

Michelle Tea, Tafisha Edwards, Kosoko Jackson, Jen Fitzgerald, and Mary Anne Mohanraj on how writers can delve into pain and traumas to find stories. Moderator: Sunny Moraine.
10-11 a.m.
Panel Lounge

Like Copper on their Tongues

A speculative fiction reading with Jacob Budenz, Marianne Kirby, Catherine Lundoff, and Krystal Smith.
11 a.m.-Noon
Downstairs Reading Room

Lessons in Unlearning

A poetry reading with Marcos Martinez, Jen Fitzgerald, Alexis Smithers, and Tyler Vile.
11 a.m.-Noon
Reading Room

Writing Nonbinary Characters

A.M. Dellamonica moderates a craft panel on writing nuanced, complex nonbinary characters. Panelists include Brit Mandelo, Racheline Maltese, Jenn Polish, Xemiyulu Manibusan, and Carmen Phelps.
11 a.m.-Noon
Panel Lounge

On a Pale Horse

A speculative fiction reading with Alexa Black, Jackie D, Lyle Blake Smythers, and Victoria Zelvin.
Noon-1 p.m.
Downstairs Reading Room

Oceans of Salt & Longing

A poetry reading with Erica Hughes, Victoria Newton Ford, and Cantrice Janelle Penn
Noon-1 p.m.
Upstairs Reading Room

Worldbuilding for Experts and Beginners

Jenn Polish moderates a panel for speculative fiction writers on how to create nuanced, complex worlds in their works. Panelists include Melissa Scott, Alexis Smithers, Kosoko Jackson, and Marco Gonzalez.
Noon-1 p.m.
Panel Lounge

Limelight & Dial Tones

A poetry and fiction reading with Temim Fruchter, Gar McVey-Russell, Philip Dean Walker, and Stephen Zerance.
1-2 p.m.
Downstairs Reading Room

Keynote: Michelle Tea

In a live recorded event for literary podcast Lit!Pop!Bang!, Tea will read from her work, Against Memoir, where she blurs the line between telling other people’s stories and her own, and reflects on the extent to which art preys on life.
1-2 p.m.
Upstairs Reading Room

Writing Horror

Tips and advice for horror writers with Craig L. Gidney, Marianne Kirby, Jackie D, and Sunny Moraine. Moderator: Catherine Lundoff.
1-2 p.m.
Panel Lounge

Love Redefined

A young adult reading with Tom Wilinsky and Jen Sternick, Kosoko Jackson, Marco Gonzalez, and NoNieqa Ramos-Richards.
2-3 p.m.
Downstairs Reading Room

Hommes Fatale & Hard Dammes

A crime fiction reading with John Copenhaver, Dale Corvino, Georgette Gouveia, and Cheryl Head.
2-3 p.m.
Upstairs Reading Room

Writing Sex

How to write successful sex and romance scenes, with authors Lara Elena Donnelly, Michael M Jones, Mary Anne Mohanraj, Alexa Black, and Don Sakers. Moderator: Marcos Martinez.
2-3 p.m.
Panel Lounge

Burn it All Down

A poetry reading with Marlena Chertock, Elizabeth Hodge, Ben Robinson, and Lauren Sotolongo.
3-4 p.m.
Downstairs Reading Room

Femmes, Floozies, and Elder Things

A speculative fiction reading with Lara Elena Donnelly, Ruthanna Emrys, Mary Anne Mohanraj, and Sunny Moraine.
3-4 p.m.
Upstairs Reading Room

Hidden Histories

Jade Salazar moderates a panel exploring research, writing, history, and queer lives. Panelists include Jose Gutierrez, John Copenhaver, Xemiyulu Manibusan, and Tsaitami Duchicela.
3-4 p.m.
Panel Lounge

Feral Dreams

A speculative fiction reading with A.M. Dellamonica, Craig L. Gidney, Brit Mandelo, and Melissa Scott.
Downstairs Reading Room

Quick & Dirty

Billed as a “literary lightning round,” Rayceen Pendarvis hosts readings of short stories by nine different authors.
4-5 p.m.
Upstairs Reading Room

We Will Not Be Erased

Marlena Chertock moderates a panel exploring disability, the body, and queerness as resistance. Panelists include Elizabeth Hodge, Day Al-Mohamed, Carmen Phelps, Xemiyulu Manibusan, and Temim Fruchter.
4-5 p.m.
Panel Lounge

Truth, Lies & In Between

A memoir and fiction reading with Rayne Alexander, LaToya Hankins, Anthony Moll, and Carmen Phelps.
5-6 p.m.
Downstairs Reading Room

MelaNation Poets

A poetry reading featuring writers of color, including Kendra Allen, Jonathan Butler, Delan Ellington, Ayaana Marie, Uptown Shane, and Buddah Desmond.
5-6 p.m.
Upstairs Reading Room

Fanpersoning

Ben Beaury moderates a panel exploring inclusion and geek culture, featuring Robb Pearlman, Maria Aragon, Tom Lotito, and Rob Gates.
5-6 p.m.
Panel Lounge

Connecting: From the Page to An Audience

A panel offering ideas on how writers can connect live in reading or spoken word performances. Moderator: Dale Corvino.
6-7 p.m.
Downstairs Reading Room

Cafe y Pan Dulce

A poetry reading with Latinx authors Milagros Chirinos, Monica Dame, Tsai Duchicela, Roland Gutierrez, Salvador Torres-Martinez, Juaniorex Cemicaonani, Master Taino, and Jose Gutierrez.
6-7 p.m.
Upstairs Reading Room

The Road Before Us

Gar McVey-Russell and Philip Robinson moderate a panel focusing on queer black writing in the current political climate.
6-7 p.m.
Panel Lounge

Sunday, Aug. 5

Writing as a Team

Tom Wilinsky and Jen Sternick, co-authors of the young adult novel, Snowsisters, discuss how authors can team up to write together. The authors incorporate their own experiences drafting, querying, publishing, and marketing their book and provide practical tips.
10-11 a.m.
Back Meeting Room

How to Pitch Your Book

Marcos Martinez and Dani Badra hold an information session for budding writers on the ins and outs of writing cover letters, refining book pitches, and finding publishers and agents.
Noon-1 p.m.
Front Conference Room

Dialogue in Fiction

John Copenhaver leads a workshop on mastering dialogue as a form of effective storytelling.
Noon-1 p.m.
Back Meeting Room

From Prep to the Page

Day Al-Mohamed and Marianne Kirby on how to move from an idea to a finished draft.
2-3 p.m.
Front Conference Room

Storytelling Workshop

Phil Branch on how to turn one of your experiences into an engaging spoken-word story for an audience.
2-3 p.m.
Back Meeting Room