1455 Summer Literary Festival - 2nd Annual - Saturday, Track 3

July 18 - Track 3 - Agenda

Craft & Community

9:00 AM

Epic Fantasy for the 21st Century

Speaker(s):

Sarah Canfield

Dragons. Magic. Swordplay. Objects of power, lost and found. Mystic forces, within and without. Extravagant world-building and heart-racing plots create alternate worlds brimming with power and politics, dark lords and shining heroes. The Game of Thrones may have ended, but the quests of epic fantasy continue. In this session, Shenandoah University’s Sarah Canfield will lead a discussion the growth of this popular category of storytelling from its roots in the Middle Ages to its current manifestations. The Lord of the Rings with its Fellowship and their quest set the framework of the genre, but 21st-century authors have taken it in new and exciting directions. What exactly is epic fantasy? What relationship do these imaginary struggles bear to the present? To an imagined past? Whose epics are these, and what changes when authors from other traditions, cultures, and perspectives take up the quest?

10:30 AM

What's Past is Present: Historical Fiction

Speaker(s):

Louis Bayard, Denny S. Bryce, Carrie Callaghan,

Katrina Carrasco

Books by Speaker(s) 

Historical fiction isn't a snapshot of the past, but rather a story written by contemporary authors concerned about contemporary (and often universal) issues. This panel, including Louis Bayard (COURTING MR. LINCOLN), Denny S. Bryce (WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES), Carrie Callaghan (A LIGHT OF HER OWN), and Katrina Carrasco (THE BEST BAD THINGS), will discuss why historical fiction matters today and how authors blend and balance fact and fiction.

12:00 PM

The Art of Storytelling with Stephen Tobolowsky

Speaker(s):

Stephen Tobolowsky, Andy Gyurisin,

Sean Murphy

Books by Speaker(s) 

You may know him as Ned Ryerson from Groundhog Day, or Sammy Jenkis from Memento, or from any of the myriad roles he’s played on the big screen, TV, and the stage. What you may not know is that Stephen Tobolowsky, in addition to being a beloved American character actor, is also a writer, having authored three books: The Dangerous Animals Club, Cautionary Tales, and My Adventures with God.  In addition, he hosts a monthly podcast, The Tobolowky Files, which explore his acting and personal life. 1455 Executive Director Sean Murphy and Andy Gyurisin, manager of programming and promotions for Winchester’s Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will talk with Stephen about his career, and the many ways he has both portrayed and created narrative to tell his (and others’) stories.

1:00 PM

Lockdown Roots: Stories of Going Gray, Kinky, Curly or Straight

Speaker(s):

Elizabeth Benedict, Ronnie Citron-Fink,

Yvette Walker

Books by Speaker(s) 

Germaine Greer famously wrote, “If a woman never lets herself go, how will she ever know how far she might have got?”

When it seemed like the pandemic would keep us inside for a few weeks, we were more worried about food supplies than hair supplies. But four months into this (or is it five?), everyone’s hair has a story to tell. How are we coping as our blonde locks grow in brown, auburn grows in gray, and naturals go wild? The hair of men and women on TV news shows is news of its own. And celebs we see on Zoom look as disheveled as we do – and some are home-dyeing their hair bright blue. How far will this go? 

 Join the conversation with Elizabeth Benedict (THE JOY OF WRITING SEX: A GUIDE FOR FICTION WRITERS), Ronnie Citron-Fink (TRUE ROOTS: WHAT QUITTING HAIR DYE TAUGHT ME ABOUT HEALTH AND BEAUTY) and Yvette Walker (HAIR GODDESS), writers who care about hair – hair as identity, hair as creativity, and some of the dangers of hair care and dyes – as all of us confront the new faces we see in the mirror. Will going gray en masse change our ideas about beauty and hair care? Will letting go and going natural last beyond the pandemic? Finally, we’ll discuss special challenges and rewards of writing about our bodies and ourselves. 

2:30 PM

Crossing Borders

Speaker(s):

Justen Ahren, Robin Hemley, Matthew Davis

Books by Speaker(s) 

Many writers spend much of their time, isolated, imagining worlds that exist outside their offices or inside their minds. Some writers are compelled to travel, observe, and report. This panel features Justen Ahren (A MACHINE FOR REMEMBERING) and Robin Hemley (BORDERLINE CITIZEN: DISPATCHES FROM THE OUTSKIRTS OF NATIONHOOD), two writers who have crossed borders literal and figurative to bear witness, interrogate what it means to belong to a nation, and what we might learn (from others, about ourselves) by exploring and experiencing different realities. This panel will be moderated by Matthew Davis (WHEN THINGS GET DARK: A MONGOLIAN WINTER’S TALE), who directs George Mason University’s Alan Cheuse International Writers Center. 

4:00 PM

Drinking with Dad by Alexis Camins

Speaker(s):

Alexis Camins, Jojo Gonzalez

In the tradition of the memory play, Camins pens a fantasy meeting between an estranged father and son. Set in the Philippines, “Drinking With Dad” excavates the pathos of abandonment to ask if such relationships can be rebuilt. Directed by Francis Tanglao-Aguas.

5:00 PM

Keynote Author: Adrienne Miller

Speaker(s):

Adrienne Miller, Bethanne Patrick

Books by Speaker(s) 

1455 is honored to host Adrienne Miller as our Keynote Author for the 2nd annual Summer Literary Festival.

Adrienne was the literary and fiction editor of Esquire from 1997-2006. She is author of the novel THE COAST OF AKRON (FSG), and has taught writing at the University of Pennsylvania, Haverford College, and Bryn Mawr. She lives in New York City with her husband, son, and Italian Greyhound.

Please join Bethanne Patrick (AKA @TheBookMaven), who will discuss Miller's new memoir, IN THE LAND OF MEN. With this year's Festival theme of Storytelling, Miller's insightful (occasionally amusing, occasionally appalling) book could hardly be more relevant or vital.