I always love the Willamette Writers Conference, and this year looks like it will be another banger. There’s virtual programming and tons of great panels, workshops, and events! I know on Sunday the 6th I’ll be talking about pacing and horror in what I think will be a really fun workshop.
Want to learn more about Oregon’s best writing organization? Check out WillametteWriters.org or look at the conference site itself.
A few weeks ago, my friend Jim Freund (who produces our podcast at Nightmare Magazine) asked me if I’d like to be a guest on his podcast. I was excited about the idea, but I got a little nervous once he told me it was actually a radio show on New York’s WBAI public radio station—and that the show had been running since 1971! My mind was blown when he started talking about all the amazing guests he’s had on the show over the years. If you’ve read a SF/F novel published since 1970, there’s a good chance Jim has had them on the show to chat.
Jim and I had a wonderful conversation about the different kinds of horror and how my goal at the magazine is to find a horror story for everybody. You can listen to our chat here in the WBAI archives!
I was just looking at my calendar for the month, and HOLY BONJOES! I’m doing a lot of stuff right now. I guess that’s what happens when you’re promoting a novel, a novella, and you work in the spooky business.
I had a great time reading at the HP Lovecraft Film Festival, one of my very favorite horror-related events. It was my first trip back to Portland’s iconic Hollywood Theater since the beginning of covid, and it felt like a homecoming. I also just wrapped up an event (virtual, sadly) at Powell’s Books, another place that always feels like home. If you missed it, the event (a fun conversation with Caitlin Starling about her new novel The Death of Jane Lawrence), it’s up on YouTube now!
Here are some of my upcoming events:
10/11, 7 pm Pacific: Scary Stories with Wendy N. Wagner — I talk scary stories and submissions with Willamette Writers. (Suggested $5 donation for non-members.)
10/28, 6 pm Pacific: Neon Hemlock Fall Launch Party — Come party Neon Hemlock-style! It’ll be goth-tacular.
10/30, 1 pm Pacific: Body Horror & Speculative Fiction, Barrelhouse Writing Conference — Join fabulous panelists Craig L. Gidney, Suzan Palumbo, Zin E. Rocklyn and I in learning more about body horror. ($70 for the entire writing conference — a bargain!)
10/31, 11 am Pacific: Apex Snap Judgment Panel — A panel of editors listens to your short story submissions and give writing advice. Free and sure to be educational!
So that’s my month! Here’s hoping to see some of you at these fun events. I love hanging out!
It’s time to gear up for the most fun weekend of the year! That’s right: Orycon weekend!
Orycon is Portland’s local science fiction convention, featuring lots of fantastic literary, gaming, art, and filking activities. This year it’s at the Red Lion Hotel in Jantzen Beach, and it’s sure to be a good time.
I’ll be at the convention, of course. If you’d like to run into me, make sure to make it to one of my events.
6:00 – 6:30 pm
Wendy N. Wagner reading
Come for the chocolate, stay for the weird!
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Interactive Writing Workshop
Sarina Dorie, Wendy N. Wagner, Sharon Joss
How do you prepare to write and sell a short story for a market? Come prepared to write!
2:00 – 3:00 pm
Autograph Session
Bring your books and get ’em signed!
Irene Radford, Bruce Taylor/Mr. Magic Realism, Wendy N. Wagner, Timothy Zahn
4:00 – 5:00 pm
Cannibalism!
Wendy N. Wagner, John M Lovett, Joyce Reynolds-Ward, Pat MacEwen
From Sawney Bean and Sweeney Todd to The Hills Have Eyes and Hannibal, we explore the role of cannibalism in horror literature and film and its historical/anthropological roots.
10:00 pm – midnight
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Brian Hunt, Manny Frishberg, Ethan Siegel, David D. Levine, Randy Henderson, Wendy N. Wagner
A fanish version of the popular improv gameshow.
And although it’s not actually at the con, be sure not to miss the terrific post-Orycon event on Sunday, 11/19!
SF/F Authorfest 11
4:00 – 5:00 pm
Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills
Meet all your favorite NW writers in one terrific location.
After spending most of August relaxing, I’m back to promoting An Oath of Dogs. If you live in the Pacific Northwest and want to hang out, be sure to check out one of these fun events:
8/31 (Thursday), 7pm
Wendy N. Wagner and Spencer Ellsworth: Reading & Word Nerd Gameshow!
Barnes & Noble
Eugene, Oregon
9/1 (Friday), 7 pm
Wendy N. Wagner and Spencer Ellsworth: Reading & Word Nerd Gameshow!
The Book Bin
Salem, Oregon
9/9 (Saturday), 3 pm
Build-a-World Workshop: Join a panel of SF/F writers and learn how to take your crazy ideas and turn them into fully functional fictional worlds.
Rose City Comic Con
Portland, OR
I can’t wait to hang out with Spencer and to share our crazy books with all of you!
With An Oath of Dogs coming out on July 4th, I’m bustling around trying to help introduce the book to the world. I’ve got a couple of events coming up in July.
For those of you outside the Pacific Northwest, I’ll be doing hanging out on the Science Fiction subReddit on Wednesday, July 5th–ask me anything!
If you live in the Pacific Northwest and want to hang out, be sure to check out these live events:
Wendy N. Wagner Lets the Dogs Out: A reading with trivia and prizes!
University Bookstore, U District Store
Seattle, WA
Wendy N. Wagner Signing & Meet-and-Greet
Ledding Library
Milwaukie, OR
Wendy N. Wagner Unplugged: A reading with trivia and prizes!
Powell’s Books on Hawthorne
Portland, OR
I’m also hitting up Salem and Eugene the end of August, so keep your eyes peeled for more fun events.
And don’t forget: If you really want my signature for your copy of An Oath of Dogs, but you can’t make it to any live events, just contact me for a free signed bookplate!
Every year on Easter weekend, science fiction and fantasy fans gather in the Seattle area to celebrate everything fun about SFF. This will be my first trip to Norwescon, and I’m really looking forward to it. It looks to be a busy con, as I’ve got lots of panels and a reading on Saturday (where you can hear a little snippet of An Oath of Dogs).
Here’s my schedule:
I’m pretty stoked! Emerald City Comicon is coming up next month, and I get to be on two panels!! [Two panels = two exclamation points.]
I’d never been to a comicon before Rose City Comicon last September, which was a fun/overwhelming/exhausting experience. I got worn out just walking around in the crowds. Emerald City is much bigger, so I’m glad I got to practice at RCCC.
If you’ll be at the con on Thursday (3/2) and find yourself looking for some fun panels, be sure to stop by:
Build-a-World Workshop
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
WSCC 603
Inconceivable!: A Game of Nerdery and Nonsense
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (in the program as 3:45, but we moved it back 15 minutes)
WSCC 617
I’ll be spending the next few days at the ever-fantastic HP Lovecraft Film Festival. It’s always a fun time, and there are tons of great movies and panels I can’t wait to catch.
If you want to catch up with me, here’s my schedule:
Friday, 4-6 pm
Meet-n-Greet at Sam’s Billiards.
Saturday, 10 am
Carbload for Cthulhu Mass Signing (at the EOD)
Saturday, 10pm
Weird Tales: Beyond HP (at the EOD)
Sunday, 8pm
Teaching History Through Games (at the EOD)
Sunday, 9:30 pm
Reading with Andrew S. Fuller and Adam Scott Glancy (at the EOD)
It ought to be tentacular!
Holy bonjoes! Next Tuesday is Starspawn‘s release day! To say I’m excited is an understatement.
If you want to learn a little more about the book, I’ll be at Reddit Fantasy on Tuesday (8/9) for an AMA. Stop by and fire away! That’s also a good time to learn how to make my world* famous cucumber lemonade, should you be interested.
If you’re in the Portland area, I’ll be doing a reading at the Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills on Tuesday, August 16th, at 7 pm. For more details about the event, check out the Facebook event page.
* And by “world,” I mean “famous to me and a handful of friends, but dang this stuff is really tasty.”
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