David DeGraff, Jennifer Hudak, Cassandra Scherr, Kristina Ten

Can speculative fiction save the earth? This unique and powerful genre welcomes writers and readers to imagine new ecological possibilities, reprogram the world’s socioeconomic order, and inspire empathy, hope, and innovative thinking. Join us for a reading and discussion with four of western NY’s most exciting, outside-the-box writers as we celebrate the release of two groundbreaking anthologies: ECO24: The Year’s Best Speculative Ecofiction, and We’re Here: The Year’s Best Queer Speculative Fiction. Meet the authors, ask questions, and be part of the conversation that’s making contemporary fiction evermore interesting, relevant, and necessary to creating a better, more sustainable earth for all.

David DeGraff taught physics and astronomy at Alfred University in Alfred NY. In addition to the usual physics and astronomy classes, he also taught classes on the Theory and Practice of Time Travel, the science in Star Trek, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Superheroes, and Supervillains. His fiction has appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Lightspeed, WE’RE HERE: The Year’s Best Queer Speculative Fiction, and other places. He’s online at DavidDeGraff.com.

Jennifer Hudak (she/her) is a speculative fiction writer whose work can be found in venues such as The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy, ECO24: The Year’s Best Ecofiction, Strange Horizons, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet. She is a Nebula Award Finalist and a graduate of the Viable Paradise writer’s workshop. Originally from Boston, she now lives with her family in Upstate New York where she teaches yoga, knits pocket-sized animals, and misses the ocean.

Cassandra Scherr is an assistant professor in the English Department at St. John Fisher University. Over her 10+ years of teaching, Dr. Scherr has dedicated herself to encouraging imagination and critical thinking development by fostering a love for art and literature in her students. Her research passionately delves into African American literature and the creative expressions of the African Diaspora, illuminating how these works harness speculative and artistic elements to tell powerful and necessary activist and community stories. Dr. Scherr champions the Black Imaginary as an essential tool for activism, empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds to engage meaningfully in the social and scholarly discussions that shape our world.

Kristina Ten’s stories appear in McSweeney’s, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy, We’re Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction, The Best Weird Fiction of the Year, and elsewhere. She has won the McSweeney’s Stephen Dixon Award for Short Fiction, the Subjective Chaos Kind of Award, and the F(r)iction Writing Contest. A graduate of Clarion West Writers Workshop and the University of Colorado Boulder’s MFA program in fiction, Ten has received fellowships from the Ragdale Foundation and the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing.

Buy your books at Ampersand and join the conversation!

This is a hybrid event in-person at Writers & Books, 740 University Avenue
Rochester, NY and live streamed.

For Live Streaming tickets only please click HERE.

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