Moms-Who-Write Reading and Panel
Tue May 7, 2024 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Broadway Books, 1714 NE Broadway, Portland
Description
Moms-Who-Write Reading and Panel
The perfect gathering in advance of Mother's Day: time with other moms-who-write at this free celebration of motherhood and life as a working writer. Exceptional local authors--who also happen to be moms--will share selections from their work and will discuss the intersection of motherhood and writing. Join us at one of our favorite independent bookstores in Portland for what will surely be a lively conversation. Leave inspired by the community of writer-moms that will be created in this space.
Meet the Panelists
Kesha Ajose-Fisher is an award-winning author of the short story collection, No God Like the Mother, which earned her the 2020 Ken Kesey 2020 Award for Fiction, and she is also the recipient of the 2021 Oregon Literary Fellowship. Her writing has been published in publications such as Multicultural Familia magazine, the Alchemy literary magazine, and twice in Beyond Black & White magazine. Kesha Ajose Fisher was born in Chicago and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. She now lives in Oregon with her family and can be found writing, reading, cooking for friends and family, traveling, raising her teenagers, cuddling with her puppy, Oscar, and fighting for social justice for the most vulnerable members of our society. In her free time, she squeezes in a hike through the beautiful green of the Pacific Northwest. Learn more about Kesha and her work at https://www.keshaajosefisher.com.
Shalanda Sims is a happily married wife and proud mother who is also a multi-disciplinary artist and native Oregonian. She is the founder and executive director of World Stage Theatre and professional actress. Favorite credits include The Pirates of Penzance with the Oregon
Shakespeare Festival at Portland Opera, Color Purple at Portland Center Stage at The Armory, and Gospel Christmas at Oregon Symphony. Shalanda studied theater at the University of Portland, and English at Portland State University, is the author of Night Rhythms; The Hooded Quilt Series, and Full-Time Woman Blog. She is a Dramatist Guild, American Guild of Musical Artists, Actors Equity Association member and has written several plays including Church Girls, Vanport, Who I Am Celebrating Me and Redefining Alberta. Some of her film and television credits include The Hunted (Paramount), Secrets of Successful Dating (Otter Creek), and Faith (Camp Productions). Shalanda stays involved in her community and currently sits on the Portland Public School Master Arts Education Plan. She is an advocate for real change and above all, enjoys spending time with her family. Learn more about her at www.shalandasims.com.
Kimberly King Parsons is the author of the forthcoming novel We Were the Universe, which will be published on May 14, 2024. Her debut collection, Black Light (Vintage, Atlantic Books UK), was longlisted for both the National Book Award and the Story Prize. Black Light was also a finalist for the 2020 Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction, the 2020 Texas Institute of Letters Best Work of First Fiction Award, and the 2020 Oregon Book Award. Kim’s story “Foxes” (published in The Paris Review) won the 2020 National Magazine Award for Fiction. Kim is the recipient of fellowships from Columbia University, Yaddo, Hermitage Artist Retreat, the Oregon Arts Commission, Regional Arts and Culture Council, and the Sustainable Arts Foundation; her fiction has been published in The Paris Review, New York Tyrant, Black Warrior Review, No Tokens, Kenyon Review, and elsewhere. She lives with her partner and sons in Portland, Oregon. Learn more about her at https://www.kimberlykingparsons.com.
Lydia Kiesling is the author of The Golden State, a 2018 National Book Foundation “5 under 35” honoree, and a finalist for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Her second novel, Mobility, a national bestseller, was published in 2023. Her essays and nonfiction have been published in outlets including The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker online, and The Cut. Learn more about Lydia at https://www.lydiakiesling.com.
Location
Broadway Books, 1714 NE Broadway, Portland