Writing in the Dark

An Evening with Authors Jess Hagemann & Mary Thorson

Join authors Jess Hagemann and Mary Thorson for a discussion on writing and publishing dark and speculative fiction, as well as selected readings from their published works.

Join authors Jess Hagemann and Mary Thorson for a discussion on writing and publishing dark and speculative fiction, as well as selected readings from their published works. Book sales and signing to precede and follow the author conversation.

About the Authors:

Jess Hagemann’s recent work has appeared or is forthcoming in Beneath the Bluebonnets: Tales of Terror from Texas Women, Three Seasons of Winter, and Last Girls Club, among others. Her debut novel Headcheese (2018) won an IPPY Award in Horror. Paste Magazine named her sophomore novel Mother-Eating, which marries Marie Antoinette and cults, one of the “Most-Anticipated Horror Novels of 2025.” Jess received her MFA from the Jack Kerouac School, and has been awarded a teaching fellowship at McNeese State University as well as a writing residency at Dear Butte. She lives in Austin.

Mary Thorson lives and writes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her short story, "Book of Ruth," was included in Best American Mystery & Suspense, '24, edited by Steph Cha and S.A. Cosby. Her short story, "Casadastraphobia," was included in Best American Mystery & Suspense, '25, edited by Steph Cha and Don Winslow. Her work has been nominated for Best American Short Stories, A Derringer, and a Pushcart Prize. She hangs out with her two feisty daughters, the best husband, and a dog named Pam when she isn’t teaching high school English, reading, or writing ghost stories. Her debut short story collection A Woman's Guide to True Crime is coming out with Rock and a Hard Place Press in 2026. She is currently working on a novel.

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