Pacific's Visiting Writer's Series Present's Laura Stanfill

Visiting Writer Laura Stanfill will join us on February 20th for both a 4:30-5:30pm Q&A in Marsh 101 and 7pm Reading in Marsh 216.

Laura Stanfill is the Publisher of Forest Avenue Press and a recognized novelist. Forest Avenue Press publishes award-winning novels and the occasional memoir. Laura's own historical fantasy novel Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary was published by Lanternfish press. Her forthcoming book, Imagine a Door, is a thoughtful guide for writers wanting to develop a productive writing practice and get their work into print.

Q & A with Laura Stanfill on editing and publishing books today.  

This session is for all interested writers and editors.

Moderated by Prof. Kat Postma, Pacific University Press

Thursday, February 20

4:30 to 5:30pm

Marsh Hall, Room 101

Laura Stanfill: Guest Author Reading

Laura will read from her novel Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary. 

Q & A with the author on this book and her creative process.

Thursday, February 20

7:00pm 

Marsh Hall Auditorium (Room 216)

Books for sale at the event. 

Imagine a Door intersperses craft insights, case studies, and checklists with personal stories about publishing and the emotional complexities of sending your work into the world. Is a writing routine worthwhile? How do you pinpoint the why behind your storytelling and use it to improve your manuscript? What makes a query letter stand out? What exactly is distribution? Does success mean selling a certain number of books or can we reframe our expectations in a less capitalistic way?

SINGING LESSONS FOR THE STYLISH CANARY

In a small, cloudless village in nineteenth-century France, Henri Blanchard grows up in his legendary father’s shadow. Georges is a master serinette craftsman, building high-pitched barrel organs for training songbirds; villagers call him the Sun-Bringer due to a miraculous incident in his childhood. Henri yearns to live up to his father’s reputation, but he’d rather learn lacemaking and spend time with his best friend, Aimée. When Henri discovers a stash of foreign letters that reveal he’s not Georges’s firstborn son after all, his efforts to impress his father become increasingly outlandish. One backfires, forcing him to flee the village in search of his half-brother. Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary explores gender roles, societal cages, and the importance of being true to your voice, no matter what the cost.