Rachel Swirsky

Rachel Swirsky has published over one hundred short stories since 2006 in venues including Reactor, Guernica, and Lightspeed Magazine. Her work has been nominated for the Hugo Award, World Fantasy Award, Locus Award, and Philip K. Dick Award, and twice won the Nebula Award. She’s the author of two collections: How the World Became Quiet (Subterranean Press) and Through the Drowsy Dark (Aqueduct Press), and a stand-alone novella “January Fifteenth” through Tor.com. She holds an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers Workshop. She lives in rainy Portland among fluctuating numbers of cats and artists, and with a stable number (one) of husbands.

 

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The Second Person and You

Kansas City Local Time: June 6, 2025 10:00 am to 11:30 am
June 6, 2025 8:00 am to 9:30 am

Please note: all times are displayed in the Pacific timezone, unless otherwise marked for Kansas City local time for the Nebulas. Timezone calculator

Panelists: P H Lee and Rachel Swirsky
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Second person fiction is often considered “artsy” and “difficult,” but it can also produce uniquely powerful, affecting stories. Authors Rachel Swirsky (“If You Were Dinosaur, My Love”; “A Memory of Wind”) and P H Lee (“The V*mpire”; “Your Own Undoing”), plus perhaps a mystery guest, will discuss a variety approaches to writing fiction in the second-person, including but not limited to you-and-I, ultra-close interiority, and reader-as-character. They’ll cover the effects on reader experience, benefits and obstacles in the writing process, and how to elevate your second-person story game.

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