My Writing Went Viral
The Salon: My Writing Went Viral
Sundance Books and Music, 121 California Avenue, Reno
This event happened on Friday, September 21, 2018 at 6 pm.
Join Nevada Humanities for The Salon: My Writing Went Viral, moderated by Christopher Coake, associate professor of English at the University of Nevada, Reno.
What happens when that one article or op-ed you write sends fireworks across the internet? The term “going viral” was unheard of ten years ago. What does it say about the nature of journalism, and the way we consume information? What does it say that think-pieces and confessionals seem to have a longer life online, than news stories from traditional news outlets? Come to the Salon to explore these and other topics with a few writers who can speak first-hand about what happens when your article is suddenly everywhere.
Guest panelists will include:
Christopher Coake is the author of the novel You Came Back (2012) and the story collection We’re in Trouble (2005), which won the PEN/Robert Bingham Fellowship for a first work of fiction. In 2007 he was named one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists. His short fiction has been anthologized in Best American Mystery Stories 2004 and The Best American Noir of the Century, Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories, and published in journals such as Granta, The Southern Review, The Gettysburg Review, Five Points, and The Journal. A native of Indiana, Coake received an MA from Miami University of Ohio and an MFA from Ohio State University. He is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he directs the MFA program in creative writing.
Gemma Hartley earned her BA at the University of Nevada, Reno and went on to a full-time freelance career shortly after, writing for publications such as The Washington Post, Glamour, Women's Health, Harper's Bazaar, Huffington Post, and The Week. Her freelance work runs the gamut from financial advice to cultural commentary to parenting and more. Her first book Fed Up: Emotional Labor, Women, and the Way Forward will be released November 2018 through HarperOne.
Naseem Jamnia received their AB (University of Chicago) and MS (DePaul University), both in the biological sciences. After a brief stint as a neuroscience PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania, they decided instead to focus on their writing and editing. Naseem’s work has appeared in The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, The Rumpus, and other sites. They are the 2018 Bitch Media Fellow in Technology and the managing editor at Sidequest, an indie gaming website. A Chicago native, Naseem now lives with their husband, dog, and two cats in northwest Reno and will be starting their MFA in fiction writing at the University of Nevada, Reno, in fall 2018.
Edwin Lyngar is a Sunday columnist for the Reno Gazette Journal. He graduated from Antioch University in 2010 with his MFA in creative writing, and he also holds an MA in Writing from the University of Nevada, Reno. He is a former columnist for Salon magazine, writing on politics, culture and religion and is most known for his viral essay "I lost my father to Fox News."
The bi-monthly Salon series features a panel discussion with topics relevant to the humanities in Nevada and includes audience discussion and light refreshments.