Join Alaska-based author Christine Byl and former Alaskan, Lucian Childs, as they discuss their new novels. Both Lookout and Dreaming Home are decades-long, intergenerational family dramas rooted by a traumatized gay pivot character. Vividly depicted settings, including The American West—at least partially, in the case of Dreaming Home—exert a powerful influence in both. The authors will read from their work and discuss their intersections and differing approaches. Afterwards, there will be a short Q & A.

Christine Byl is the author of Lookout, which was short-listed for the Center for Fiction's 2023 First Novel Prize, and Dirt Work: An Education in the Woods, which was nominated for the Willa Award in 2012., Her prose has appeared in Glimmer Train Stories, The Sun, Crazyhorse and Brevity, among others; she has been a Breadloaf Fellow and recipient of the Alaska Literary Award. Christine has worked as a professional trail builder for the past 27 years. She lives in Interior Alaska with her family on Dene' lands.

Lucian Childs’ novel-in-stories Dreaming Home (2023) was published to critical acclaim by Biblioasis. He was a contributing editor of 2017 Lambda Literary finalist, Building Fires in the Snow: A Collection of Alaska LGBTQ Short Fiction and Poetry. His stories and book reviews have appeared the literary journals Grain, The Puritan, Sanskrit, Plenitude and Prairie Fire, among others. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, he has lived in Austin, San Francisco and Anchorage. He currently resides in Toronto, Ontario.