The Writer’s Center welcomes three DC-area authors to discuss the importance of place in writing!
Every place holds stories of past and present. But those stories can be hard to find, especially when so much of history can be covered up or purposefully disappeared. Moderated by writer Moa Short, authors Charlotte Taylor Fryar, Andrea Seiger, and Paige Muller discuss their recent books that chronicle underrepresented stories and places of Washington, DC. They dive into their research processes, touching on finding and writing about stories previously not told—even of one of the most famous cities in the world.
Charlotte Taylor Fryar is the author of Potomac Fever: Reflections on the Nation’s River (Bellevue Literary Press, 2025). Her essays, which have been twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize and recognized in The Best American Essays, can be found in Orion, Fourth Genre, Literary Hub, and the Southern Humanities Review, among other publications. Her writing has been supported by the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference, and the Inner Loop, where she is 2025 featured author. Charlotte holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and lives just outside in Washington D.C., less than 700 feet from the banks of the Potomac River. She is the Writer-In-Residence at a boarding school in northern Virginia, and operates a small community herbal clinic. For more information, visit www.charlottetaylorfryar.com/.
Andrea Seiger is a curious explorer and tour guide, and in her career in tourism and meetings management she has had many unique DC and international adventures. Road tripping is her biggest joy, and she is prone to walking into entryways to mysterious interiors and exploring the uncommon everywhere she goes. She authored 111 Places in Washington That You Must Not Miss, and her list of places yet to visit in DC and the world is a constant companion. She also co-wrote 22 Walks in Washington That You Must Not Miss with Paige Muller. In her spare time, she runs her small business, Urban Safari, for which she creates off-the-beaten-path tours to unique and intriguing locations in the US and abroad.
Paige Muller is the founder of Curious Caravan, a trip planning service that curates one-of-a-kind adventures for curious explorers seeking the unexpected in Washington, DC. After growing up in South America, Japan, and the United Kingdom, she called the District home for over 20 years. She is totally *that* person who reads all the plaques in museums and takes copies of the materials at the information desk (and reads them!). Infinite curiosity and a perpetual wanderlust keep her on the go, whether exploring places locally or across the globe. She co-wrote the book 22 Walks in Washington That You Must Not Miss with Andrea Seiger.
Moa Short’s work has appeared in or is forthcoming from New York Magazine, The Atlantic, The New Republic, The Rumpus, Pleiades, Southern Review of Books, and elsewhere. She has an MFA from American University and has received support from Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, where she was a Rona Jaffe Foundation scholar, as well as from Kenyon Review Writers’ Workshop and Sewanee Writers Conference. She’s working on a memoir of domestic violence survival situated within the American South and alongside the 2016 election. She lives in DC.
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