DC area writers Johannes Lichtman (Calling Ukraine and Such Good Work) and Christine Evans (Nadia and Cloudless) discuss their new novels, which both feature characters making home in a new place. In a conversation moderated by Donna Hemans (The House of Plain Truth, Tea By the Sea, and River Woman), Lichtman and Evans discuss the challenges of starting anew, either as refugees or expats, and the inspiration behind their novels.
Free and open to the public, limited space, registration required below.Â
Panelists
Johannes Lichtman’s debut novel, Such Good Work, was chosen as a 5 Under 35 honoree by the National Book Foundation. His second novel, Calling Ukraine, a “biting comedy” (Vanity Fair), “with a complete mastery of tone” (Library Journal), and “a welcome reminder of the humor and wit that … pervades Ukrainian culture even now” (New York Times), was published in April. His stories and essays have appeared in Tin House, The Sun, Travel + Leisure, Los Angeles Review of Books, Oxford American, and elsewhere. He lives in Washington, DC.
Christine Evans writes internationally produced plays, opera libretti, and fiction. Her debut novel, Nadia, “shockingly original, stunningly written…fierce, funny and tragic” (Caroline Leavitt), “often brutal, sometimes lovely and always humane” (Foreword) was published in fall 2023 (U Iowa Press.) Christine’s theater and opera work has been staged at the Sydney Opera House, the American Repertory Theater and many other venues, and her plays are published by Samuel French. She is a multiple MacDowell fellow, VCCA fellow, and a recipient of several DC Council on the Arts & Humanities Fellowships. Originally from Australia, she is a Professor of Performing Arts at Georgetown University, and lives in Washington, DC.
Moderator
Donna Hemans is the author of three novels, River Woman, Tea by the Sea and The House of Plain Truth (forthcoming in February 2024). Her short fiction and essays have appeared in Slice, Electric Literature, Ms. Magazine, The Rumpus, Crab Orchard Review, among others. She received her undergraduate degree in English and Media Studies from Fordham University and an MFA from American University. She lives in Maryland, and is also the owner of DC Writers Room, a co-working studio for writers based in Washington, D.C.