Presented by our current artist-in-residence, Author/Journalist Christine Koubek Flynn, join us for a reading from her novel-in-progress, "A Baby from the Back Row," followed by a writing craft discussion on imagination and the transformation of personal experience in fiction and memoir. A writing prompt will be included to help you generate a story idea from your own life.
Christine's novel-in-progress was inspired by her birth mother and the more than two-million American girls who were sent to homes for unwed mothers in the decades before Roe v. Wade. Their children were often relegated to the back rows of maternity wards, beginning life as the cause of grief and shame for one family, and a proposed solution to it for another. An essay she wrote about being found by her birth mother won an American Society of Journalists and Authors’ Arlene Award for Work that Makes a Difference and became her novel’s genesis.
About Christine Koubek Flynn:
Christine K. Flynn's stories have appeared in The Washington Post, Poets & Writers, Electric Literature, Washingtonian, Bethesda, Coastal Living and more. Her essays and profiles have received awards from the American Society of Journalists and Authors.
Her fiction work has appeared in Chautauqua and Hypertext and received an Elizabeth George Foundation grant as well as residencies from the Ragdale Foundation and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Fairfield University.
In addition to writing, Christine enjoys working with writers one-to-one to help shape their stories. She has led workshops for several mid-Atlantic literary centers and the Armed Services Arts Partnership.
Please note:
Westerly Library & Wilcox Park staff often take photos and recordings during programs and events, which may be used in publicity and marketing. If you do not wish to have your photo used, please contact a staff member to let us know and we will make every effort to honor that request.
