appearances

2017 Events

Nov 4-Dec 9: 5-week class in Setting and Backstory, The Writing Salon, SF, CAI will be teaching this 5-week class on Saturdays from 10:30 to 1:00. The class will look at setting and backstory as ways to enhance character and establish conflict. More more info, here is the listing on The Writing Salon website.

Aug 20-Sept 24: 5-week class in Character, Scene, and Dialogue, The Writing Salon, SF, CA
I will be teaching this 5-week class on Sundays from 10:30 to 1:00. The class will look at methods for developing character, including dialogue. We will read short stories and each week participants will write a scene that uses what we have discussed in class. More more info, here is the listing on The Writing Salon website.

June 21-29: Lectures, Readings, and Workshops, Tianjin and Beijing, China
Anne and I have been invited as Visiting Writers to take part in a series of panel discussions, readings, lectures, and workshops in China. 

June 12: In-Conversation with Daniel Wallace, San Francisco, CA
I will be in-conversation with Daniel Wallace, my former colleague and author of Big Fish, about his forthcoming novel Extraordinary Adventures. 7:30 PM at the 9th Avenue Green Apple Books. Info here.

April 9-May 7: 5-week class in Setting and Backstory, The Writing Salon, Berkeley, CA
I will be teaching this 5-week class on Sundays from 10:30 to 1:00. The class will look at setting and backstory as ways to enhance character and establish conflict. More more info, here is the listing on The Writing Salon website.

February 11: AWP Conference, Washington, DC
Panel: “Paths to Publishing a First Story Collection.” Time: 12:00 – 1:15 PM Location: Liberty Salon M, Marriott Level 4.

February 9: AWP Conference, Washington, DC
Panel: “The Politics of Queering Characters.” Time: 10:30 – 11:45 AM Location: Marquis Salon 1 & 2, Marriott Marquis Meeting Level 2.

February 5: Stranger Than Fiction Reading Series, San Francisco, CA
I will be reading at this local reading series from 3-5 PM at Edinburgh Castle Pub 950 Geary. Facebook page here.

2016 Events

November 17: Reading with Anne Raeff, NDNU Reading Series, Belmont, CA
Anne and I will be reading together in The Wiegand Gallery on the Notre Dame de Namur campus as part of their campus reading series. 7:30 PM. Info to come.

November 10: Anne Raeff and Lori Ostlund in conversation with Jan Ellison, Menlo Park, CA
Jan Ellison, author of the bestselling novel A Small Indiscretion, will converse with Anne Raeff, Flannery O’Connor Award recipient for The Jungle Around Us, and Lori Ostlund, who is celebrating the paperback launch of After the Parade. Click here and scroll down for information or to RSVP. 7:30 PM at Kepler’s Books.

November 5: Anne Raeff and Lori Ostlund in conversation with Rebecca Makkai, Winnetka, IL
Rebecca Makkai, author (most recently) of Music for Wartime, will converse with Anne Raeff, Flannery O’Connor Award recipient for The Jungle Around Us, and Lori Ostlund, who is celebrating the paperback launch of After the Parade. The Bookstall in Winnetka, IL, at 3 PM. More info to follow.

November 3: Reading/Discussion with Anne Raeff and Christine Sneed, Chicago, IL
Anne, Christine, and I will read from our work and discuss the perceived strengths and shortcomings of the short story and the novel. Women and Children First Bookstore, 7:30 PM.

October 15: LitCrawl Reading, San Francisco, CA
I will be reading for LitCrawl on behalf of the Perfectly Queer Reading Series along with Natasha Dennerstein and Wilfredo Pascual. 7:15-8:15 PM at The Marsh Cafe, 1070 Valencia Street. Info here.

Anne Raeff will be reading from her 2015 Flannery O’Connor Award-winning story collection, The Jungle Around Us, and I will read from After the Parade (paperback July 2016). 7:00 PM at Copperfield’s Books in Petaluma. Info to follow.

September 27: Reading from new story in ZYZZYVA, San Francisco, CA
I will be reading from my new story, “A Little Customer Service,” which will appear in the fall issue of ZYZZYVA along with other contributors, including Heather Altfeld, Ann Cummins, and Christopher Adamson. 7:00 PM at City Lights Bookstore. Info here.

September 15: Reading for InsideStoryTime, Oakland, CA
I will be reading as part of the InsideStoryTime series at from 7-9 PM. Info here. 

September 10: Rolling Writers Doubles, San Francisco, CA
Anne Raeff and I will interpret each other’s work as part of the Rolling Writers series. Other interpreting pairs include writers Heather Bourbeau & Maw Shein Win, Peter Bullen & James Warner, and Rebecca Foust & Terry Lucas, and singer/songwriters Steven Kacsmar and Michael Crabtree. 6:30 pm at Rolling Out Bakery, 1722 Taraval, San Francisco.

August 25: In conversation with Melanie Hoffert, Minneapolis, MN
I will be in conversation with Melanie Hoffert, author of the memoir Prairie Silence, which received the 2014 MN Book Award for Memoir and Nonfiction. 7:00 PM at Magers & Quinn Bookstore. Go here and scroll down for info.

August 23: In Conversation with Marian Palaia, Corte Madera, CA
I will be in conversation with Marian Palaia, author of the acclaimed debut The Given World, at 7:00 PM at Book Passages Corte Madera. Info here.

August 14: Reading and Craft Talk for Writer’s Round Table, Berkeley, CA
I will be offering this one-day craft class at The Writing Salon in Berkeley from 2-5 PM. To find out more about the class or to sign up, go here.

August 11: In Conversation with Ann Packer, San Francisco, CA
Ann Packer, author of the national bestsellers The Children’s Crusade and The Dive from Clausen’s Pier, will converse with me. 7:00 PM at West Portal Books. Information here.

August 5: Mendocino Coast Writers Conference, Fort Bragg, CA
I will be reading with other faculty members on Friday, August 5, from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Fort Bragg Town Hall. The event begins with a wine tasting. Free and open to the public.

August 2: Reading/Launch of After the Parade in paperback, Berkeley, CA
7:00 PM at Books Inc Berkeley. Info here.

July 28: Farm to Fork with Family & Friends Fundraiser, Sacramento, CA
I will be appearing at Mulvaney’s NextDoor for an evening of food, wine, and authors. This is a fundraiser for California Ag in the Classroom and the Library Foundation. 5-8 PM. For ticket information, go here.

July 27: In Conversation with Naomi Williams, Davis, CA
Davis-based writer Naomi Williams, author of the highly regarded Landfalls, will help me launch the paperback of After the Parade by asking probing questions. The Avid Reader Davis, 7:30 PM. Info here.

July 19: Mile-High MFA Faculty Reading, Denver, CO

Reading & signing with Mario Acevedo and Chip Livingston, 6-7:30 PM at BookBar (4280 Tennyson St).

June 4: Richard Russo in Conversation with Lori Ostlund, Bay Area Book Festival, Berkeley, CA

I will be interviewing Richard Russo about his new book, Everybody’s Fool, from 3:15 to 4:30 at the SF Chronicle Stage at the Freight and Salvage. For more info about the festival schedule, go here.

May 27: Stories on Stage, Sacramento, CA
My first event with my wife, Anne Raeff: a section from After the Parade will be acted out along with a story from her upcoming collection, The Jungle Around Us, recipient of the 2015 Flannery O’Connor Award. 7:30 PM at the Sacramento Poetry Center. Info here.

May 20: ZYZZYVA Fundraiser and Celebration, San Francisco, CA
Please join Laura Cogan and Oscar Villalon as well as Vanessa Hua, Glen David Gold, Octavio Solis, and me to fete and fundraise for ZYZZYVA from 6:30 to 9:00 PM at 2 Embarcadero Center, 28th Floor. For more information and to purchase tickets, go here. 

May 7: Book & Author Luncheon, Millbrae, CA
Burlingame Library Foundation Fundraiser from 10-2:30 PM at the Green Hills Country Club in Millbrae. Info on the event and tickets can be found here.

April 14: UNM Visiting Writer Reading at University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
7:00 PM, Dane Smith Hall, free and open to the public. With poet Adam Crittenden

April 2: AWP Conference, Los Angeles
Book Signing: Stop by Mile-High MFA at Regis, Booth #623, to get a signed copy of After the Parade or The Bigness of the World, Friday, April 1, 1-2 PM

Panel: “No More Dead Bodies on the Page” with Lucy Jane Bledsoe, Jane Smiley, Kirstin Valdez Quade, and Griselda Suarez. Time: 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM Location: Room 502 B, L.A. Convention Center, Meeting Room Level

March 16: Visiting Writer Series at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA
3:30PM: The Writer’s Story in Harstad Hall Lounge and 7:00PM: Reading in Scandinavian Cultural Center, AUC. Info here.

March 12: Authors On the Move, Sacramento, CA
A Sacramento Public Library Fundraiser with wine, a 4-course meal, and 40-plus California authors, from 5-10 PM at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento Downtown. Info on the event and tickets here.

February 24: Reading/Conversation, San Francisco, CA
7:30 PM at Green Apple Books (9th Ave Location): join me to celebrate Scribner’s re-issue of The Bigness of the World and to hear me read from and converse about After the Parade and Bigness. More info here.

January 11: Perfectly Queer Reading Series, San Francisco, CA
7:00 PM at Books Inc Castro with Andrew Demcak and Natasha Dennerstein. More info here.

2015 Events

September 12: Babylon Salon Series, San Francisco, CA
Reading at Cantina SF with Janis Cooke Newman, Justine Gubar, and Aaron Shurin at 580 Sutter. Doors open at 6. Reading at 6:30.

September 23: Book Launch for After the Parade at Booksmith, San Francisco, CA
Reading and conversation with Oscar Villalon (of ZYZZYVA) at 7:30. More info here.

September 29: Workshop at Hugo House, Seattle, WA
Please join me for this 3-hour workshop on story and novel beginnings (1-4 pm). For more info or to enroll, please go here.

September 29: Elliott Bay Bookstore, Seattle, WA
Reading at 7 pm. More info here.

October 6: Newtonville Books, Newton, MA
7 pm. Reading and conversation with editor Liese Mayer and moderator Jessica Treadway, author of Lacy Eye. More info here.

October 7: In Conversation with Richard Russo, Portland, ME

At the Space Gallery, 7 pm. Doors open at 6:30. More info here. Also, this article in the Portland Press Herald describes the event, which is the first in the new Writers Guild Literary Series.

October 10: LitQuake’s Off the Richter Scales, San Francisco, CA

“Our Strange Skin: Lori Ostlund and Amelia Gray in Conversation.” Amelia Gray (Gutshot) and I will chat about our recently released books, read, and answer questions. Z Below at 470 Florida Street. 5:00 pm. More info here.

October 15: Mrs. Dalloway’s, Berkeley, CA

Reading at 7:30. More info here.

October 16: Peninsula Literary Series at Gallery House, 320 California Ave, Palo Alto, CA

Reading. 7:00 pm. Info here.

October 21: NC State Reading Series, Raleigh, NC

7:30 pm. Reading and Q&A. Caldwell Hall Lounge, NCSU. Info here.

October 22: Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, NC

7:00 pm. Reading/Discussion. Info here.

November 12: Why There Are Words Reading Series, Sausalito, CA

Doors open at 7; readings start at 7:15

November 18: Lyrics and Dirges Reading Series, Pegasus Books, Berkeley, CA

7:30-9:00: 5 poets and writers

2012 Events

February 9: Lock Haven University, PA

Reading at 7 pm at the Hamblin Hall of Flags.For more details, go here.

March 2: AWP Conference, Chicago

Panel Participant: “The Place at the Heart of the Story,” 12:00-1:15 pm, Honore Ballroom, Palmer House Hilton

March 3: AWP Conference, Chicago

Panel Participant: “Preparing Short-Story Manuscripts for Contests & Publication,” 10:30-11:45 am, Continental A, Hilton Chicago

March 29: Fort Collins, CO

Creative Writing & Reading Series at Colorado State University, 7:30, at University Art Museum, University Center for the Arts, 1400 Remington Street (More details)

April 5: Works-in-Progress Reading, UNC-Chapel Hill, NC

Each semester, a faculty member in Creative Writing at UNC-Chapel Hill reads from his or her work-in-progress. I am pleased to be this semester’s reader, particularly as it is my last semester here. Open to the public. 12:30 pm in Donovan Lounge, 2nd floor of Greenlaw Hall

April 13: Get Lit! Literary Festival, Spokane, WA

Panel discussion, morning (details to come)

April 14: Get Lit! Literary Festival, Spokane, WA

Reading, afternoon (details to come–for information about the Get Lit! Festival, go here)

2011 Events

February 5: McIntyre’s Bookstore, Fearrington Village, NC

Reading with Belle Boggs (Mattaponi Queen) at 11 AM. For information, follow the bookstore link.

March 10: Salem College, Winston-Salem, NC

Stories We Need: An Evening with Writer Lori Ostlund at Salem College.  7 pm.  For more info, go here.

April 5: University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Kenan Visiting Writer Public Reading, 3:30 pm, Donovan Lounge, Greenlaw Hall

April 30: Idlewild Books, NYC

PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories 2011 Launching, drinks and a reading by contributors to this year’s collection, from 6-8 pm

May 5: The Regulator Bookshop, Durham, NC

Reading with Rachel Richardson (poet), at 7 pm. (See link for information)

September 29: UNC-Greensboro, Greensboro, NC

MFA Visiting Writers Series, 7 pm. (link)

2010 Events

January 21: Berkeley, CA

Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore, 7:30 pm
Author’s Talk/Reading

February 1: Sacramento, CA

A reading at the Sacramento Poetry Center with Robin Ekiss (poet, The Mansion of Happiness) to celebrate our first books, both published by The University of Georgia Press in 2009.

February 18: San Francisco

Reading for the series Inside Story Time at Cafe Royale (800 Post Str at Leavenworth) with four other writers, including Alta Ifland and Stephen Kessler. 6:30-8:30.

February 26: Sacramento, CA

Local actors will read from one of my stories as part of Stories on Stage at the Sacramento Poetry Center, 7:30 pm

May 13: Sausalito, CA

Reading as part of Why There Are Words Literary Series at Studio 333, at 7:00 pm.  The theme is Complications.

September 23: Chapel Hill, NC

Flyleaf Books, 7-8 PM

October 1: Atlanta, GA

Charis Books, 7:30-9:00 PM

November 5: Pittsburgh, PA

Gist Street Reading Series, 8:00 PM (doors open at 7:15)

2009 Events

September 25: New York, NY

NYU’s Lillian Vernon Creative Writing House, 7:00 pm
Reading with 5 other recipients of the Rona Jaffe Foundation grant.

October 15: San Francisco, CA

Litquake, Varnish Fine Art, 77 Natoma Street, 7:00 pm
Original shorts around the theme “Survival of the Fittest”

October 22: Milledgeville, GA

Arts & Sciences Auditorium, Georgia College & State University, 7:30 pm
Reading with Geoffrey Becker, fellow Flanner O’Connor Award recipient

October 23: Atlanta, GA

Charis Books and More, 8:00 pm

October 28: San Francisco, CA

The Art Institute of California-SF, 12:00-1:00 pm
Guest reader for the Ai Guest Reader series.

November 5: Albuquerque, NM

Bookworks, 7:00 PM
Author’s Talk & Reading.

November 6: Albuquerque, NM

UNM Poets & Writers Series, SUB Mirage/Thunderbird Room (NOTE: THIS IS A LOCATION CHANGE), 7:00 pm

November 16: San Francisco, CA

Books, Inc. Opera Plaza, 6:00 pm
Join me for my official San Francisco launching of The Bigness of the World.

November 28: Interview on WEST COAST LIVE

The show is broadcast from 10:00 am – 12:00 noon on KALW, 91.7 FM, as well as on many public radio stations nationwide.  For information, visit the West Coast Live website at www.WCL.org.  To join the live audience, you can purchase tickets by calling 415-664-950.