Writing / Anthologies & Magazines

“To the Moon and Back”
Why Didn’t You Just Leave
Cursed Morsels

Edited by Nadia Bulkin & Julia Rios

It’s the question asked of any story about a haunting: why didn’t you just leave? If accounts of people who have stayed in haunted houses are any indication, it’s never that simple. There are a lot of reasons why people don’t just leave scary situations, and these smart, spooky stories reflect the complexity behind that question.
» Coming Soon
“Until the Moss Had Reached Our Lips”
13 Possessions
Weird House Press

Edited by Curtis M. Lawson and Joe Morey

The concept of possession has filled mankind with fear and intrigue for eons. Tales abound across the world of men and women succumbing to the influence of malevolent spirits. From biblical tales of Legion to contorted young girls on the silver screen to real life tales of fungal possession, the idea of losing oneself to a dark and dangerous entity continues to haunt and fascinate us. Weird House Press has gathered stories from13 of the finest horror authors in the world—stories that explore possession from various angles and touch upon the fears and anxieties that plague us all. In these pages you will find the spirits of vengeful lovers, ancient dead yearning for new life, and parasitic horrors. These tales will creep into your mind and take up residence, just like the demonic spirits that haunt the pages.
» Coming Soon
“Echoes of a Former You”
Vastarien: A Literary Journal, Vol. 6, Issue 1, Summer 2023
Grimscribe Press

Edited by Curtis M. Lawson and Joe Morey

Vastarien: A Literary Journal is a source of critical study and creative response to the corpus of Thomas Ligotti as well as associated authors and ideas. The journal includes nonfiction, literary horror fiction, poetry, artwork and non-classifiable hybrid pieces. Cover art by Jesse Peper, with internal illustrations by Peper, Carl Lavoie, and Karolina Choinski. Contributors include Christa Carmen, Brian Evenson, S.P. Miskowski, Dejan Ognjanovic, Christi Nogle, Paula Ashe, Tim Waggoner, and many more! Plus, the return of the mysterious Dr. Raymond Thoss!
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“Testing a Horrible Superstition”
We Are Providence: Tales of Horror from the Ocean State,
Weird House Press

Co-edited by Christa Carmen and L.E. Daniels. Contributors include Joshua Rex, John Lynch, Christa Carmen, Mary Robles, Jason Parent, Victoria Dalpe, L.E. Daniels, Michael Squid, Paul Magnan, Barry lee Dejasu, H.Y. Hsu, Faye Ringel, K.H. Vaughan, Curtis M. Lawson, Steven E. Belanger, and Aron Beauregard.
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“Through the Looking Glass and Straight into Hell”
Orphans of Bliss: Tales of Addiction Horror, Wicked Run Press

Why do we crave that which is killing us?
Addiction is the perpetual epidemic, where swarms of human moths flutter to the flames of hell. Because that warm blanket of a heroin high, that joyful intoxication of a pint of vodka, that electric energy from a line of cocaine, over time leaves you with a cold loneliness and a bitter heart. Relationships destroyed, bodies deteriorate, loved ones lost, yet the craving continues for that which is killing us-living, as the title suggests, like an Orphan of Bliss. Welcome to the third and final fix of addiction horror and the follow up to the Shirley Jackson Award Finalist, Lullabies for Suffering. A diverse table of contents brought together for an explosive grand finale-an unflinching look at the insidious nature of addiction, told with searing honesty but compassion for those who suffer. Edited by Mark Matthews, the table of contents includes: Christa Carmen, SA Cosby, Cassandra Khaw, Josh Malerman, Kathe Koja, Kealan Patrick Burke, Samantha Kolesnik, John F.D. Taff, Mark Matthews, & Gabino Iglesias.
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“Vulture Eyes”
Vastarien: A Literary Journal Vol. 4 Issue 2, Fall 2021, Grimscribe Press

Vastarien: A Literary Journal is a source of critical study and creative response to the corpus of Thomas Ligotti as well as associated authors and ideas. The journal includes nonfiction, literary horror fiction, poetry, artwork and non-classifiable hybrid pieces. Another double issue! Cover art by Anna Trueman and over 300 pages of all new stories, articles, lyric essays, poetry, hybrid pieces and visual art. Contributors include Christa Carmen, Hailey Piper, Carson Winter, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Greg Sisco, Joanna Parypinski, Dejan Ognjanovic, Christi Nogle, Kurt Fawver, Ivy Grimes, Clint Smith, and many more!!
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“Shark Minute”
Night Frights Issue #2, Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing

In the second issue of Night Frights magazine, we have stories by Christa Carmen, Greg Cypress, James Dorr, Gina Easton, Alyson Faye, Ken MacGregor, Donna J.W. Munro, Matthew Stott, and Roger Venable. Also includes a classic short story by Edgar Allan Poe and an article all about Halloween!
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The H-Word: "Post-Human Horror"
Nightmare Magazine Issue 107, August 2021

Welcome to issue one hundred and seven of NIGHTMARE! This month, we have original short fiction from Ally Wilkes ("Where Things Fall from The Sky") and B. Narr ("Cadaver Dogs"). Our Horror Lab originals include a flash story ("Now Will You Listen") from Osahon Ize-Iyamu and a creative nonfiction essay ("Forensic Analysis of a Body, Still Warm") from P. L. Watts. We also have the latest installment of our column on horror, "The H Word," by Christa Carmen, plus author spotlights with our authors, and a feature interview with Zin Rocklyn. It's another great issue, so be sure to check it out. And while you're at it, tell a friend about NIGHTMARE.
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"A Stay at the Fealltóir"
Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

Terror awaits within these pages...
Since 2012, Chilling Tales for Dark Nights has been keeping people awake through the night with terrifying audio renditions of tales from the darkest minds modern memory has to offer.

Now, in this first of three volumes, collected are 30 tales, never before available, by some of the most prolific and talented authors of the online community, each one accompanied by a suitably grim illustration by David Romero. Strange cats, body mutilations, demonic apartments, revenge from beyond the grave...and yes, even a man-eating monster or two...all of these and more beckon you further into the darkness.

Turn off the lights, and turn on the dark. Who needs sleep, anyway?
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“In Which Two Squirrels Nest in an Abandoned Attic & Amuse Themselves with the Relics of Humanity”
Outpost 28 Issue #5, Elvelon Press

The latest issue edited by Dean Kuhta, published by Elvelon Press.
» Coming soon!
“What Are Little Girls Made Of?”
One of Us: A Tribute to Frank Michaels Errington, Bloodshot Books

A LOVING HUSBAND AND A DEVOTED FATHER
A DEDICATED BOOK REVIEWER AND HORROR FAN
A KIND AND CARING FRIEND

* * * *

WITH STORIES, POETRY, AND ANECDOTES BY
Alan Baxter * Matt Bechtel * doungjai gam bepko * John Boden * Geoff Brown * Kealan Patrick Burke * P.D. Cacek * Kenneth W. Cain *Somer Canon * Christa Carmen * Catherine Cavendish * Greg Chapman * Richard Chizmar * Tom Deady * T. Fox Dunham * Robert Ford * Christopher Golden * J.F. Gonzalez * Mark Allen Gunnells * Jeremy Hepler * Pete Kahle * Nicholas Kaufmann * Shane Douglas Keene * Todd Keisling * Stephen King * Curtis M. Lawson * Evans Light * John R. Little * Chad Lutzke * Jonathan Maberry * Josh Malerman * Alessandro Manzetti * John McIlveen * John McNee * Tim Meyer * Lee Murray * Paul F. Olson * Kelli Owen * John Palisano * Jason Parent & Kevin Rego * David Price * Anthony J. Rapino * Hunter Shea * Rob Smales * Wesley Southard * Jeff Strand * Brett Talley * Sara Tantlinger * The Sisters of Slaughter * Richard Thomas * Paul Tremblay * Tony Tremblay * Joshua Viola * Tim Waggoner * Terry M. West * Douglas Wynne * Stephanie M. Wytovich * Mercedes M. Yardley.
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“And Sweetest in the Gale is Heard”
Not All Monsters: A Strangehouse Anthology by Women of Horror, Strangehouse Books

The Bram Stoker Award-nominated anthology edited by Sara Tantlinger.
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“A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes”
The Streaming of Hill House: Essays on the Haunting Netflix Adaption, McFarland & Company, Inc.

The Bram Stoker Award-nominated scholarly anthology on the Netflix series, “The Haunting of Hill House,” including an essay by Christa Carmen.
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Horror in the Eye of the Beholder

by Marta Oliehoek-Samitowska
A book featuring new and exclusive interviews with 21 modern authors of horror fiction discussing their cinematic influences and obsessions. Every interview is accompanied by a terrifying eye portrait of the writer.
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“Millicent Blackwood’s Very Scary Halloween Social & Tea”
AND
“Shadows”
Outpost 28 Issue #4: Halloween Edition, Elvelon Press

Outpost 28, Issue 4 has risen again! This Halloween Edition is crawling with haunted tales of despair and chilling darkness. The illustrations lurking within these cursed pages are equally sinister and foul, dripping with sorrow and gloom. If that does not satiate your brain-eating appetite, you can also sink your teeth into poetry, comics, and exclusive interviews with prominent musicians. Welcome back to Outpost 28!
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Horror Writers Association Poetry Showcase Volume VI

Judged by Christa Carmen and Cynthia Pelayo, edited by Stephanie M. Wytovich.
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“Cleaver Castle of Carnage Presents: The Coven Strikes Back”
Behold the Undead of Dracula: Lurid Tales of Cinematic Gothic Horror, Muzzleland Press

The classic monsters have returned... again! During the gothic horror revival of the late 1950s through the 1970s, vampires, witches, devil worshipers, occultists, spirits, ghouls, and grave-robbing mad scientists returned to terrify a new generation of thrill-seeking movie audiences. Influenced by the social and cultural upheavals of the time and the ever-present specter of nuclear war, these classic terrors became more violent, more subversive--and more seductive.

Behold the Undead of Dracula features stories inspired by the films of the gothic horror revival, dripping with blazing bright-red blood and radiating sex appeal. Eleven of the best authors in underground horror fiction offer up unique and terrifying takes on this special era of cinematic history, summoning spine-tingling tales sure to frighten and seduce unwary readers. Grab your popcorn, take a seat, and watch as the curtain rises on these gothic nightmares. Bear witness to the lurid and sensual horrors of Behold the Undead of Dracula!
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“The Rest Will Be in Pieces”
Outpost 28 Issue #3, Elvelon Press

Outpost 28, Issue #3 features horrific tales of witches, ghosts, and demons. A woman cursed by an ancient evil, a teenage girl haunted by her loneliness, and a warrior’s quest to reach paradise. These are just a few examples of the fantastic stories that torment the pages within.
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“The House at the End of Her Mind”
Dark Voices, LVP Publications

Dark Voices is a Lycan Valley Charity Anthology -- 100% of profits will go to benefit breast cancer non-profit organizations. Voices are meant to be heard. Darkness amplifies sound. And Dark Voices cannot be silenced. You won’t find pages filled with sunshine and lollipops or rose glass filtered landscapes. Instead, gloom and evil lurks, monsters and despair prevail. As you read these 38 women of horror, sci-fi and dark fiction, their voices will linger in your mind and infiltrate your soul. Their voices are loud. Their voices are strong. Their voices are dark. Voices include: Theresa Derwin * Michelle Scalise * Linda D Addison * Diane Arrelle * Sara Dobie Bauer * Charlotte Bond * Chesya Burke * Christa Carmen * Lynn M Cochrane * Ruschelle Dillon * Pauline E Dungate * Amber Fallon * Cara Fox * Julie Frost * Charlie Hannah * Penny Jones * Reen Jones * Calypso Kane * Kitty Kane * Nancy Kilpatrick * Laura Mauro * Keris McDonald * Helen Mihajlovic * Christine Morgan * Billie Sue Mosiman and Frankline E Wales * Anne Nicholls * Marie O'Regan * Hayley Orgill * NOA Rawle * Eden Royce * EF Schraeder * Angela Slatter * Kristal Stittle * KD Thomas * Angeline Trevena * Nemma Wollenfang * Mercedes Murdock Yardley * Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi
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"True Life: My Boss is a Descendant of Cthulhu"
Black Ice Magazine, Vol. 2

Eighty pages of speculative fiction from new and emergent writers, including “God is in the House,” by James Edward O'Brien, “Monitor,” by Gary Durbin, “His Grey Diet,” by Henry Charles Gysin, an Interview with Mitch Gitelman, “Job Well Done,” by JovelleAngeli Avancena, “Pyrrhic,” by Gustavo Bondoni Dorrego, “The Bent Spoon,” by Andrew Reichard, “SQLG,” by Dan Thorn, and “True Life: My Boss is the Descendant of Cthulhu,” by Christa Carmen.
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"Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge"
Outpost 28 Issue #2, Elvelon Press

A collection of dark short stories, artwork, and interviews that feature soul-swallowing horror, phantasmic darkness, and a satisfying dosage of brain-munching zombies. Issue #2 features tales by Christa Carmen, Ayesha Ahmad, Rachael Alexandra, Dean Kuhta, and Victor Johnston as well as illustrations by professional artists like Andy Fairhurst, David Bonneywell, Michael Brack, Socar Myles, and Brett Gray. In addition, there are follow-up interviews from Issue #1 with musicians Jason Walton (formally of Agalloch), Tim Cretella from Doppio Music, and Trevor Church of Beastmaker. Buy your copy of issue #2 today to enjoy the many curious worlds of Outpost 28! 50% of all proceeds of Outpost 28 go to helping the homeless in Richmond, VA.
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“Red Room”
Unnerving Magazine Issue #5

Issue #5 includes fiction from Christa Carmen, Stephen S. Power (author of The Dragon Round), John C. Foster (author of Mr. White, and Baby Powder and Other Terrifying Substances), David Busboom (author of Nightbird), Gary Buller, Jake Marley, K.P. Kulski, Sara Codair, and Aaaron J. Housholder. Includes a feature by Gwendolyn Kiste (author of And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe, and Pretty Marys All in a Row). Publisher spotlight on Coffin Hop and Q&A interviews with Owen King (coauthor of Sleeping Beauties, and author of Double Feature) and Christina Henry (author of Lost Boy, and Alice).
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“The Ghost”
Only the Lonely, Alban Lake Publishing

Loneliness is both an emotion and a condition. It can last a few moments, or for a lifetime. Either way, it leads to a theme that we explore in this anthology. All the main characters you will meet in Only the Lonely experience loneliness in one form or another, but do not mistake loneliness for a solitary condition. A person can be lonely in a crowd if he or she is or feels different from the others. Someone can also choose to be alone, for a variety of reasons. And sometimes solitude is thrust upon an individual. How they cope, or fail to cope... well, that’s what this anthology is all about. Featuring stories by Christa Carmen, Teri Santitoro, Jay Caselberg, Lisa Timpf, Brianna Fenty, and Tyree Campbell, and delicately seasoned with a few themed poems, this is one anthology you don’t want to miss.
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“The Girl Who Loved Bruce Campbell”
Year’s Best Hardcore Horror Volume 2, Comet Press

”The most effective selections in this second annual compilation of gory and sexually explicit horror rely more on characterization and drama than on their extreme content...In Christa Carmen’s “The Girl Who Loved Bruce Campbell,” a chainsaw-wielding young woman defends herself against a trio of ravenous mutants in a bloody spree that gleefully spoofs the more outrageous moments in the Evil Dead movie franchise.” — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. Comet Press is extremely proud to present its second annual anthology featuring this year's hardcore corps of authors with the best extreme horror fiction of 2016 that breaks boundaries and trashes taboos. Selected from indie publishers and magazines such as Corner Bar Magazine, Weirdpunk Books, Necro Publications, Splatterpunk Zine, Carrion Blue, and Raw Dog Screaming Press, these stories represent the state of the art of extreme horror fiction. Whether extreme in theme or with gore galore, these disturbing tales will be hard to forget even though you may wish you could. Yes, there will be blood. Lots of it. Gore galore and plenty of the gushy stuff. But you'll also find tales less graphic but with hardcore attitudes, transgressive stories you're not sure you should be reading, stories showing you things you shouldn't see. Visceral fiction by Christa Carmen, Michael A. Arnzen, Jasper Bark, Marvin Brown, Adam Cesare, Matthew Chabin, Jose Cruz, Andrew Darlington, Paolo Di Orazio, Stefanie Elrick, William Grabowski, Sarah L. Johnson, Eric LaRocca, Alessandro Manzetti, Tim Miller, Alexandra Renwick, Bryan Smith, Jeremy Thompson, Tim Waggoner, Wrath James White, and Stephanie M. Wytovich.
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“Thirsty Creatures”
Strange Beasties, Third Flatiron Publishing

Nothing is too strange for Third Flatiron's new anthology, "Strange Beasties." Find something unsettling at every turn, from rising primordical monsters and gods to murderous supernatural predators and vengeful soul-hungry demons. There's plenty of dark comedy too, with gamblers who race unusual beasts, ogres who run cooking podcasts, horrifically dysfunctional families, and unhinged sorcerers. An international group of new and established contributors to "Strange Beasties" makes this an original and varied collection that is sure to please fans of science fiction/fantasy, slipstream, humor, and horror.

An international group of new and established contributors to "Strange Beasties" makes this an original and varied collection that is sure to please fans of science fiction/fantasy, humor, and horror. Writers include Christa Carmen, Bruce Arthurs, John Sunseri, Philip John Schweitzer, Tim Jeffreys, Sarah Tchernev, Lucy Harlow, Philip Brian Hall, Jean Graham, Marc E. Fitch, Isobel Horsburgh, Paulo Da Silva, Jeff Hewitt, Wulf Moon, Daniel Rosen, Brenton Clark, John J. Kennedy, and Brian Trent. Foreword by Lizz-Ayn Shaarawi. Join us for an exhilarating ride through uncharted dark territory—and keep an eye out for strange beasties.
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“The Molecules that Bind Us”
Mad Scientist Journal Autumn 2017

Smart toasters, zombie offboarding, and innovations in 3-D printing. These are but some of the strange tales to be found in this book. Mad Scientist Journal: Autumn 2017 collects thirteen tales from the fictional worlds of mad science. For the discerning mad scientist reader, there are also pieces of fiction from Christa Carmen, Sean Buckley, Jule Owen, Steve Toase, Amanda Cherry, Sarah Cavar, Charlie Neuner, E. B. Fischadler, Tara Campbell, Judith Field, Emma Whitehall, Maureen Bowden, Isaac Teile, J. Lee Strickland, John A. McColley, Kate B. Brokaw, Jessie Kwak, Elizabeth Booth, Joachim Heijndermans, Cathleen Kivett Smith, Lucinda Gunnin, and Torrey Podmajersky. Readers will also find other resources for the budding mad scientist, including an advice column, gossip column, and other brief messages from mad scientists. Art by Shannon Legler, Katie Nyborg, Errow Collins, Scarlett O'Hairdye, Luke Spooner, Ariel Alian Wilson, and Amanda Jones.
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“Personal Effects”
Devolution Z: The Horror Magazine

13 original short stories, articles, and poems from talented authors of horror from around the world. Published monthly, Devolution Z Magazine brings you supernatural horror fiction, as well as nonfiction based on local and urban legends, myths, terrifying encounters, and all things supernatural and frightening.
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“Honey is a Dish Best Served Cold”
Just Desserts, WolfSinger Publications

Whether you like your revenge with the molten fire of a fine old Scotch or the cool sweetness of a tasty meringue, the nineteen tales within these covers should offer something to assuage you. Narcissistic co-workers, thieves of affection, and bad neighbors are given their due in ways imaginative and sublime. Featuring stories by: Christa Carmen, Calvin Demmer, Andrew Seddon, Anthony Crinella, Ashley Vasquez, Brian H. Seitzman, Carlos Roque, Erica Eastick, Jill Hand, Joseph P. Pietris, Kelly Matsuura, Kevin M. Folliard, Kirk Dougal, Lena Ng, Maria Haskins, Matt Handle, Mike McNichols, Rebecca McFarland Kyle and Robb T. White.
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“F***ing Up the Universe”
The Book of the Macabre, DreamFusion Press

A morbid corpus of twisted tales drawn from the darkest recesses of some of the most disturbed minds ever to put pen to paper. Sinister and controversial, psychological and horrific, The Book of the Macabre thrusts you into a madness so disturbing you’ll be clawing your way out. This collection of evil is sure to bring even the bravest souls to their knees, pleading for release. Talented curators of horror allow you inside their dark and twisted minds...if you dare.
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“No Trespassing”
Jitter Issue #4, Prolific Press

Jitter (Issue #4) is filled with stories and poems of horror by these masters of terror: Christa Carmen, Kevin Andersen, Rick Baldwin, Brandon Barrows, R.M. Warren, Adam Breckenridge, Dana Copeland, Stephan Deemer, Chris Dykes, Aaron Emmel, Cameron Filas, Justin Fleischman, Tim Gardiner, Patricia George, Robert Hansen, Gary Hewitt, Christopher Hivner, Scott Jessop, Ken L. Jones, Roger Leatherwood, Stephen McQuiggan, Jacob Mielke, David Novak, and Atris Ray III.
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The Daughters of Block Island
Order now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Books-A-Million.

In this ingenious and subversive twist on the classic gothic novel, the mysterious past of an island mansion lures two sisters into a spiderweb of scandal, secrets, and murder.

Two sisters, strangers since birth yet bound by family secrets, are caught up in a century-old mystery on an isolated island.

After arriving on Block Island to find her birth mother, Blake Bronson becomes convinced she’s the heroine of a gothic novel-the kind that allowed her intermittent escape from a traumatic childhood. How else to explain the torrential rain, the salt-worn mansion known as White Hall, and the restless ghost purported to haunt its halls? But before Blake can discern the novel’s ending, she’s found dead, murdered in a claw-foot tub. The proprietress of White Hall stands accused.

Summoned by a letter sent from Blake before she died, Thalia Mills returns to the island she swore she’d left for good. She finds that Blake wasn’t the first to die at White Hall under suspicious circumstances. Thalia must uncover the real reason for Blake’s demise before the forces conspiring to keep Block Island’s secrets dead and buried rise up to consume her too.

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Events for The Daughters of Block Island
The Daughters of Block Island Tour Dates
Dec 9, 2023
Rarities Books & Bindery, Wakefield, RI, 1 0am
Stillwater Books, West Warwick, RI, 2 pm

Dec 10, 2023
RI Boutique, Mystic, CT, 4 pm

Jan 11, 2024
Books on the Square, Providence, RI, 6 pm

Jan 17, 2024
Ashaway Free Library, Ashaway, RI, 6 pm

Jan 24, 2024
Barrington Books, Barrington, RI, 6:30 pm

Jan 30, 2024
North Kingstown Free Library, North Kingstown, RI, 6:30 pm