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Upcoming Events

Events for The Daughters of Block Island

Past Events

OFFICIAL LAUNCH - The Daughters of Block Island
Dec 1, 2023

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
OFFICIAL LAUNCH - The Daughters of Block Island
United Theatre, Westerly, RI

Join us as we host local author Christa Carmen live at the United Theatre for the launch of her new book THE DAUGHTERS OF BLOCK ISLAND. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.
Karen McManus in Conversation with Christa Carmen
Jul 27, 2023

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Karen McManus in Conversation with Christa Carmen
Westerly Public Library, Westerly, RI
Directions

In partnership with Savoy Bookshop & Café, please join us for an author talk with Karen McManus and her new book One of Us Is Back. She will be in conversation with local author Christa Carmen. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. If you purchase a copy of One of Us Is Back during the event (or from Savoy Bookshop & Café before the event), you will be able to enter the signing line to get your book signed by Karen. Registration is required to attend.

Want the chance to win an EXCLUSIVE Karen M. McManus tour t-shirt? Attend her tour event in person for the opportunity to win one of 20 t-shirts that features the names of the entire Bayview Crew! The only way to win is to attend our event! Each tour stop will receive the shirt in a different color.
Arcade Asylum Author Series
Jun 10, 2023

6:00 PM
Arcade Asylum Author Series

Join New York author DANIEL BRAUM at the Lovecraft Arts and Sciences Council book store in Providence Rhode Island to celebrate the release of the Cemetery Dance Publications edition of his short story collection The Night Marchers and Other Strange Tales. Authors Christa Carmen, Larissa Glasser, and John Langan will join Braum in a wide-ranging discussion about strange and uncanny fiction and will read from their work.
StokerCon 2023
May 14 - 18, 2023
StokerCon 2023


Christa Carmen will be participating in several events as part of the HWA's convention:

Rooftop Readings Ample Hills
Nov 29, 2022

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Rooftop Readings
Ample Hills (Gowanus)
New York, NY
Directions

Rooftop Readings is back with some fantastic readings for November! We'll feature Christa Carmen, Leanna Renee Hieber (with Andrea Janes), and Chris Ryan! This is the latest in our monthly (usually 3rd Tuesday, but this time the 5th) author reading series held on the Ample Hills rooftop in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Each month will feature a different set of three authors from a variety of genres — science-fiction, fantasy, horror, young adult, mystery, humor … the sky’s the limit! And bonus: There’s ice cream involved! Ample Hills now also sells pizza if you want to chow down before your ice cream, too. Tickets (which include a free regular sized ice cream) should be purchased online, but can be bought at the venue (pending availability).
Get your tickets here, now. For more on the readings and upcoming authors, go here. Want to read with us? Fill out the form here.
Rarities Books & Bindery
Nov 20, 2022

11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Rhode Island Horror
Rarities Books & Bindery
Wakefield, RI
Directions

Join Christa Carmen, Joshua Rex, Aron Beauregard, and Gage Greenwood at Rarities Vintage Bookstore for an afternoon of coffee and horror.
Little Pop Up Shop of Horrors Part 2
Oct 23, 2022

1:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Little Pop Up Shop of Horrors Part 2
Buttonwoods Brewery
Cranston, RI
Directions

Join Christa Carmen, Curtis M. Lawson, Jason Parent, Brennan LaFaro, and Aron Beauregard at Buttonwoods Brewery. Entrance and parking is in the back of the building. The tasting room will be open for the duration of the event. Beers will be available for purchase from both Buttonwoods Brewery and Origin Beer Project. Vendors inside and out - rain or shine.
Author Talk featuring the contributors to We Are Providence
Oct 20, 2022

6:00 PM
Author Talk ft. the contributors to We Are Providence
Savoy Bookshop & Café
Westerly, RI
Directions

Savoy Bookshop & Café presents a talk and Q&A with the authors of We Are Providence: Tales of Horror from the Ocean State. Please join us in welcoming: Christa Carmen, Mary Robles, Steven Belanger, Joshua Rex, Jason Parent, Paul Magnan, Aron Beauregard, Curtis Lawson, and K.H. Vaughan.
Terry Brooks in Conversation w/ Christa Carmen
Oct 5, 2022

7:00 PM
Terry Brooks in Conversation w/ Christa Carmen
The United Theater
Watch Hill, RI
Directions

Bank Square Books and Savoy Bookshop & Café present an author talk at The United Theatre with Terry Brooks in conversation with Christa Carmen for the new book, Daughter of Darkness. Purchase tickets here.
Thriller Panel at the Ocean House
Sep 25, 2022
11:30 – 1:30 am
Thriller Panel
The Ocean House
Watch Hill, RI
Directions

Thriller Panel with Christa Carmen, Luanne Rice, Stuart O’Nan, and John David Mann and moderated by Deborah Goodrich Royce. Register here. Please note, tickets purchased for this event are non-refundable. Books will be available for purchase onsite through Savoy Bookshop & Cafe.
Aug 29, 2022
6:00 – 7:00 pm
Gothic Literature and the Supernatural in New England
Otis Library
Norwich, CT
Directions

Otis Library presents a hybrid event offering a celebration of two new books and a chance to learn more about the supernatural in New England. Faye Ringle, PhD. is launching her second book on the New England Gothic; Dr. Ringel will be speaking via Zoom. Horror writer Christa Carmen of Westerly will be present at Otis Library to speak about her research into Rhode Island's Gothic history. She is the editor, along with Lauren Elise Daniels, of We Are Providence: Tales of Horror from the Ocean State; Daniels will be joining the discussion via Zoom from Brisbane, Australia. We Are Providence features twenty stories and poems by writers who live—or have lived—in Rhode Island. Many of the authors will be joining the discussion in person and via Zoom. Copies of the anthology and The Gothic Literature and History of New England: Secrets of the Restless Dead will be available for sale in the Community Room.
Double Play Book Signing
Aug 28, 2022
1:00 – 4:00 pm
”Double Play” Book Signing
Grey Sail Brewing of Rhode Island
Westerly, RI
Directions

Christa Carmen joins fellow RI author Mike Squatrito for an afternoon of Grey Sail beverages and books!
NecronomiConPVD – Christa Carmen
NecronomiConPVD – Christa Carmen
August 19 - 21, 2022
Graduate & Omni Hotels
Providence, RI

Friday – 2-3:15pm
Under Conditions of Absolute Reality: Shirley Jackson’s Life and Legacy – Waterplace Ballroom, Omni Hotel, 2nd floor
From the publication of her then-controversial short “The Lottery” until her untimely death at the age of forty-eight, Shirley Jackson produced an enduring body of novels and short stories that still resonate today. Our panelists discuss the life and enduring legacy of one of the masters of American Literature.
Panelists: Christa Carmen, Carrie Laben, Sean Moreland (M), Paul Tremblay

Saturday – 3:30-4:45pm
AUTHOR READINGS – Narragansett Bayview Room, Graduate Hotel, 17th floor
Craig L. Gidney, Daniel Braum, Christa Carmen, K.H. Vaughan

6:30-7:45pm
The Weird on a Small Color Screen – Waterplace Ballroom, Omni Hotel, 2nd floor
Fire up the color console and adjust your antenna! Our panelists from 2019’s The Weird on a Black and White Screen return to continue their discussion on the weird television shows from the 70s and 80s, taking the legacies of the classic anthology series of the black and white era and tracing the broadcast weird to when cable and cheap VHS tapes forever changed the content available in our living rooms.
Panelists: Inanna Arthen, Christa Carmen, F. Brett Cox, Nicholas Kaufmann (M), Joseph Zannella

7:45-9pm
Weird House Press book release party – We Are Providence – Ocean State Suite A, Graduate Hotel, 2nd floor
Please join the contributors and co-editors of We Are Providence: Tales of Horror from the Ocean State for a launch party in honor of their “haunting, scary, and delightful” (Gene Flynn) new anthology from Weird House Press. Join Joshua Rex, John Lynch, Christa Carmen, Mary Robles, Jason Parent, Victoria Dalpe, L. E. Daniels, Mary Robles, Mr. Michael Squid, Paul Magnan, Barry Dejasu, H. Y. Hsu, K. H. Vaughan, Curtis M. Lawson, and Steven E. Belanger as they mingle/hang-out, share some short teaser-readings and camaraderie, sign copies, and maybe sell some cool merch.

Sunday – 11am-12:15pm
The Weird Has Always Been Female: The women’s canon of weird fiction – Biltmore Ballroom, Graduate Hotel, 17th floor
Recent scholarship shines an increasing light on the women founders and pioneers of weird fiction who have been there since the beginning of the genre. Sometimes sidelined, sometimes writing under pseudonyms, sometimes celebrated. Our panelists trace the history of the weirdwomen who shaped the genre, identify those overlooked or forgotten, and discuss the influence of women writers from Mary Shelley to the modern era.
Panelists: Christa Carmen, Nicole Givens Kurtz, Elena Tchougounova-Paulson, Zin E. Rocklyn, Ann VanderMeer (M)
Dark Arts Festival
July 10, 2022

1:00 - 6:00 PM
PVD Horror Presents
DARK ARTS FESTIVAL
Artists - Writers - Filmmakers
And So Much More!

FREE ENTRY
530 Wellington Ave #22, Cranston, RI 02910

Join RI Chapter members Christa Carmen, Joshua Rex, Victoria Dalpe, Curtis M. Lawson, Barry Lee Dejasu, Paul Magnan, and Aron Beauregard at Buttonwoods Brewery. Entrance and parking is in the back of the building. The tasting room will be open for the duration of the event. Beers will be available for purchase from both Buttonwoods Brewery and Origin Beer Project. Vendors inside and out - rain or shine.
StokerCon 2022 – Christa Carmen
May 12 - 15, 2022
StokerCon 2022

Christa Carmen will be participating in several events as part of the HWA's virtual convention:

“Writing Workshops,” moderated by Brian Matthews and featuring Christa Carmen, Brian Keene, Mary SanGiovanni, Meghan Arcuri, Tim Waggoner, and Tracy Cross, and “The Origins of Monsters,” moderated by James Aquilone and featuring Christa Carmen, Philip Fracassi, and Terrie Leigh Relf.
October 30, 2021

HWA RI – Halloween Eve Readings

Join HWA RI chapter members Steven Belanger, Christa Carmen, Lauren Elise Daniels, Curtis M. Lawson, and Joshua Rex for an evening of short, spooky readings, steaming live on Oct. 30th at 8 pm!
May 20 - 23, 2021
StokerCon 2021

Christa Carmen will be participating in four different events as part of the HWA's 1st virtual convention:

On Demand
American Female Gothic Panel

Christa Carmen moderates a panel on the American Female Gothic with Jewelle Gomez, Jo Kaplan, Gwendolyn Kiste, Lisa Kröger, Cynthia Pelayo, and Sarah Read.
On Demand
Reinventing the Classics Panel: How Modern Horror Is Transforming the Tropes

Gwendolyn Kiste moderates alongside panelists Christa Carmen, L. Marie Wood, Gordon B. White, Naching Kassa, Lee Murray, Rhonda Garcia, and Carina Bissett as we talk all about our favorite classic horror monsters and how those monsters are being reinvented in the 21st century.
On Demand
HWA Chapters: What They Do and How to Start One

James Chambers moderates a discussion on HWA chapters with panelists Christa Carmen, Kevin Wetmore, Carina Bissett, Neil D'Silva, Shawnna Deresch, Carol Gyzander, Kenneth Cain, & Rami Ungar.
On Demand
StokerCon® 2021 Author Reading – Christa Carmen

Watch Christa Carmen read from her works.
February 12, 2021

Females of Fright! Women in Horror Month Panel

Panel discussion moderated by Gwendolyn Kiste, featuring Carina Bissett, Christa Carmen, Sraa Tantlinger, Nicole Willson, Jessica Guess, and Zoje Stage.
October 2020

United In the Dark - Part 2: Gothic Horror w/ Christa Carmen

It's October! That might mean a lot of different things to different people, but for cinephiles and genre fans alike, it's a month for horror. Throughout the month we'll be sharing our horror recommendations to help you program your own October haunts. In this edition, horror author Christa Carmen shares her thoughts on the romanticized terrors of Netflix's The Haunting of Bly Manor and The Haunting of Hill House, and offers a few gothic book suggestions worth a read this Halloween season and beyond.
October 2020

Virtual Halloween Reading for Gerald R. Sherratt Library, Southern Utah University

Watch Christa Carmen read “Shark Minute,” now available in Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing’s Night Frights Issue #2.
October 2020

Salem Horror Fest
Reading: "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" Christa Carmen
Noir at the Bar
Feb 22, 2020

6:00-8:00 PM
Noir at the Bar
AS220
115 Empire Street
Providence, RI 02903
Directions

Featuring Christa Carmen, Evelyn Archer, Christine Lajewski, Vanessa Lillie, Jenna Moquin, & Trisha Wooldridge.
Savoy Bookshop & Cafe
Feb 20, 2020

6:30-7:30 PM
Savoy Bookshop & Cafe
10 Canal Street
Westerly, RI 02891
Directions

Book talk and signing featuring Kelly Braffet for her new novel The Unwilling, in conversation with local author Christa Carmen.
PVD Speculative Presents: An Evening of Dark Fiction
Dec 19, 2019

PVD Speculative Presents: An Evening of Dark Fiction
6-8 PM
Koto Providence
50 Exchange Terrace, Providence, RI 02903
Directions

Welcome to an evening of dark fiction readings by Christa Carmen, Curtis M. Lawson, Errick Nunnally, Barry Lee Dejasu, and Joshua Rex.
Nov 4, 2019

Tapped Apple Winery Reading
6:30 PM
37 High Street
Westerly, RI 02891
Directions
Rhode Island Comic Con
Nov 1-2, 2019

Rhode Island Comic Con
Friday: 3PM-9PM and Saturday: 10AM-7PM
Rhode Island Convention Center & Dunkin Donuts Center
Directions
Teen & Adult Halloween Book Reading
Oct 30, 2019

Teen & Adult Halloween Book Reading
7 PM
Savoy Bookshop & Cafe
10 Canal Street
Westerly, RI 02891
Directions

Halloween-themed book reading for teens and adults featuring Christa Carmen (Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked) and Coral Isabella Aurora (The Teenager's Guide to Surviving a Horror Film).
Saugatuck StoryFest
Sep 27-28, 2019

Saugatuck StoryFest
Westport Library
20 Jesup Rd
Westport, CT 06880
Directions
Aug 21-25, 2019

NecronomiCon 2019
Biltmore Hotel
11 Dorrance Street
Providence, RI 02903
Directions

Pre-Party Readings, Wednesday, August 21, 2019, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.: A special author reading event at the Black Box at AS220, 95 Empire Street in Providence, Rhode Island. Authors will share 7-10 minutes each of their work.

Panel, Friday, August 23, 2019, 10:30 – 11:45 a.m.: SONGS THE SANDMAN SINGS: THE LEGACY AND INFLUENCE OF E.T.A. HOFFMANN – Newport-Washington, Omni 3rd Floor. German Romantic and polymath E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776 – 1822) was an early pioneer in science fiction and fantasy, with macabre sensibilities that influenced Poe, Kafka, and Hitchcock. Perhaps best known for his stories The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, The Sandman, and Automata, his work and ideas connected fantasy, mesmerism, dreams, and machine culture in ways sometimes overlooked today. Panelists Christa Carmen, Michael Dirda, Sean Moreland (M), Sonya Taaffe, & L.C. von Hessen discuss his work and illuminate his enduring influence on weird fiction.

Panel, Sunday, August 25, 2019, 3:00 – 4:15 p.m.: THE DREAMLANDS AND DREAM NARRATIVE IN HPL – Washington-Newport Room, Omni 3rd Floor. Dreams figure prominently in the work of Lovecraft, both in his Dream Cycle stories and in other work. Our panelists explore the geography and denizens of the Dreamlands, and his use of dreams in general in fiction and poetry. What were the major influences on his dream writing and how did his own dreams invade his waking life? How have writers expanded on or modified his ideas since? Close your eyes and find out! Panelists: Christa Carmen, Pete Rawlik (M), Jason Bradley Thompson, Peter Cannon, James Chambers.
Lovecraft Arts & Sciences Horror Reading Event
May 2, 2019

Lovecraft Arts & Sciences Horror Reading Event
Time TBD
Lovecraft Arts & Sciences
65 Weybosset St, Providence, RI
Directions
Warwick Public Library Author Meet & Greet
March 30, 2019

Warwick Public Library Author Meet & Greet
10 AM – 3 PM
Warwick Public Library
600 Sandy Ln, Warwick, RI
Directions
Rhode Island Author Expo 2018
March 23, 2019

Noir at the Bar
6 PM
Hosted by Noir At the Bar PVD
115 Empire Street, Providence, RI
Directions
Wyrd: A Horror Reading Event
March 14, 2019

Wyrd: A Horror Reading Event
7 PM - 9 PM
Koto Sushi & Grill
90 Washington St, Salem, MA
Directions
  
  • Dave Simms offers a stunning review of The Daughters of Block Island for Cemetery Dance: “The gothic horror novel just received a massive shot of adrenaline to its bleak-but-beautiful-heart...a stunning novel that arrives in the final month of the year, just in time for the calendar’s longest nights of darkness. In this debut novel, Carmen doesn’t attempt to top the classics; instead, she subverts them in a unique manner. She embraces the tropes that made the subgenre what it is and forges an enthralling tale of two sisters, a strange town, and a cast of characters that would make the masters proud...If this is any indication of what Christa Carmen can bring into the world, readers will be smiling under candlelight for years to come. An exceptional new talent has arrived.”
  • KIRKUS REVIEWS calls The Daughters of Block Island, “Great fun for readers who’ve done their background reading and want to try a Gothic Plus.”
  • Of The Daughters of Block Island, Dead Headspace’s Brennan LaFaro writes, “What a fine line Christa Carmen has to walk with this book, and how masterfully she walks it… a layered tale that borders on cozy, while never quite allowing the reader to settle in too comfortably...Here lies mystery and secrets, and I was here for it.”

Interviews

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