A Discussion about Independent Publishing with Brittany Micka-Foos

Join local author Brittany Micka-Foos in the Readings Gallery for a panel on the different avenues of independent publishing writers might consider, and to discuss the experience of getting her first book published. Chloe Hovind, a representative from the Village Book's publishing team, and J.W. Donley, a local independent publisher, will be joining Brittany for the evening.

This haunting compendium of eight stories reaches into the darkest corners of modern womanhood, illuminating themes of trauma, identity, and the elusiveness of safety in our capitalist society. Throughout It's No Fun Anymore, Micka-Foos crafts a chilling and vivid tapestry of women's lives. A stay-at-home mother takes inspiration from a 1950s self-help book in a desperate attempt to reclaim her agency. A marriage implodes under the weight of a shampoo-sales pyramid scheme. The specter of generational trauma haunts a new mom in the delivery room. Micka-Foos deftly juxtaposes the everyday with the uncanny across diverse territories, from anime conventions to kindergarten classrooms. The result is an eerie familiarity, an intensity that lingers long after the final page.

Brittany Micka-Foos is the author of the chapbook a litany of words as fragile as window glass (Bottlecap Press, 2024). Her short stories, essays, and poetry have appeared in Ninth Letter, Witness, Literary Mama, Identity Theory, NonBinary Review, CALYX Journal, Briar Cliff Review, and elsewhere. A former victim's rights lawyer, Brittany lives in Bellingham, WA, with her family.

J.W. Donley—HWA, HOWL Society member, and owner of Dark Forest Press LLC—lives in the Pacific Northwest where the Cascade Mountains meet the Salish Sea. J.W. is the author of the novelette Cats of the Pacific Northwest and 100 Unusual Prompts for Writers of Horror, Weird, and Bizarro Fiction with contributions from John Langan, Carlton Mellick III, Shane Hawk, and many more. His short stories have appeared in anthologies from Dim Shores, HOWL Society Press, PIT, Chuckanut Editions, and on Creepy, a Horror Podcast.

Chloe H. is a librarian-trained bookseller whose passion for connecting people with they stories and information they need has brought her to the world of self-publishing. Currently the Publishing Director at Village Books, she consults with local authors looking to get their books into bookstores and manages Village Books’ publishing imprint, Chuckanut Editions.

*Feel free to call Village Books and Paper Dreams for further assistance at 360-671-2626!*