Conversations & Connections

Zella’s Pizzeria & George Mason University • April 26-27

Barrelhouse Magazine holds an annual writers networking event called Conversations & Connections at George Mason University. This year John Edward Lawson participated as one of the editors in the Speed Dating with Editors and also sold RDSP books during the book fair. It’s a professional but low-key atmosphere with authors from all different experience levels and lots of chances to learn and make new contacts.

As a prelude to the event coordinator Susan Muadi Darraj arranged a reading with two of the convention guest speakers, authors Gabino Iglesias and Nik Korpon and invited John to read too. If you ever have a chance to see these guys read, snatch it! They were all amazing in different ways. Gabino Iglesias drummed a riot of words part prayer, part curse, Nik Korpon’s bilingual, audience-participation piece was one of the most creative I’ve heard and John Edward Lawson always brings the dark comedy so you don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Plus Susan Muaddi Darraj did an excellent job as emcee. It was a truly unique and fun reading.The reading was held on the Friday before the conference at Zella’s Pizzeria in Baltimore. The photo gallery below has pics from both events.