An Afternoon of Fiction with Terry Wolverton & Jaime Balboa

Beyond Baroque presents a thrilling afternoon of fiction in the Wanda Coleman Theater with authors Terry Wolverton and Jaime Balboa.

Terry Wolverton’s, Season of Eclipse, marks her twelfth book. In this thriller, a highly popular literary novelist is caught in the midst of an attack at JFK airport. Instead of running, she snaps photos, bringing her to the attention of Homeland Security. As she is placed in a Witness Protection Program, she begins a fight to reclaim her identity. Unsure of the forces after her, whether it’s a terrorist organization or the government, she runs for her life, and must turn to unlikely sources for help.

Jaime Balboa’s new short story collection, Missing Possibilities, depicts several sides of the human experience in a blend of dream and reality: A doctor befriends a terminal cancer patient. A magical elf king befriends a child in need. Gods of old visit a contemporary church service. A customer in a neighborhood café is transported to an alternate reality. A teenager develops a quirky, wonderful superpower. The 16 stories in Missing Possibilities each grapple with key themes about what it means to be human. Alienation. Isolation. Transformation. Violence and hope, silence and voice, desperation and patience each is framed with compassion and shines light into the dark edges of society. In some cases, playfulness, humor, and light drive the stories while in others strong, gravitational forces bring us, with the characters themselves, to the breaking point.

Book Singing & reception to follow after the readings.

Doors Open: 1:30 PM I Readings: 2:00 PM

Livestream: If you can’t join us in-person the event will be livestreamed on at the scheduled time of the event.

Terry Wolverton is author of eleven books of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, including Embers, a novel in poems, and Insurgent Muse: art and life at the Woman’s Building, a memoir which received the Judy Grahn Award for nonfiction from Publishing Triangle. Her twelfth book,

Season of Eclipse, a novel, is forthcoming from Bella Books. She has also edited fifteen literary compilations, including (with Robert Drake) three volumes each of the Lambda Award winning series His: brilliant new fiction by gay men and Hers brilliant new fiction by lesbians.

Jaime Balboa's writing has appeared in Lunch Ticket, Hobart, The Timberline Review, Bull, The Write Launch, Streetlight Magazine, and elsewhere. He served as Flash Fiction Magazine editor from 2018-2020 and is currently the executive director of 826LA, a nonprofit offering free writing programs to public school students in Los Angeles. His collection of short stories, Missing Possibilities, was published in 2023 by Atmosphere Press.

This event is Free & In-Person at Beyond Baroque. Masks are encouraged while inside our center.

Event attendees are expected to behave in a respectful and considerate manner while in our space. Beyond Baroque reserves the right to remove individuals from our events, virtual or otherwise, if they are not respecting the space, fellow attendees, or performers.

Because this is a free event seating is limited. Please arrive early.

Host or Publisher Beyond Baroque Literary | Arts Center