Author Event! Deborah Sosin w/ Ethan Gilsdorf - Escape Velocity

Escape Velocity, a linked set of 70 micro-memoirs of 70 words each, chronicles the author’s decades-long quest to overcome her family’s gravitational pull and forge a separate self, capable of a loving, intimate relationship. Anna Hall’s evocative illustrations add depth and humor to the scenes, which include transformative therapy sessions, an empowering alpine road trip, a clothing-optional retreat, and some miserable midlife dates. At 70, Sosin faces the loss of both parents and the challenges—and delights—of flying solo. Escape Velocity sheds light on what it means to claim our true selves later in life without severing our close family bonds.

 is a writer, editor, psychotherapist, and GrubStreet instructor. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, Boston Globe Magazine, Salon, Cognoscenti, Brevity Blog, Oldster Magazine, Short Reads, The Manifest-Station, two anthologies, and numerous other publications. Her new book, Escape Velocity: How One 70-Year-Old Push-Pulled Her Way Out of Her Too-Much-Not-Enough Family (70 Micro-Memoirs, 70 Words Each), was a 2026 Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist. She also authored the award-winning picture book Charlotte and the Quiet Place and a clinical workbook, Sober Starting Today. Deborah has an MFA from Lesley University and an MSW from Smith College School for Social Work. She lives outside of Boston. More at: www.deborahsosin.com and Write It Like It Is Substack.

Ethan Gilsdorf is the author of the award-winning memoir Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks. His work appears in the New York Times, Washington Post, Esquire, Wired, O the Oprah Magazine, Huffington Post, Brevity, Electric Literature, Poetry, and The Southern Review, and has been named twice as "Notable" in Best American Essays. He teaches at GrubStreet, where he leads the Essay Incubator program; at LitArts RI and Craft Talks; is on the faculty of Solstice MFA Program at Lasell University; and teaches anyone how to play Dungeons & Dragons. More info: ethangilsdorf.com; instagram.com/ethan.gilsdorf; facebook.com/ethangilsdorf; youtube.com/ethangilsdorf