Author event with Sarah Hanson
About this Event
Join us as we welcome author Sarah Hanson to Three Avenues Bookshop to celebrate her memoir-in-verse, Conjuring the Hurricane.
We are thrilled to host Sarah Hanson for an event featuring her memoir-in-verse, Conjuring the Hurricane. The event will feature a conversation and audience Q&A, with an author meet & greet and book signing to follow.
When: Wednesday, September 30th at 6:30 pm (doors open at 6:15 pm)
Where: Three Avenues Bookshop - 3009 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60657
Copies of will be available for purchase during the event, and participants will have the opportunity to get their books signed by Sarah Hanson.
About the Book: Conjuring the Hurricane: The Best Way to Save Your Life is Any Way You Can
When Sarah Hanson realized she had to leave her abusive relationship, she didn't have a plan. She had fear, instinct, and a body that had learned how to survive.
Conjuring the Hurricane is a survival memoir-in-verse about leaving a life that's killing you and rebuilding a self you can finally live inside. Told in fragments that mirror the way trauma lives in the body, the book traces the nonlinear work of reclaiming identity, trust, and agency after abuse.
This is a story of escape and aftermath, of learning to trust what the body knows, and of joy returning slowly, in unexpected forms. It is not a guide to the perfect exit, but a testament to the exit that saves you.
For anyone who has ever wondered how she got here.
For anyone who has ever whispered, how do I get out.
This book is a permission slip to choose survival.
About the Author
Sarah Hanson is the author of Conjuring the Hurricane: The Best Way to Save Your Life Is Any Way You Can, an award-winning memoir-in-verse about domestic abuse, healing, and self-permission. The book won the 2026 International Book Award for Contemporary Poetry and was named an IPPY Outstanding Book of the Year. It was also selected for Ms. Magazine's Best Poetry list for 2026. The book has been endorsed by Elizabeth Gilbert, Jen Pastiloff, and Maria Giesbrecht. Her work has appeared in HuffPost, Sierra Nevada Review, The Literary Times, and other publications. Hanson holds an MA from the University of Chicago and lives in Minneapolis with her husband, three cats, and a codependent To Be Read book pile that will follow her into the afterlife. Learn more about Sarah at her website.
About the Moderator
Lauren Rich is a poet and social worker from the Chicagoland area. Lauren was recently awarded Most Humorful in the 2026 Quibble Lit Audio Poem Awards. She was also longlisted for The Only Poems Bob Hicok Fellowship in 2025. Her debut chapbook, FAWNING, is forthcoming in 2027 with Arcana Poetry Press. When she isn’t writing she can be found traveling, exploring the local forests, or having a pint at the pub. Connect with her on Instagram and Substack @laurenrichwrites.
Event Accessibility
Three Avenues Bookshop's goal is to be a safe, accessible, and inclusive space for all. Please email us at [email protected] to let us know if you need any accommodations for this event, and we'll do our best to meet them. Accommodations can include but are not limited to the following: space for a wheelchair or other mobility device, masks, answering questions about the space over the phone or email ahead of time, etc.
Agenda
🕑: 06:15 PM
Doors Open
🕑: 06:30 PM - 07:15 PM
Sarah Hanson in conversation with Lauren Rich
🕑: 07:15 PM - 07:45 PM
Audience Q&A
🕑: 07:45 PM - 08:00 PM
Meet & Greet and Book Signing
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00 to USD 30.09
