BLOOD SWEAT TEARS | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation

BLOOD SWEAT TEARS is a short story collection from 26 women+ hikers and runners about the experience of being in a female body on trail. This group of intrepid and vulnerable athletes/writers talk periods, boob sweat, and ugly crying. The trail is a place for healing, and can show us what we are made of---but it's always us doing the hard work.

Editor Christine Reed is joining us on the Busboys stage alongside contributing authors Meg Landymore, Belinda Arndt, and Maggie Seymour to share more about their experiences as women navigating their relationship to body and belonging, motherhood, identity, and more. Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and the editor and authors will be signing following the program.

This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of BLOOD SWEAT TEARS will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will not be livestreamed. 

We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books

Meg Landymore (She/Her) Meg is a wife, mom of two boys, military veteran, small business owner, physician assistant and ultrarunner and certified running coach. She has been running for more than twenty years and exclusively focused on running ultra marathons for twelve of them. She has set course records and podiumed at a number of races of distances ranging from small marathons and 50Ks up to a few FKTs:Double S.C.A.R., the roughly ~345 mile Appalachian High Route and recently the Four State Challenge on the Appalachian Trail here in Maryland. Finally, she has run the entire 2,194.1 miles of the Northbound Appalachian Trail in long weekend sections over 14 months with one other amazing woman. 

She considers herself blessed to have experienced a great deal of success in her running endeavors, but also has been taxed with medical complications: pelvic congestion syndrome, may thurner syndrome and chronic pain. I have overcome a few surgeries and extensive physical therapy in my continued search to heal and move/run well.  Having had a total hysterectomy and practicing in the field of aging medicine and hormone therapies Meg has a special interest in hormones, longevity and mobility.  Meg has a passion for sharing her experiences and lessons from the trail with others.

Belinda Arndt (She/Her) Belinda is a solo traveler who is happiest at the ocean, or wandering around the world. She holds an MA in public affairs. She feels most at home on the trails, where her wildness is accepted and she can be her whole self. She has found that the outdoors has taught her that her problems aren’t as big as she thinks they are, and that everything will work out, even if not in the ways she expected. She knows that sharing our stories is how we spread knowledge and connection.

Maggie Seymour (She/Her) Maggie is a Midwesterner, a runner, a Marine, a diplomat, a coach, and a mother. She completed a transcontinental run from San Diego to Virginia in 2017 and is currently attempting to cross all fifty states on foot. She holds a BS in political science; MAs in military history, journalism, public leadership, and sociology; and a PhD in international studies. As an occasional trail runner, she slowed down and hiked the northern half of the Pacific Crest Trail with her partner in 2017. She’s now focused on passing along that love of camping, running, and trails to her growing family. She is currently working on her memoir, set against the backdrop of her 2017 transcon. 

She can be found on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @runfreerunner and at www.runfreerun.com.

Christine Reed (She/Her) Christine is the founder of Rugged Outdoorswoman Publishing, whose first publication, Blood Sweat Tears, is a perfect example of the mission to promote the adventure stories of women and gender-expansive folks. Her award-winning debut memoir, Alone in Wonderland, shares the story of her personal transformation via thru-hiking. She has been forged by nature and movement, and she firmly believes in the power of story and representation to invite every body into the outdoors where we can see ourselves more clearly. 

She can be found on Instagram and TikTok @ruggedoutdoorswoman and at ruggedoutdoorswoman.com.

Host or Publisher Busboys and Poets