How They Did It: Biographical Fiction

Novelist Louisa Treger once called biographical fiction "the lie through with truth can emerge." In the third of our "How They Did It" series, we'll hear from four talented novelists who have blended fact with their fiction, with dazzling results. Novelist Jasmin Darznik, who has written biographical fiction about Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzad and photographer Dorothea Lange, will moderate a wide-ranging conversation with novelists Karen Joy Fowler (author of the Booker longlisted Booth), Dawn Tripp (author of national bestseller Georgia and her latest novel, Jackie), and Gail Tsukiyama (author of Bright Star, about the Hollywood trailblazer Anna May Wong).

How do authors of biographical fiction choose their subjects? And what is their purpose: to interrogate a historical villain, to shine a light on a fascinating but previously obscure life, or to imagine one's way into a famous person's heart and mind? How do these authors merge the rigor of research with the art of fiction? And what truths can the "lie" of their fiction reveal? Aspiring writers of biography and biographical fiction, as well as readers who enjoy exploring these genres, will find plenty of inspiration in this discussion with masters of their craft.

We'll gather at the Page Street Co-Working space in Berkeley, where in addition to the conversation, we'll enjoy time for casual networking. We'll be pouring Prosecco, wine, and fancy nonalcoholic drinks. Book sales and signing provided by Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore. Proceeds from ticket sales will support both LitCamp and Litquake.

Karen Joy Fowler is the New York Times bestselling author of seven novels and three short story collections. Her novel The Jane Austen Book Club spent thirteen weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was a New York Times Notable Book. Fowler’s previous novel, Sister Noon, was a finalist for the 2001 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction. Her debut novel, Sarah Canary, won the Commonwealth medal for best first novel by a Californian and was a New York Times Notable Book. Fowler’s short story collection Black Glass won the World Fantasy Award in 1999, and her collection What I Didn’t See won the World Fantasy Award in 2011. Her novel We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, won the 2014 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction and was short-listed for the 2014 Man Booker Prize. Her most recent novel, Booth, was long-listed for the 2022 Booker Prize and has been called " a dazzling blend of fact and fiction with piercing echoes to today" by Julie Buntin in The San Francisco Chronicle. Fowler lives in Santa Cruz.

Dawn Tripp is the author of the novel Georgia, which was a national bestseller, a finalist for the New England Book Award, and the winner of the Mary Lynn Kotz Award for Art in Literature. She is the author of three previous novels: Game of Secrets, Moon Tide, and The Season of Open Water, which won the Massachusetts Book Award for Fiction. Her poems and essays have appeared in the Virginia Quarterly Review, Harvard Review, AGNI, Conjunctions and NPR, among others. She serves as an officer on the board of the Boston Book Festival and on the board of Gnome Surf: A non-profit Surf Therapy Organization focused on creating a culture shift towards kindness, love, and acceptance for athletes of all abilities. Most recently, Tripp is the author of Jackie, which Kirkus Reviews calls " An elegiac and meticulously crafted ode to a still somewhat mysterious figure." When Tripp is not writing, more than likely she is in the ocean.

Gail Tsukiyama was born in San Francisco to a Chinese mother from Hong Kong and a Japanese father from Hawaii. She attended San Francisco State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Master of Arts Degree in English. She is the bestselling author of several novels, including Women of the Silk and The Samurai’s Garden, as well as the recipient of the Academy of American Poets Prize and the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award. Her most recent novel, The Brightest Star, has been called a "stirring story about the drive and courageous spirit of a talented, barrier-breaking American icon" by Booklist. Tsukiyama divides her time between El Cerrito and Napa Valley.

Jasmin Darznik (moderator) is the New York Times bestselling author of three books, including The Bohemians, a novel that imagines the friendship between photographer Dorothea Lange and her Chinese American assistant in 1920s San Francisco. Darznik's debut novel, Song of a Captive Bird, was a New York Times Book Review “Editors’ Choice” book and a Los Angeles Times bestseller. Darznik is also the author of The Good Daughter: A Memoir of My Mother’s Hidden Life. Her books have been published in eighteen countries and her essays have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times, among others. She was born in Iran and came to America when she was five years old. She holds an MFA in fiction from Bennington College, a J.D. from the University of California, and a Ph.D. in English from Princeton University. She is an associate professor and chair of the MFA Program in Writing at California College of the Arts.

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Since being founded by Jane Ganahl and Jack Boulware in 1999, Litquake has hosted 10,500 authors for 275,000 attendees and distributed 12,000 free books to San Francisco schoolchildren. With over 225 literary partners, Litquake functions more than ever as an umbrella organization stitching together the Bay Area’s literary scene. In its lively, diverse and inclusive celebration of San Francisco’s thriving contemporary literary scene, Litquake, which celebrates 25 years in 2024, seeks to foster an interest in literature, perpetuate a sense of literary community, and provides a forum for Bay Area writing as a complement to the city’s music, film, and cultural festivals.

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LitCamp exists to help writers hone their craft, navigate the world of publishing, and find community. Each year, the organization holds two conferences at the stunning Bell Valley Retreat Center in Mendocino County: one focused on craft, the other on the business of being a writer. Lit Nights events, held at the Page Street co-working space in San Francisco, give emerging writers the opportunity to read their work in front of an audience. LitCamp's in-person and online classes, taught by published writers and experienced instructors, help writers develop their craft. Retreats, held at some of the most secluded and beautiful locations in Northern California, give writers the time and space they need to write.

Host or Publisher Litquake, San Francisco's Literary Festival