Molly Olguín w/ Amber Flame, THE SEA GIVES UP THE DEAD

Writer and educator Molly Olguín discusses her debut book of stories, The Sea Gives Up the Dead, a collection sprinkled into the soil of fairy tale, left to take root and grow wild there. Here, historical fiction, horror, fantaand sy tangle together in a queer garden of love, grief, and longing. She is joined in conversation by writer, artist, and educator Amber Flame.

A lovesick nanny slays a dragon. The devil tries to save her mother. A girl drowns and becomes a saint. Three kids plot to blow up their dad, a grieving mother sails the sea to find her son’s grave, a scientist brings a voice to life, and a mermaid falls into the power of a witch. Here, historical fiction, horror, and fantasy tangle together in a queer garden of love, grief, and longing.

Molly Olguín is a queer writer, educator, and monster enthusiast. Her collection The Sea Gives Up the Dead was chosen by Carmen Maria Machado for the 2023 Grace Paley Prize, and is out now with Red Hen Press. She was the recipient of the Loft Mentor Series Fellowship in 2019, and is a 2025 Jack Hazard Fellow. With Jackie Hedeman, she is the creator of the audio drama The Pasithea Powder. She teaches English and creative writing to high school students in Seattle, Washington.

Amber Flame is deputy publisher and cofounder at Generous Press, an inclusive romance press. She is a multi-genre writer, educator, and arts administrator serving as program director for Hedgebrook. Flame is the author of the poetry collections Ordinary Cruelty and apocrifa.

Order your copy of The Sea Gives Up the Dead here

Host or Publisher Elliott Bay Book Company