For as long as she can remember, Izzy Wasserstein aspired to write. Now 41, she recalled the rush of hope and feelings books stirred within her early in life.
“I would pick up a book and I would find it moving. I would find it powerful, and emotionally revelatory. And I would think to myself, ‘I just someday would love to write something that means to somebody else what this meant to me.’”
Already the author of two published poetry books, Wasserstein gets another opportunity to influence readers with the local launch Tuesday of her debut collection of science fiction short stories, “All the Hometowns You Can’t Stay Away From.” And she’ll do it from a venue that’s very special to her.
“The Raven was always where I wanted to do this book release, because it is the bookstore of my heart,” she said. “I’ve been going to the Raven for many years, and so I will find a reason to make a trip up to Lawrence to pick up a book.”
A news release from the Raven said, “Wasserstein pries the lid off 14 different worlds from an already impressive short fiction career. In these pages, you’ll meet ne’er-do-wells and orphans, investigators and revolutionaries, diplomats and doctoral students. Wasserstein has a gift for putting her finger on the meaty parts of grief, the catalysts of change, and the pain points of community.”
Wasserstein is a senior lecturer in English at Washburn University in Topeka where she lives with her spouse and fellow writer Nora E. Derrington, and their pets. A queer trans woman who grew up in Kansas, Wasserstein describes speculative fiction as an umbrella that covers science fiction, fantasy and related genres.
“But basically, anything that isn’t what you typically think of as realism could potentially qualify,” she said.
It differs from penning poetry, she said, in that writing queer speculative fiction has offered her expanded space to explore in detail questions surrounding the way people respond to an evolving world, including a landscape permanently altered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“And the way that queer people and queer communities in particular, respond to those changes, respond to challenges that we face, things like that,” she added.
Two of the 14 stories in the collection are new. “Case of the Soane Museum Thefts” presents a crime of magical curation, while “Blades, Stones, and the Weight of Centuries” reveals an heir to an empire facing change.
Wasserstein’s childhood literary influences include “The Chronicles of Narnia” collection by C.S. Lewis, which she read over and over.
“These days I would say there’s a lot of things about those books that bug me as an adult. In fact, I wrote a very short flash fiction story from the perspective of Susan because I always felt like she got done really dirty in the last book by C.S. Lewis.”
During her undergraduate and graduate studies at Washburn and the University of New Mexico, respectively, Wasserstein wrote mostly poetry and some fiction. She began teaching at Washburn 15 years ago.
In 2014, she attended the Campbell Conference — now known as the Sturgeon Symposium — at the University of Kansas. That year, Sarah Pinsker won the Sturgeon Award for best science fiction short story.
“I was just blown away. And specifically, I was blown away by what I saw her doing with speculative fiction. And it was like, a light bulb went off and I said, ‘Oh, there are a whole different kind of stories that one can tell in using these tools than I had ever thought about. And I really want to do this,” she said.
Along her writing journey, Wasserstein has gained a group of fellow writers and close friends she leans on for support. They allow her space to bounce off ideas and commiserate about the rejection notices writers commonly receive. Among them, she cites Derrington (her spouse), Lawrence authors R.B. Lemberg and Bogi Takács, and her cohort from the 2017 Clarion West Writers Workshop in Seattle.
“I am deeply inspired by queer and otherwise marginalized writers. That is where not only do I take my inspiration from, but a huge percentage of the time, that’s who I’m writing to. I’m certainly delighted if people who aren’t members of those communities find meaning and resonance in my story. But very often what I’m doing specifically is, writing in response to or thinking through what those people are doing or saying.”
And finally, Lawrence also holds a special spot in Wasserstein’s heart for a floofy reason. As COVID-19 began shutting down many in-person activities in 2019, Wasserstein and Derrington arrived at the Lawrence Humane Society with plans to adopt a kitten, but the building was closed.
Wasserstein said a kind employee saw the couple’s devastation and offered to bring the adoption paperwork to their car. Thanks to her generosity, the couple left Lawrence with tiny Fiona, bound for the forever home she now shares with fellow feline, Ripley, and pupper, Arya.
Wasserstein’s book launch, which includes an in-person reading and signing, runs from 7-8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23 at the Raven Bookstore, 809 Massachusetts St.
The event is free and open to the public. The Raven requires attendees to wear face masks and provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19. Visit this link for more information, and read more about Wasserstein’s writing here.
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Tricia Masenthin (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at tmasenthin (at) lawrencekstimes (dot) com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
