By Katrin Schumann

Editors often see projects at radially different stages of development. Truthfully, we sometimes see writing that is really, well, bad.

But does this mean it’s hopeless? When do you know if something is too "bad" to be worth fixing?

Of course, "bad" is a highly subjective term. Writing might seem "bad" to one reader, while another reader loves it

In the November 2020 edition of "Best of Boston," we bring you our top Boston lit events this month, taking place virtually. See below for our list of local literary happenings.

Virtual: Roxane Gay, Tracy Lynne Oliver, and Rebecca Kirby, Sacrifice of Darkness

Join the first virtual Tell-All Boston event on May 7th at 7:00pm, brought to you by alumni of GrubStreet’s Memoir Incubator and Essay Incubator (and co-sponsored by Porter Square Books). Maya Shanbhag Lang, author of What We Carry: A Memoir will be reading alongside featured readers including Susan McGee Bailey, Alicia Googins, Shirley Jones-Luke, and Linda K. Wertheimer. For more details and to register, visit the Tell-All Boston website. 

By Katrin Schumann

I sat down to write this post and have now written four openings and ditched them all.

What do writers need to hear in times like this? How can I be helpful to others when that which binds us--our obsessive love of words, books, writing--is overshadowed so universally by our fear of the unknown? 

Do I tell you how to make lemons out of lemondade?* Do I reveal that I'm writing page after page despite the uncertainty and boredom

By Katrin Schumann

Today, March 4, is the official Boston launch of my second novel, This Terrible Beauty. It's a momentous occasion for me for many reasons, not least of which is that I feel proud of finding what I think is the right balance between fact and fiction.

What I mean is, I had so, so, SO much material for this book