An Evening with Author Jenny Birch in Conversation with Joy Givens

Local author, Jenny Birch, joins us to talk about her debut YA Fantasy, Woven From Clay. She will be joined in conversation by Joy Givens. Following the talk, there will be time for Q&A with the audience and book signing. We hope to see you there!

Want to pre-order a copy of the book? You can do so .

About the book:

In this fresh and imaginative contemporary fantasy, a golem must master the magic that binds her together and finds an unexpected ally in the mysterious boy sent to ensure her demise.Terra Slater might not know anything about her birth family or where she comes from, but that’s never stopped her, and she fully intends her senior year to be her best yet. Until the dark and mysterious Thorne Wilder—a magical bounty hunter—moves to town, bringing revelations that wreck all of her plans.When Terra learns she is a golem, not born but crafted from mud and magic by a warlock, her world is upended. Worse, Cyrus Quill, the warlock who made her, is a fugitive, on the run from the witches who want to hold him accountable for his past crimes. But Quill’s sentence is death, which would unravel the threads of magic that hold Terra—and all of the other golems that he crafted—together.Desperate to save herself and her friends, Terra strikes a deal with Thorne and his coven to preserve the warlock’s life and his magic. If she can prove her worth to the coven by mastering the magic within her, the golems will survive. If she can’t, they’ll perish along with Cyrus. As Thorne helps her to see and manipulate the tapestry of magic that surrounds them, their unexpected alliance evolves into something more and Terra comes to understand the depths of her magic, her humanity, and her love for the people most important to her.

About the author:

Jenny Birch is a middle school teacher of English, French, and history, and serves as a youth theater director for students in grades 7-12. She lives in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA withher husband and three children. Jenny holds a BA in French and an MEd in Instruction & Learning and as an adoptee herself, she is a passionate advocate for children, particularly those in the foster care and adoption communities. When she’s not in her classroom or on stage with her students, you can find her either dancing in the kitchen with her family or flexing her overactive imagination.

About the conversation partner:

I’m Joy Givens, an educating, caffeinating writer of stories and the lucky mother of four young superheroes. By day, I coordinate an after-school mentoring and enrichment program for resettled refugee youth in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. By night, I write fiction for children and young adults. By morning, I’m usually quite tired but excited to do it all again.

My debut picture book, The Unstoppable Jamie, illustrated by Courtney Dawson, will be published by Two Lions later in 2023! The Unstoppable Jamie, inspired by my son Joshua, is the story of a boy with Down syndrome who relies on his cape, his family, and ultimately himself during a superhero’s journey into the heart of New York City.

I’m proud to be professionally represented by Danielle Chiotti of Upstart Crow Literary. My previously published works include the novel Ugly Stick, the short story collection April’s Roots, the nonfiction guide The New SAT Handbook (co-authored with Andrew Cole), and several pieces of award-winning short fiction, most recently published in WOW! Women on Writing, the anthologies Beach Life and Beach Fun (Cat & Mouse Press, 2017; 2018), the anthology Five Minutes at Hotel Stormcove (Atthis Arts, 2019), the anthology Community of Magic Pens (Atthis Arts, 2020), and the anthology City in a Wild Garden (The Nature of Cities, 2021).

Also check out other Arts events in Ingomar, Literary Art events in Ingomar, Theatre events in Ingomar.