Quiet Lightning presents a virtual literary mixtape featuring all forms of writing, curated through a blind process by Rhea Dhanbhoora and Mahdis Marzooghian into a one-night only performance in two sets:

Set 1: Ashley Mayne, Amanda Spiller, Steven Gray, Courtney Arnold, D. E. La Valle, Tamara Al-Qaisi-Coleman, Melissa Flores Anderson, Rietta Parker, Andre Le Mont Wilson, Sarah Plummer, Ada Genavia

Set 2: Sheila Black, Lita Kurth, Colette Chien, Judit Hollos, Charlie Getter, Kate Oksas, Amanda Woodward, Cléo Charpantier, Vince Montague, Susana Praver-Perez, Becca Rose Hall, Mike Horan & Roger Topp

All selected authors will be paid and published in sPARKLE + bLINK 111, featuring cover art by Yerrie Choo!

Please note: this show is free and all ages (with mature content), but RSVP is required.

ABOUT FREE SHOWS

If you’re in a position to support us by making a donation please consider doing so! 100% of our proceeds go directly to local artists and independent businesses, and despite losing out on door monies we’ve decided to keep paying everyone! Thanks for doing what you can to invest in an equitable arts ecosystem. There are two easy ways to support Quiet Lightning:

Make a tax-deductible donation of any amount:

Paypal or Venmo

Or consider supporting us on Patreon!

ABOUT THE BOOKS

If you’d like to purchase the book you can do that for $10 + shipping here, or you can donate $15 or more to Quiet Lightning by Paypal or Venmo and we’ll send you sPARKLE & bLINK 109 + a surprise back issue.

A note about the books: if we don’t sell out before we print our next book, the price will go down to $5/copy. You can order most of our back issues here. You should also know: we make all of our books available to read and watch for free. For virtual events we are printing 75 books/show. 100% of all proceeds, donations or not, go toward local artists and independent businesses.

ABOUT THE CURATORS

Rhea Dhanbhoora lives and writes in Upstate NY. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in various publications including Five on the Fifth, Chronogram, Connecticut Mag, Artsy, Broccoli Mag, sPARKLE & bLINK, and JMWW. She's currently a freelance writer and editor, reads for literary magazines, is on the Board for Quiet Lightning, and is working on several creative projects, among which is a linked collection about women, based in the underrepresented Parsi Zoroastrian diaspora. Her chapbook, “Sandalwood-Scented Skeletons,” is forthcoming with Finishing Line Press. Follow her work at rheadhanbhoora.com.

Mahdis Marzooghian is cofounder and co-Editor-in-Chief of Five on the Fifth. She is also Editor-in-Chief of Screen Fervor. She has a master’s degree in Professional Writing from Towson University and is currently a financial news editor at Money Map Press, based in Baltimore. Her fiction and nonfiction have been published in Heartwood Literary Magazine, Welter Literary Journal, Mud Season Review, Adirondack Review, BULL Fiction Magazine, and Lunch Ticket. Additionally, her short essay, “Collection Connection,” was published in the 2012 series anthology, Miso for Life: A Melting Pot of Thoughts. Mahdis recently finished her debut novel, for which she is currently seeking representation.

Can't make it? The show will be archived in video and full text, like all of our previous readings! Find them, along with a daily calendar of Bay Area literary events + more, @ Litseen.

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Featured images by Yerrie Choo, featured artist for sPARKLE & bLINK 111