I'm excited to share that in honor of Oakland University's 'Write More November,' I will be leading two workshops on campus (in Rochester, Michigan) this November! During these two workshops, participants will discuss examples of transgressive stories&characters and nontraditional forms, and then begin planning their own characters and forms. If this sounds interesting to you (and it should!), come join me (:

✨ Create Devastating Characters Fit for Transgressive Fiction - Monday, November 3rd, 4:00pm-6:00pm in the Oakland Center, Ambassador Room B

✨ Getting Creative with Form - Wednesday, November 19th, 4:00pm-6:00pm in the Oakland Center, Meeting Room 127

Create Devastating Characters Fit for Transgressive Fiction
Stripping the human experience is normal in literature - but how do you transform personal angst and surrounding social unrest into the characters and stories that do that? This session identifies authors who’ve historically used their writing to tear society open to expose its guts, and then guides you in creating your own complex characters who are ready to take on the unjust world. You will consider norms to challenge, secrets to expose, and details so personal that the characters you start planning will feel deeply real; characters who are hungry for an original story that lifts smothered voices and exposes the often-quiet truths of our world.

Getting Creative with Form
The act of storytelling is timeless, as is the way that most stories have been told. Prose with regular paragraphs and a linear plot that everyone expects is traditional and stands the test of time, but what if you could shake that up and create more impact? More engagement? More built-in guidance for your writing process? In this session, we'll look at examples of nontraditional forms and how they, instead, can also be used to tell well-developed, but unique, stories. After thinking about creative ways to present your characters and plots, you'll walk away with a plan for something new that you’ve made imaginatively your own.

Exciting news - I've got some events I'm attending over the next few months, and I'd love to see you there! Conveniently, they're allll over too (in Michigan anyway), so hopefully one is near you! I'll be signing copies of Raising Women and The Women, as well as selling allll my fun merch (including stickers, lipsticks, and beady buddy keychains!)  There mayyy even be some fun raffles at some of them ;) 

✨1. Trail of Michigan Authors at Barnes & Noble 9/20 @ 1pm- 30+ authors
Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 5275 Harvey St, Muskegon, MI 49444

✨2. Green Witch Gardens with The Wandering Librarian Book Faire 10/18 @ 2pm- books, music, food, henna and tarot, and other fun things
8930 S Custer Rd, Monroe, MI 48161

✨3. Books & Authors at Leon & Lulu 10/19 @ 11am- tons of local authors!
96 W 14 Mile Rd, Clawson, MI 48017

✨4. RO Public Library Author Fair @ 10/25 @ 11am - tons of authors!
203 S Troy Street, Royal Oak, MI 48067

✨5. Monroe Country Library Writers on the River 11/02 @ 12pm -
3700 S Custer Rd, Monroe, MI 48161

✨6. Troy Public Library Local Author Fair 11/15 @ 10am -Troy Community Center, Rooms 304/305 - 3179 Livernois Rd Troy, MI 48083
*Register Here

✨7. Art, Book, and Gift Fair @ 10am - Oakland University, Rochester, MI 

Salt Lake Dirt, hosted by Kyler Bingham, is a literary and film zine, podcast and radio show. Salt Lake Dirt airs on KPCR 92.9FM every Monday at 6:00pm PST in Los Gatos, CA, and interviews some really incredible authors (a few that I love). In this episode, Kyler asks me some questions about my recent short story collection Then Women.

As summarized by Kyler, "This week on Salt Lake Dirt, I'm thrilled to welcome back author Shannon Waite to discuss her new short story collection, The Women. Following her interactive novel Raising Women, Shannon presents a captivating companion piece featuring 39 stories that delve into the lives of the characters we met before. Shannon shares her creative process, detailing how the collection serves as an "expansion pack" that enhances the original narrative. Each story offers a unique perspective, allowing readers to explore the complexities of identity and the challenges faced by women at different stages of life. The interconnectedness of the characters creates a subtle narrative thread that binds the collection together, reflecting themes of agency, societal expectations, and intergenerational trauma. Join us for an insightful conversation that not only celebrates the art of storytelling but also sheds light on the nuanced experiences of women navigating their paths in life. Don't miss this episode!"

If you're curious to know more about interactive novels and/or my writing process, then you should definitely check out this episode of Salt Lake Dirt. It airs live The radio version will air live (Monday 7/28) at 6pm PST and can be livestreamed here - or can be found on Salt Lake Dirt here - Shannon Waite - THE WOMEN - Episode 322.

"I guess if I had to answer what brought me to writing, it comes down to this: I am obsessed with the human experience and creating, and writing combines both of those things which I can’t imagine living without."

Corresponding with my book release yesterday, I did an interview with author Elizabeth Ellen now published on Hobart where we talk about my books, books that inspire me, and girlhood.

Go check it out here.

🎉 TODAY IS THE DAY! The Women by Shannon Waite is available in ebook and paperback from most book retailers NOW. Enjoy destroying your life 😉

After writing Raising Women last year, I knew I wasn't done. The Women is a collection of short stories that dives deeper into the women from the original novel. Both a prequel and a sequel, this book can be read before, after, or isolated from the other book. I am so grateful and excited to have the opportunity to write and share more stories. Like with Raising Women, I've put so much of myself into this one too, and I really do love it. I appreciate everyone who has been a part of this journey - the people who helped it become a reality, who have read it, and who have hyped it up. ❤️ The book goes live today!

If you've had your eye on this book, this is your time to get it!

You can order it from most major book retailers above, or you can still purchase a signed copy (with stickers and a key chain) here.

I'm so excited to share with you my next book! I've written on here before that I love experimenting and playing with different forms. Last year I decided I wanted to write a piece of literary fiction that incorporated an interactive fiction form which resulted in Raising Women, and it wasn't hard for me to fall in love with the girls in the book. When I finished, I decided that they needed more time - so I am releasing a short story collection called The Women full of more raw, relatable, and fearlessly honest stories that are told from the perspective of eleven of the girls in Raising Women. I'm extremely excited to reveal the cover and announce that The Women will be released on July 22nd!   Learn more about it here. 

Preorder the complete package today
or preorder it from Amazon or other retailers. 

Reservoir Bitches by Dahlia De La Cerda is a collection of short stories full of grit, violence, and rage. These women are angry, and rightfully so. They frequently only matter when they are a prize to be won, or the daughter of a well-off man. Otherwise, they are poor, struggling, criticized, and might as well be dead. Putting on a performance is how many of them have learned to camouflage and survive.

These voices belong to women who have been hardened by a world and culture where they are pawns and tools and only worth something until a man decides they aren't. While the voices are strong and individualized, I do wish I got to spend more time with the women. They tell us about the horrors they've gone through and go through so casually. The casualness adds to the understanding that these environments aren't new to these women, but the casualness also keeps us from sitting with the women as they go through these things, and I wanted to be there with them. For them. Come on Dahlia De La Cerda, let me stay!

The last story, La Huesera, does invite us to sit with the narrator much longer, and it was (in my opinion) by far the best story for that. Strong as a story because of the imagery, metaphors, emotions, and ending, but also strong as an ending to the collection as it does a great job summarizing the other stories. This is definitely a story I will return to.

The story uses women's bodies frequently. Both as the camouflage for survival like I previously mentioned, but also as something to violate and destroy, and this is one of the ways these stories are transgressive. I'd argue that the way the women push back, and even sometimes carelessly hurt each other, are other ways these stories are transgressive.

If you're interested in a quick read, full of angry, restless women who continue to fight for themselves and the women they love, then this is definitely a book for you.