Illustration by Laura Carlin
“This collection, encompassing a spectrum of races, ethnicities, religions, sexualities, political beliefs and classes, could not be timelier. ...open this book, hear its chorus of voices and remember that we are a nation of individuals, bound to each other by our humanity.”
“If only creating a home were as simple as creating a homepage! This is the Place beautifully and poignantly explores the many complicated feelings that the concept of home evokes in all of us. A must read for any modern woman, wife, daughter, or mother.”
The word “home” never means just one thing. It can be a place that is safe, sentimental, difficult, nourishing, war-torn, political, or long-lost. It can feel like a safe haven, a trap, or both.
In This Is The Place: Women Writing About Home, edited by Margot Kahn and Kelly McMasters, women explore the concept of home, and the ways it makes, breaks, and shapes us. With voices from diverse backgrounds, this collection of thirty essays connects to issues that are at the forefront of our conversations and our culture, such as immigration, gender equality, sexual and family violence, homelessness, the environment, and poverty.
What makes a home? What do equality, safety, and politics have to do with it? And why is it so important to us to feel like we belong?
Featuring essays by Akiko Busch, Amanda Petrusich, Catina Bacote, Claudia Castro Luna, Dani Shapiro, Danielle Geller, Debra Gwartney, Desiree Cooper, Elisabeth Eaves, Elissa Washuta, Hasanthika Sirisena, Jane Wong, Jennifer De Leon, Jennifer Finney Boylan, KaiLea Wallin, Kate Lebo, Kelly McMasters, Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum, Leigh Newman, Lina Maria Ferreira Cabeza-Vanegas, Margot Kahn, Maya Jewell Zeller, Miranda Weiss, Naima Coster, Naomi Jackson, Sarah Viren, Sonya Chung, Pam Houston, Tara Conklin, and Terry Tempest Williams.
SELECTED REVIEWS
“An exquisite collection. Whether it be a moving target or a constant, a place of fondness or melancholy, these women look at what we call home, and the roles we have played within it, from every perspective imaginable. This book will inspire you to ponder what your home has been and is — a provocative and worthy pursuit.”
“A marvelous collection of original essays that testify to the centrality of home as a place where fantasy and reality collide. Reading the book was like witnessing a series of wrestling matches — the author versus chaos, versus anxiety, versus expectations and finally versus reality. A multi-layered and satisfying anthology of original work.”
PAST EVENTS
November 28, 2017
Scottsdale, AZ
with Margot Kahn, Sarah Viren & Danielle Geller
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
MMB Studio with a percentage of sales to Chrysalis Women’s Shelter
December 1, 2017
Saratoga, NY
with Sonya Chung, Akiko Busch & Kelly McMasters
7 p.m.
Northshire Books with a percentage of sales to Wellspring, a local women’s advocacy group
December 7, 2017
Port Washington, NY
with Kelly McMasters & Beth Ain
7 p.m.
Dolphin Bookshop
December 8, 2017
Bellingham, WA
with Margot Kahn, Elisabeth Eaves & Jane Wong
7 p.m.
Village Books
December 11, 2017
Portland, OR
with Margot Kahn, Tara Conklin & Maya Zeller
7 p.m.
Powell’s City of Books
February 22, 2018
Hofstra University, NY
Reading & discussion with Kelly McMasters
Hofstra University
February 24, 2018
Seattle, WA
Reading & Discussion with Margot Kahn
Time TBD
Seattle University Search for Meaning Festival
May 17, 2018
Edmonds, WA
Reading & Discussion with Margot Kahn & Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum
5-8 p.m.
Edmonds Bookshop
October 28, 2017
Boston, MA
with Margot Kahn, Kelly McMasters, Sonya Chung & Jennifer De Leon
1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Boston Book Festival, Trinity Forum
November 14, 2017
New York, NY
with Kelly McMasters, Margot Kahn, Lina Ferreira, Leigh Newman, Sonya Chung & Naomi Jackson
7 p.m.
McNally Jackson
November 18, 2017
Seattle, WA
with Margot Kahn, Kelly McMasters, Claudia Castro Luna, Tara Conklin, Elisabeth Eaves, Kate Lebo, Maya Zeller, Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum & Jane Wong
7 p.m.
Elliott Bay Books with after-party at The Cloud Room bar with a percentage of sales to Jubilee Women’s Center