Local author brings introspective novel for reading/signing event

The Algebra of Snow – A Bedtime Story for My Mother
Saturday, Sept. 28, 2-4 p.m.
Bookworks, 101 W. Beverley St., Staunton

The Algebra of Snow is a novel that subtracts most of the allures of a novel—lush setting, multiple characters, and complex plot. What it does have is one woman, a mathematician, alone in a cabin in the Adirondacks in winter. A professor of mathematics, Amelia Grant, has spent the summer in the Adirondacks … and at the beginning of the novel she surprises a friend with the news that she plans to stay up there for a while. The retreat into fall and then winter is part of a longer withdrawal Amelia has undergone ever since the death of her mother when Amelia was a child. Amelia goes deeper into the winter, cutting herself of from the outside world, and begins to write letters to her dead mother.  Writer Jim Robison referred to it as “an autopsy by the cadaver herself” … and also said the cadaver is reborn, and the urgency of that rebirth is felt throughout. *Nominated it for a Pushcart Editor’s Book award*

Also … if you have a book in mind, or written, and need some help taking it to the next level, you have another reason to be here on Saturday! From starting to finishing to publishing and marketing, Ginger Moran can help you develop your book. With a Ph.D. in creative writing and years of teaching writing in college behind her, Moran launched a career working with individual writers to reach their writing goals. She tailors her approach to where each writer is starting and can help with a wide array of books, skill levels, and marketing needs.

About the Author

A teacher, published writer and single mom of two boys, Ginger Moran’s areas of expertise are in fiction and creative nonfiction, editing, coaching, and creative survival. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Houston in Literature and Creative Writing, and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English from the University of Virginia. She has published in Salon.com, Oxford American, Literary Mama, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Feminist Studies and other journals. THE ALGEBRA OF SNOW was nominated for a Pushcart Editor’s Choice Award. She has written three novels, a collection of essays about her years as a single working mom, and a nonfiction book on custody. She taught at Spring Hill College and Fisk University and currently edits the University of Virginia Women’s Center magazine, Iris, and serves as the associate director.