Join us Friday, November 2, for a panel discussion on “I Wrote a Book! Now What?” Holly Smith, editor-in-chief of the Washington Independent Review of Books, will be joined by local authors Richard Peabody and John Wasowicz, and others, to discuss the challenges writers face in finding publishers and in promoting their books. This lively and informative conversation will provide insights to indie writers and publishers seeking opportunities to introduce, expand, and redefine their literary horizons.

The event is sponsored in conjunction with Harvardwood, an organization composed of Harvard graduates engaged in artistic endeavors.

Laura Strachan has been representing authors for 20 years. She established the Strachan Literary Agency in 1998, focusing on literary fiction and narrative nonfiction. She has a background in English Literature as well as a law degree, which is useful when advising clients in all aspects of their work and the business of publishing.

Holly Smith is editor-in-chief of the nonprofit Washington Independent Review of Books, a university lecturer, and a longtime freelance writer. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, Baltimore Style, CNBC.com, More Mirth of a Nation, Brain, Child, and other publications. She also co-authored Seafood Lover's Chesapeake Bay, a travel guide that keeps getting shelved with the cookbooks.

Richard Peabody is a DC resident and the founder and remaining editor of Gargoyle Magazine and editor (or co-editor) of 25 anthologies including Mondo Barbie and A Different Beat: Writings by Women of the Beat Generation. The author of a novella, three short story collections, and seven poetry books, Peabody taught fiction writing at Johns Hopkins University for 15 years. His most recent book is The Richard Peabody Reader (Alan Squire Publishers, 2015). His new book of poems, Guinness on the Quay, is forthcoming from Salmon Poetry in 2019.

Colonel (Retired) J. Michael McNealy is a career military intelligence officer who has served in command and staff positions from the Platoon Level to the Army Staff and Joint Agencies. He is the author of Skeleton Horses, written during his second deployment to Iraq and published in 2017.

John Adam Wasowicz is an Alexandria, VA, attorney and author of Daingerfield Island, published in 2017 by Baltimore’s BrickHouse Books. He has conducted book signings at 36 indie bookstores from Vermont to South Carolina.