Tahoe Literary Festival

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11:15am PDT

Writing Trauma: Transforming Pain into Powerful Story

Saturday October 10, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT

How do writers transform life's most difficult experiences into stories that heal, connect, and endure? In this conversation, three authors explore the craft of writing trauma, From religious trauma to deeply personal experiences of loss, transformation, and resilience, the panel examines how vulnerability becomes meaningful narrative without relying on sensationalism. Attendees will gain insight into balancing emotional truth with strong storytelling, creating authentic character and memoir arcs, and writing difficult experiences in ways that serve both the writer and the reader. Whether writing memoir or fiction, participants will leave with practical strategies for approaching emotionally complex material with courage, compassion, and craft.

Speakers

Susan Huckle

Susan Huckle is an actor in Los Angeles, but that wasn’t self-indulgent enough, so she wrote a memoir. The Earth Is Flat?! And Other Things My Mother Taught Me debuted on Earth Day 2026 and quickly became a #1 New Release. She grew up in Santa Maria, CA, and earned her B.A. in Journalism... Read More →

Allison Landa

Allison Landa is the author of BEARDED LADY, a memoir. She has held artist residencies at MacDowell, Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow, WordSpace, Playa Summer Lake, and Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts. She earned her MFA in fiction writing from Saint Mary's College of California... Read More →

Katya Dunko

Katya Dunko is the author of I Drank From the Nile: An Unbreakable Memoir of Resilience, a memoir exploring addiction, survival, motherhood, identity, and breaking generational cycles. Born in Ukraine and shaped by life across four countries, her work blends emotional honesty with a deep psychological lens on trauma and self-reclamation. Through her writing and onlin... Read More →

Saturday October 10, 2026 11:15am - 12:15pm PDT
Gatekeeper's Basket Room 130 W Lake Blvd, Tahoe City, CA 96145

Panel Discussion, All Genres

1:45pm PDT

Cli-Fi: The Art of Blending Science and Creativity in Climate Change Fiction

Saturday October 10, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm PDT

Gatekeeper's Museum Upstairs (no elevator)

This panel explores the topic of climate change fiction. Cli-fi authors will explore how authors use what is known and forecasted in climate change science to frame their story, the art of blending climate change science, imagination, and creative writing craft to create powerful Cli-fi and the potential of this genre to amplify society's understanding of our climate change future, and potentially stimulate societal action/response.

Speakers

Tim Disney

Tim Disney is an artist and entrepreneur from Los Angeles. He has produced, written, or directed multiple award-winning feature ﬁlms and documentaries, which have appeared at Sundance, Telluride, SXSW, and other festivals. He served as Chairman and CEO of Virtual World Entertainment... Read More →

Sarah Ruiz-Grossman

Sarah is a writer and former reporter at HuffPost, where they covered the climate crisis and other social justice issues. Born and raised in New York, they live in Oakland, California.

Nicole Levin

Nicole Levin is an artist and environmental organizer living in Los Feliz. Raised in Fairfield, California, Levin studied environmental science at Harvard, and her work reflects contemporary social anxieties in a conscious, poignant voice—with a hearty portion of Jewish humor.Her... Read More →

Susan Norman

Susan Norman is the author of the memoir, RISK, A Life Saved by the River. A retired hydrologist and former whitewater rafting and kayaking champion, she is currently the Board Chair of the Sierra Nevada Alliance and a Grasstops Advocate for the Outdoor Alliance. Her current writing... Read More →

Saturday October 10, 2026 1:45pm - 2:45pm PDT
Gatekeeper's Museum Upstairs (no elevator) 130 W Lake Blvd, Tahoe City

Panel Discussion, Fiction

3:00pm PDT

Our Fascination with Cults: Exploring the Myths and Realities of Belief

Saturday October 10, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT

Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema

This panel discussion brings together authors who have confronted the seductive pull of cults, or have been born into them the belief systems that reshaped their lives. Together, they explore what draws people into systems of control and what it takes to break free, how their lives were shaped by the powerful pull of belonging, belief, and conditioning.
They discuss what happens when people are swept into powerful narratives, why are people susceptible to charismatic leaders, and what dangers arise when belief replaces questioning. In an era of influencer culture, misinformation, and fractured divides, their insights reveal how limiting beliefs can entrap us and how writing becomes a tool for transformation.

*If you love a good cult book and are fascinated by cults this is a great panel to attend.

Speakers

Parvati Shallow

Parvati Shallow is a mother, a National Bestselling author, the winner and five-time competitor of the hit TV series Survivor, and the breakout star of Peacock's The Traitors. In her acclaimed 2025 memoir, Nice Girls Don't Win: How I Burned It All Down to Claim My Power, she explores themes of radical self-acceptance, resilience, and healing from trauma. Parvati holds advanced certifications in yoga, meditation, and breathwork, and is a passionate student of various healing and therapeutic modalities, including structural integration, Somatic Experiencing... Read More →

Priya Hutner

Priya Hutner, author, teacher, and co-founder of the Tahoe Literary Festival and Truckee Literary Crawl. A journalist and writer, her work has been featured in the Tahoe Guide, Moonshine Ink, Muse Magazine, Monday Night Poetry Anthology and several other publications. Priya is... Read More →

Melissa Duge Spiers

Melissa Duge Spiers is an award-winning essayist, screenwriter, and advocate for topics of religious and narcissistic abuse, utilizing her online platforms (TikTok and Instagram, known as “The Glory Whole”). Her memoir Holy Disobedience: Sex, Sin, and Secrets in the Biggest C... Read More →

Sands Hall

Sands Hall—author, professor, theatre artist, singer-songwriter—is the author of the award-winning memoir, Reclaiming My Decade Lost in Scientology (Counterpoint Press); Blackstone Audio produced the audio book, read by the author. Other publications include prize-winning essays... Read More →

Saturday October 10, 2026 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema 475 N Lake Blvd

Panel Discussion, Great for Booklovers