Annalee Newitz | A Wall is Also a Road

Phoenix Books is happy to welcome author Annalee Newitz to Phoenix Books Burlington on Thursday, October 15 at 7:00 PM for a conversation with Andrew Liptak about their latest book, A Wall is Also a Road! 

Annalee Newitz writes science fiction and nonfiction. They are the USA Today bestselling author of the novella Automatic Noodle, the books Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age and Stories Are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind, and the novels The Terraformers (a Nebula Award finalist), The Future of Another Timeline (winner of the Sidewise Award) , and Autonomous (winner of a Lambda Literary Award). As a science journalist, they are a writer for the New York Times and elsewhere, and have a monthly column in New Scientist. They have published in The Washington Post, Slate, Popular Science, Ars Technica, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic, among others. They are also the co-host of the three-time Hugo Award-winning podcast Our Opinions Are Correct. Previously, they were the founder of io9, and served as the editor-in-chief of Gizmodo. 

Andrew Liptak is a writer and historian from Vermont. He is the author of Cosplay: A History (Saga Press, 2022), a comprehensive look at how cosplay evolved into a mainstream cultural force and what it reveals about our relationships with the stories we love. He co-edited War Stories: New Military Science Fiction with Jaym Gates in 2014, and his fiction has appeared in Galaxy’s Edge Magazine, Starship Sofa, Horizon 2045’s Far Futures, and Future Tense Fiction. 

He has spent more than a decade working as a journalist, with work appearing in Clarkesworld Magazine, Gizmodo, Grist, io9, Kirkus Reviews, Lifehacker, OneZero, Pando Daily, Polygon, Slate, Tor.com, Uncanny Magazine, VentureBeat, The Verge, and other publications. He is the Public Relations and Guest Services Coordinator for the Vermont Historical Society. 

About the book: Gardenpath is a graduate student. They also happen to be an amoeba-a slime mold, to be exact-from an ancient civilization that dwells in the space between the stars. And when they turn their many eyes to researching a remote spot on one spiral arm of the galaxy, they stumble upon a discovery that will change everything they thought they knew: a mysterious planet teeming with unexpected life, language, and culture.

One of these alien animals is a creature named Murtis, who lives in a city she calls Pompeii and works in a brothel known as "the lupanar." Unfazed when her strange visitor says she's from the stars, Murtis takes Gardenpath into her care, introducing her to the seaside tourist town full of immigrants and shopkeepers who are just trying to get by.

Before they met Murtis, Gardenpath expected to finish their research, present their discovery, and return home to become an acclaimed scientist. But as they look into their new friend's bizarre sensor bulbs from within the suit that allows them to survive and blend in on her surprising planet, they are beginning to wonder if there's more to life than academic achievement. They're not sure what it is, but they're going to use science to find out.

A thought-provoking and heartwarming novel about science, the meaning of life, and love, perfect for fans of Becky Chambers, Ryka Aoki, and Martha Wells. 

DATE: Thursday, October 15 at 7:00 PM 

LOCATION: Phoenix Books Burlington, 89 Church Street, Burlington, VT 

TICKETS: Tickets are FREE. Phoenix Books has adopted an RSVP-based system, and you can RSVP through the Seven Days Tickets website. Your RSVP grants you a $3.00 off coupon for A Wall is Also a Road that can be used during the day of the event!

BOOKS: Copies of A Wall is Also a Road will be available for puchase at the event.