Kris is a great friend to Fountain and we are pleased to once again be hosting her launch! She will be joined by storytellers Roben Farzad, Angela Dominguez, Tracey Livesay, and Karen A. Chase!

"Stories are the greatest gifts family members can share together and leave behind for future generations. Conveniently divided into five sections, Kris Spisak's The Family Story Workbook is filled with evocative prompts on family history and world events, as well as individual reflections on the concepts of success, happiness, and faith. This is the perfect book for remembering and writing the stories that should never be forgotten-the stories of your lifetime." —Melissa Face, author, I Love You More Than Coffee: Essays on Parenthood

About the Book:

Have you ever wanted to write down the story of your family but never known where to start? Have you ever wanted to have a shared project between family members? Have you ever wanted a unique gift idea for a parent, grandparent, aunt, or uncle who you know has a powerful life story to tell? Have you ever wanted to write your memoir, but you weren’t quite sure what tales of your life might be most impactful for the narrative you hope to shape? Have you ever wanted to reflect on the moments that transformed you into the person that you are today?

This workbook is designed for all of these reasons, and more.

Write it down because who else is going to? Write it down for you. Write it down for your family. Write it down for the historical record, whatever that means to you.

About the Authors:

Kris Spisak wrote her first book, Get a Grip on Your Grammar: 250 Writing and Editing Reminders for the Curious or Confused (Career Press, 2017), with a goal to help writers of all kinds sharpen their craft and empower their communications. Her “Words You Should Know” podcast and “Grammartopia” events follow the same mission, as does her latest book, The Novel Editing Workbook: 105 Tricks and Tips for Revising Your Fiction Manuscript (Davro Press, 2020). A former college writing instructor, having taught at institutions including the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University, Kris is now an active speaker, workshop leader, and freelance editor. She is the board chair of James River Writers and is a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, the Virginia Writers Club, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association.

Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City and grew up in the great state of Texas. She now resides in Richmond with her boyfriend, Kyle, and petite dog, Petunia. She is also the author and illustrator of several books for children and a two-time recipient of Pura Belpré Illustration Honor. Her debut middle grade novel, Stella Díaz Has Something To Say, was a New York Public Library and a Chicago Public Library pick for Best Books for Kids in 2018, Sid Fleischman Award winner, and an ALA Notable. When Angela is not in her studio or visiting schools, she teaches at the Academy of Art University, which honored her with their Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013. Angela is a proud member of SCBWI, PEN America, and represented by Wernick and Pratt Literary Agency. As a child, she loved reading books and making a mess creating pictures. She’s delighted to still be doing both. For more information, please visit: www.angeladominguezbooks.com.

Tracey Livesay’s newest release, Like Lovers Do, is a friends to lovers story set against the romantic backdrop of Martha’s Vineyard. It’s the second book in her popular Girls Trip series from Avon—novels featuring a group of women who met and formed a lifelong bond during their first year of college and based on her real-life annual trips with her best friends. In addition to winning the 2020 Emma Award for Best Interracial Romance and being named to USA Today’s list of “100 Black Novelists You Should Read,” she’s been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Entertainment Weekly and on CBS This Morning. A graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Virginia School of Law and a former criminal defense attorney, Tracey lives in Virginia with her husband–who she met on the very first day of law school–and their three children. When not answering the call of wife, mother or author, she watches planner videos on YouTube and daydreams about her next designer purse purchase.

Karen A. Chase is an independent author and a Daughter of the American Revolution with the Commonwealth Chapter in Virginia. Her first novel, Carrying Independence, book one of the 3-part Founding-Documents Series, is historical fiction about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is a nominee for the 2020 Library of Virginia Literary Awards, and was awarded #12 on Shelf Unbound’s 100 Best Indie Books of 2019. Her first book, Bonjour 40: A Paris Travel Log, garnered seven independent publishing awards. Karen was a Virginia Foundation for the Humanities fellow for the 2019-2020 academic year, with residency at the Library of Virginia. Originally from Canada, Karen is now chasing histories from Richmond, VA.

Roben Farzad is the author of Hotel Scarface: Where Cocaine Cowboys Partied and Plotted to Control Miami (Penguin, 2017). He is host of public radio's Full Disclosure and is a special correspondent on the PBS NewsHour. Appearances: MSNBC, CNN, The PBS News Hour, C-SPAN, CNBC, Dateline NBC, ABC’s Good Morning America, the CBS Early Show and Charlie Rose. A regular on National Public Radio. Bylines in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Boston Globe. Born in Iran and raised in Miami, Roben is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School.