July 15, 2025: Q and A with True Crime Memoirist and
WCU Creative Writing Professor, Kristine Ervin
Kristine was just eight years old when two men abducted her mother from a shopping mall in Oklahoma City, drove her to a distant oilfield, and murdered her. These events and the impact they had on Kristine are detailed in her debut memoir, Rabbit Heart. The New York Times called her book “a must read,” and The Washington Post, a “most anticipated book” of the year. Join our Q&A with this local author who can speak to many topics including long journeys with books, memoir, violence, trauma, agents and publishers, and craft topics such as metaphor and vignette, and crafting characters.Kristine teaches creative writing at West Chester University. She holds an MFA in poetry from NYU and a PhD in creative writing and literature, with a focus in nonfiction from the University of Houston. Learn more about her at https://www.kristineservin.com/, and
@kristine.ervin.
WCU Creative Writing Professor, Kristine Ervin
Kristine was just eight years old when two men abducted her mother from a shopping mall in Oklahoma City, drove her to a distant oilfield, and murdered her. These events and the impact they had on Kristine are detailed in her debut memoir, Rabbit Heart. The New York Times called her book “a must read,” and The Washington Post, a “most anticipated book” of the year. Join our Q&A with this local author who can speak to many topics including long journeys with books, memoir, violence, trauma, agents and publishers, and craft topics such as metaphor and vignette, and crafting characters.Kristine teaches creative writing at West Chester University. She holds an MFA in poetry from NYU and a PhD in creative writing and literature, with a focus in nonfiction from the University of Houston. Learn more about her at https://www.kristineservin.com/, and
@kristine.ervin.
When and Where?
The usual time (7pm) and in the usual place. (Some of us come at 6:30 to order dinner, drinks, and hang out.)
Ryan's Pub (2nd Floor)
124 West Gay Street
West Chester, PA 19380
Where to park? Gay Street is still open to traffic and parking, but remember that the meters are active till 10pm. Click here for free parking options in W.C.
Feeling insufficiently informed? Make sure you've joined our meetup.com mailing list
to receive updates about upcoming meetings!
The usual time (7pm) and in the usual place. (Some of us come at 6:30 to order dinner, drinks, and hang out.)
Ryan's Pub (2nd Floor)
124 West Gay Street
West Chester, PA 19380
Where to park? Gay Street is still open to traffic and parking, but remember that the meters are active till 10pm. Click here for free parking options in W.C.
Feeling insufficiently informed? Make sure you've joined our meetup.com mailing list
to receive updates about upcoming meetings!
DetailsCome on down for the BVWG Reading Night! We invite you to read a selection of your work to a live audience. Here are the guidelines:
*** This is the only way to secure a reading spot, so please read carefully! ***
If you want to be a reader, please send a 75-word, third person bio to [email protected] Your bio can be less but not more than 75 words. Your bio will be used to introduce you and your work. Remember that dues-paying members will get first priority.
We're looking forward to seeing you and hearing you!
- Readings should be no more than 7 minutes.
- Dues-paying BVWG members will get first priority to read their work.
- Completed pieces as well as works-in-progress or a section from a novel are equally welcome.
- No judgement or critique. This is an enjoy-the-stories kind of night.
*** This is the only way to secure a reading spot, so please read carefully! ***
If you want to be a reader, please send a 75-word, third person bio to [email protected] Your bio can be less but not more than 75 words. Your bio will be used to introduce you and your work. Remember that dues-paying members will get first priority.
We're looking forward to seeing you and hearing you!
Tuesday September 16th : A Night with Playwright Ella Remmings and War of the Romantics
Some of your best writing projects may come from saying 'yes' to unlikely opportunities. When Ella was asked to write a commentary for a concert series, she decided to take it a step further--in fact, many steps. She realized that - for the story to be credible - it had to be written in the voice of a music expert (which she was definitely not). And thus, Gerhard Denhoff, a music critic, was born. Along with him, a slew of characters appeared, both fictional and historical, and the story became a play: War of the Romantics. It premiered in Philadelphia in 2019 and New York City in 2023 with a series of sold-out performances. Ella will share what she learned on this incredible journey filled with discoveries, traps, landmines and, ultimately, triumphs.
ELLA REMMINGS is a Philadelphia-based author, playwright, director and founder of Music from Our Garden. She has published essays and opinion pieces on topics ranging from medicine and technology to music and folk beliefs. Ella also authored a stage play, Gadius, and several collections of stories. You can check her out here: www.ellaremmings.com
In her former life, Ella was a healthcare executive, working on novel treatments in the areas of respiratory medicine, neuroscience, and oncology. She was also a translator and editor-in-chief of multilingualpublications. She currently serves on the IRB (research ethics) board of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and on the board of ARTolerance, whose mission is to advance the role of the arts in conflict transformation, coexistence and peace.
Some of your best writing projects may come from saying 'yes' to unlikely opportunities. When Ella was asked to write a commentary for a concert series, she decided to take it a step further--in fact, many steps. She realized that - for the story to be credible - it had to be written in the voice of a music expert (which she was definitely not). And thus, Gerhard Denhoff, a music critic, was born. Along with him, a slew of characters appeared, both fictional and historical, and the story became a play: War of the Romantics. It premiered in Philadelphia in 2019 and New York City in 2023 with a series of sold-out performances. Ella will share what she learned on this incredible journey filled with discoveries, traps, landmines and, ultimately, triumphs.
ELLA REMMINGS is a Philadelphia-based author, playwright, director and founder of Music from Our Garden. She has published essays and opinion pieces on topics ranging from medicine and technology to music and folk beliefs. Ella also authored a stage play, Gadius, and several collections of stories. You can check her out here: www.ellaremmings.com
In her former life, Ella was a healthcare executive, working on novel treatments in the areas of respiratory medicine, neuroscience, and oncology. She was also a translator and editor-in-chief of multilingualpublications. She currently serves on the IRB (research ethics) board of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and on the board of ARTolerance, whose mission is to advance the role of the arts in conflict transformation, coexistence and peace.
