Off Campus Writers Workshop upcoming events

PUMP UP THE VOLUME FOR OUT OF THE DRAGON'S MOUTH (April 20, 2026)

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 21:30:00 GMT

Join Pump Up the Volume, the OCWW member book club for an in-person discussion of OUT OF THE DRAGON'S MOUTH. If you appreciate beautifully crafted, intriguing and well-voiced stories snatched from the pages of recent history, this tender, emotional and fast-paced debut novel is one you won't want to miss. Sweetening the reading of it is the opportunity to discuss with author Joyce the real-life story she based her novel on, that of a fourteen-year-old girl escaping 1970s Viet Nam in the hold of a fishing boat.

Come join us for what's sure to be an illuminating session.

PURCHASE:

AMAZON
FLUX.COM

BIO: JOYCE BURNS ZEISS has always wanted to be a writer. The former junior high school and college teacher’s experiences with resettling a Chinese Cambodian refugee family in 1979 and her subsequent trips to work in African refugee camps have fueled her interest in the refugee's plight.

When you read Out of the Dragon's Mouth you will see why Joyce was inspired to complete a sequel, for which she's currently seeking a publisher.

PUMP UP THE VOLUME FOR VIVIAN'S DECISION (May 12, 2026)

Tue, 12 May 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Join Pump Up the Volume, the OCWW member book club for an in-person discussion of VIVIAN'S DECISION by Della Leavitt.

Set in 1956, the novel finds Chicago housewife Vivian Jacobson drowning in the demands of four young children while struggling to find her footing in her new North suburban home.

When she learns she's pregnant with her fifth child, she convinces her husband she should undergo an abortion, but finds following through with it is far harder than she anticipated. As Vivian struggles under a looming deadline to make her final decision, a series of revelations complicate her choice, emphasizing the precariousness of her position. What choice can she make that is best for her family, but also for herself?

PURCHASE:

AMAZON
BOOKSHOP.ORG

BIO: DELLA LEAVITT began an intensive pursuit of the art of writing fiction in 2013 after a career in technology and education. Among other endeavors, she joined OCWW in 2016 and served on the board for four years. She won a grant from the historical novel fellowship from the Newberry Library as well as the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) to work on Vivian's Decision, her debut novel.

PUMP UP THE VOLUME FOR AMERICAN ENDING (July 08, 2026)

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 23:30:00 GMT

Join Pump Up the Volume, the OCWW book club for a special summer edition featuring speaker Mary Kay Zuravleff at an online discussion of her novel AMERICAN ENDING.

Yelena Federoff, the child of Russian immigrants living in a struggling Appalachian town of coal miners, yearns to have the kind of life she hears about in the promising American fables and tales shared by her mother. As a native U.S citizen she's on her way, but in a 1900s America that rarely treats its new, less fortunate arrivals with the respect they deserve, there's a long road to find her happily ever after, American ending.

PURCHASE:

AMAZON
BOOKSHOP.ORG

BIO: MARY KAY ZURAVLEFF is a Washington, DC based fiction writer, essayist, writing coach and teacher as well as the award-winning author of four novels. Her latest, American Ending, was chosen for Oprah’s Spring Reading List, which deemed it 'Magical.' Her third novel, Man Alive!, was a Washington Post Notable Book; the New York Times called her second novel, The Bowl Is Already Broken, “a tart, affectionate satire of the museum world’s bickering and scheming.” Her The Frequency of Souls won the James Jones First Novel Award and the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of the Arts.