Andrea Kleine reads from her debut novel, Calf, with Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, author of The End of San Francisco.

Andrea and Mattilda have never met. They are both DC refugees. Sometimes they write to each other on the internet. Anything might happen.

Writer and performance artist Andrea Kleine’s debut novel, Calf (Soft Skull Press), was inspired by John Hinckley, Jr.’s 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan and by the murder of her close childhood friend that same year. Made up of dual narratives and told over the course of one year, Calf is a fictionalized account of these two converging events. “Dread stalks every page, and the result is unsettling, scary, and often brilliant. For readers looking for a sharp, twisted narrative, this is a keeper.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review.

Joining her is Seattle writer/activist Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, who will share new work. Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore is the author of the 2014 Lambda Literary Award winning memoir, The End of San Francisco (City Lights) and many other books.