Eden Robins in conversation with Juan Martinez "When Franny Stands Up"

The Book Cellar will be celebrating local author Eden Robin's new novel When Franny Stands Up! Eden will be joined in conversation by Juan Martinez whose book Extended Stay will be launching in mid-January. 

About the book:

Franny Steinberg knows there's powerful magic in laughter. She's witnessed it. With the men of Chicago off fighting WWII on distant shores, Franny has watched the women of the city taking charge of the war effort. But amidst the war bond sales and factory shifts, something surprising has emerged, something Franny could never have expected.

A new marvel that has women flocking to comedy clubs across the nation: the Showstopper. When Franny steps into Chicago's Blue Moon comedy club, she realizes the power of a Showstopper-that specific magic sparked when an audience laughs so hard, they are momentarily transformed. And while each comedian's Showstopper is different, they all have one thing in common: they only work on women. After a traumatic flashback propels her onstage in a torn bridesmaid dress, Franny discovers her own Showstopper is something new. And suddenly she has the power to change everything...for herself, for her audience, and for the people who may need it most

About the author:

Eden Robins loves novels best, but they take forever so she also writes short stories and self-absorbed essays. She co-hosts a science podcast called No Such Thing As Boring with an actual scientist and produces a monthly live lit show in Chicago called Tuesday Funk. Previously, she sold sex toys, wrote jokes for Big Pharma, and once did a stand-up comedy set to an audience who didn't boo. She lives in Chicago, has been to the bottom of the ocean, and will never go to space. WHEN FRANNY STANDS UP is her first novel. Find out more scintillating tidbits at monkeythumbs.com and on Twitter @edenrobins.

 About the conversation partner: 

Juan Martinez is the author of the novel Extended Stay, forthcoming from University of Arizona Press's Camino del Sol series in January 2023. His short-story collection Best Worst American won the inaugural Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award for debut speculative fiction. His work has appeared in various literary journals and anthologies, including McSweeney’s, TriQuarterly, Conjunctions, NIGHTMARE, Huizache, Small Odysseys, The Sunday Morning Transport, NPR’s Selected Shorts, Ecotone, Shenandoah, Sudden Fiction Latino, and elsewhere, and is forthcoming in Norton's Flash Fiction America.