I’m thrilled to kick off the Wham! Bam! Book! Slam! series with author Jill Swenson. We’re celebrating the publication of her memoir, The Land of Everlasting Sky, published by She Writes Press*.

This is the first book launch event of many Wham! Bam! Book! Slams! to come.

I’ve brought the book tour to you. It’s not a regular reading or launch, either. It’s a book event à la Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam!

Our authors are telling 4-minute stories based on Jill’s theme:

“Who ARE you?” and “WHERE are you from?”

The event was terrific, the stories were great, and you can watch the entire show, above, or if you just want to catch the stories, you’ll find them below.

Jill’s guests: and . I told a story, too!

Storytellers are listed in order of appearance.

Susan J Tweit

In college Tweit was the only “girl” in her botany field courses, and the guys wondered loudly and often if she could hack it. Hack it she did, graduating into a career working in the backcountry that included grizzly-bear poop patrol—collecting bear poop to dissect and learn what plants the big bears eat—fighting wildland fires with a backpack pump and pick axe, controlling the invasive bullies of the plant world, and researching the lives and habits of her favorite plant, aromatic big sagebrush. Now she writes about the wild nearby and lives where she can inhale sagebrush every day.

Susan is the author of thirteen books, and her newest book is Earthbound, A Year of Mindful Connection in Nature. It will be published on October 20, 2026 and may be preordered in Wham! Bam! Book! Slam’s Amazon or Bookshop stores.

Earthbound | Susan J Tweit

Elizabeth Rynecki

Elizabeth Rynecki asks inconvenient questions and digs up stories history somehow misplaced. She divides her time between being a writer, filmmaker, podcaster, business owner, wife, mom, and cat herder, which pretty much means most days you'll find her spending too much time doom scrolling and wondering why there are never enough hours in the day.

Her book, Chasing Portraits can be purchased on Amazon. The documentary by the same name is available there for rental or purchase. Elizabeth’s oral history novel, Fern Court Fiasco is coming out in March 2027 (IngramSpark). As soon as it’s available for pre-order, our listing will be updated.

Ink Trails

Nan Tepper

I’m the creator of Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam! And the memoirist-in-chief at The Next Write Thing. I style stacks for writers on the Substack platform. I’m living my dream, writing, designing, and being a kosher ham on stage.

One of these days, Nan will get back to writing her memoir-in-progress. Nan’s essay, “Are You My Mother?” will be published in an upcoming anthology, Every Mother’s Daughter, due to be released in Fall 2027. Of course, she’ll be scheduling a book slam for the contributors. As soon as it’s available for pre-order, I’ll be sharing links and QR codes. I can’t wait to add my copy to its place of honor on my bookshelf!

Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam!

Style YOUR Stack!

The Next Write Thing

To wrap the individual stories, here’s Jill Swenson! She slays.

Jill remembers asking her mother if she should take shorthand in high school. “You do not want to take dictation from men all your life.” Raised by a working mom, Jill writes her way in and out of good trouble.

Jill’s memoir,The Land of Everlasting Sky, can be purchased in Wham! Bam! Book! Slam’s Amazon or Bookshop stores.

On Lake of the Woods. Jill’s Substack publication.

On Lake of the Woods

About the book, The Land of Everlasting Sky:

When Jill Swenson returns to her mother’s hometown after her funeral, she finds a new Seven Clans Casino under construction in Warroad, Minnesota, on Lake of the Woods. There, she learns, Red Lake Nation has recently dispossessed descendants of Ojibway spiritual leader Kakaygeesick from their land—land where the family has lived for the last two centuries—and has also denied them tribal membership.

In searching for answers, Jill meets the great-grandson of Kakaygeesick. Over weeks, months, and years, a friendship forms between them, and Jill gradually discovers what allotments, blood quantum, and the history of the Bureau of Indian Affairs have to do with her, the great-granddaughter of immigrants who homesteaded on reservation land. Estranged from her father, still mourning the suicide of her husband and the loss of their farm in upstate New York, and now grieving her mother’s death, Jill has spent decades trying to put the past behind her—but discovers the only path forward is to reckon with history.

Clear-eyed and yet deeply personal, The Land of Everlasting Sky is a compelling exploration of the history we inherit and our relationships to land and each other.

Buy on Bookshop

Buy on Amazon

Wham! Bam! Book! Slam! events are free to all.

Support the authors. Buy their books.

We need paid subscribers to help us cover costs to run all the live monthly story slams at WBTYS.

Become a matron of the arts! Even if you’re a man.

You’ll get into the live slams for free. And, the book slams are an added treat.

PAID SUBSCRIBERS GET IN FREE!

Or, you can buy a ticket when it’s time for the next slam!

If you can’t afford either option, DM Nan. We’ll make it work.

Subscribe now

Help this project grow by spreading the word. There’s more than one way to support Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam!

We have a fiscal sponsor, the nonprofit arts organization, Fractured Atlas. Direct donations made in WBTYS’s name are tax deductible as permissible by law in the U.S.

Law? Do we still have that here?

DONATE

Subscribe now

Subscribe now

Reserve your spot!

I’m thrilled to kick off the Wham! Bam! Book! Slam! series with author Jill Swenson to celebrate the publication of her memoir, The Land of Everlasting Sky, published by She Writes Press*.

This is the first of many Wham! Bam! Book! Slams! to come.

So many of the things we do are virtual these days. We often miss the chance to interact IRL, face-to-face. I do miss hugs! But virtual hugs are okay, too.

When our favorite Substack writers publish new work in print and audio, those of us who read them on Substack may miss the occasion to celebrate and get a signed copy of their latest.

The customary way to market their books involves extensive and expensive travel and aggressive marketing.

The traditional publishing industry rarely foots the bill for promotion these days. So it falls to the author to fund their own marketing campaign. This made me realize there’s an important niche to fill. Chances are the majority of our subscribers don’t live in towns and cities an author has on her book tour.

So, I’m bringing the book tour to you! It’s not a regular reading or launch, either. It’s a book event à la Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam!

Our authors won’t read from their books. Instead, they’ll tell 3-4 minute stories based on our featured author’s chosen theme.

Jill Swenson’s theme is “Who ARE you?” and “WHERE are you from?”

Then, we’ll have a “Hollywood Squares” style conversation about the author’s new book with her invited guests. Technically, they’re really rectangles, not squares. Yes, I’m stickler for details, and sometimes I can be a little controlling.

And no, Paul Lynde will not be in the center square (rectangle).

That spot’s mine.

We’ll wrap with a Q&A and then provide an opportunity for you to buy her book.

Reserve your spot!

About the book:

When Jill Swenson returns to her mother’s hometown after her funeral, she finds a new Seven Clans Casino under construction in Warroad, Minnesota, on Lake of the Woods. There, she learns, Red Lake Nation has recently dispossessed descendants of Ojibway spiritual leader Kakaygeesick from their land—land where the family has lived for the last two centuries—and has also denied them tribal membership.

In searching for answers, Jill meets the great-grandson of Kakaygeesick. Over weeks, months, and years, a friendship forms between them, and Jill gradually discovers what allotments, blood quantum, and the history of the Bureau of Indian Affairs have to do with her, the great-granddaughter of immigrants who homesteaded on reservation land. Estranged from her father, still mourning the suicide of her husband and the loss of their farm in upstate New York, and now grieving her mother’s death, Jill has spent decades trying to put the past behind her—but discovers the only path forward is to reckon with history.

Clear-eyed and yet deeply personal, The Land of Everlasting Sky is a compelling exploration of the history we inherit and our relationships to land and each other.

The format for Jill Swenson’s book slam:

• Introductions. That’s my job! You’ll meet our authors, and learn a tad about their books.

• Storytelling! Each author will tell a 3-4 minute story based on Jill’s theme, Who Are You? Where Are You From?

• Our guests will engage in a conversation about Jill’s new book.

• Q&A with the audience. Don’t be shy, this is your chance!

• We’ll provide the links to the author’s books. They’re all in our Wham! Bam! bookstores on Bookshop and Amazon. If you purchase a book on either platform and send WBBS your proof of purchase and snail-mail address, you’ll receive a signed bookplate from the author. I hear the USPS is “snail-ier” than ever these days. What a surprise. WBBS will earn a microscopic commission, but it adds up and helps support this project.

• In keeping with our WBTYS/WBBS tradition, I’ll tell the closing story, based on Jill’s theme.

Reserve your spot!

A message from our first featured author, Jill Swenson, on the theme she chose for this book slam.

Who ARE you? WHERE are you from?

What used to be considered Minnesota-nice icebreakers are now interrogation questions used by ICE. Instead of asking others these questions, I answered them myself and wrote a memoir.

I’m the great-granddaughter of immigrants who homesteaded in northern Minnesota on diminished reservation land and I’ve got a story to tell.

So do my guest storytellers, Susan J Tweit, Elizabeth Rynecki, and Nan Tepper.

Reserve your spot!

Jill Swenson remembers asking her mother if she should take shorthand in high school. “You do not want to take dictation from men all your life.” Raised by a working mom, Jill writes her way in and out of good trouble.

We’re here to celebrate Jill Swenson today!

Jill is the author of The Land of Everlasting Sky, which can be purchased in Wham! Bam! Book! Slam’s Amazon or Bookshop stores.

On Lake of the Woods

On Lake of the Woods

Reserve your spot!

In college Tweit was the only “girl” in her botany field courses, and the guys wondered loudly and often if she could hack it. Hack it she did, graduating into a career working in the backcountry that included grizzly-bear poop patrol—collecting bear poop to dissect and learn what plants the big bears eat—fighting wildland fires with a backpack pump and pick axe, controlling the invasive bullies of the plant world, and researching the lives and habits of her favorite plant, aromatic big sagebrush. Now she writes about the wild nearby and lives where she can inhale sagebrush every day.

Susan is the author of thirteen books, and her newest book is Earthbound, A Year of Mindful Connection in Nature. It will be published on October 20, 2026 and may be preordered in Wham! Bam! Book! Slam’s Amazon or Bookshop stores.

Earthbound | Susan J Tweit

Elizabeth Rynecki asks inconvenient questions and digs up stories history somehow misplaced. She divides her time between being a writer, filmmaker, podcaster, business owner, wife, mom, and cat herder, which pretty much means most days you'll find her spending too much time doom scrolling and wondering why there are never enough hours in the day.

Her book, Chasing Portraits can be purchased on Amazon. The documentary by the same name is available there for rental or purchase. Elizabeth’s oral history novel, Fern Court Fiasco is coming out in March 2027 (IngramSpark). As soon as it’s available for pre-order, our listing will be updated.

Ink Trails

I’m the creator of Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam! And the memoirist-in-chief at The Next Write Thing. I style stacks for writers on the Substack platform. I’m living my dream, writing, designing, and being a kosher ham on stage.

One of these days, Nan will get back to writing her memoir-in-progress. Nan’s essay, “Are You My Mother?” will be published in an upcoming anthology, Every Mother’s Daughter, due to be released in Fall 2027. Of course, she’ll be scheduling a book slam for the contributors.

As soon as it’s available for pre-order, I’ll be sharing links and QR codes.

I can’t wait to add my copy to its place of honor on my bookshelf!

Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam!

Style YOUR Stack!

The Next Write Thing

Our Wham! Bam! Book! Slam! events are free to all.

Support the authors. Buy their books.

We need paid subscribers to help us cover costs to run all the monthly story slams at WBTYS.

PAID SUBSCRIBERS GET IN FREE!

If you prefer, you can buy a ticket.

If you can’t afford either option, but want to see the live show, DM Nan.

Help this project grow by spreading the word. There’s more than one way to support Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam!

We have a fiscal sponsor, the nonprofit arts organization, Fractured Atlas. Direct donations made in WBTYS’s name are tax deductible as permissible by law in the U.S.

Law? Do we still have that here?

DONATE

Watch our WBTYSlam replays:

Subscribe now

We’re branching out a bit to expand our offerings.

I’m excited. Read on, dear writers & audience members.

You’re a writer on Substack.

You publish YOUR book. Now, you have to promote YOUR book. The publishing world isn’t what it used to be. In the olden days, publishers did more and spent more to promote their authors. They paid publicists and they covered travel expenses for book launches and readings.

Now, only the big names get that kind of treatment.

Authors have to foot the bill to go out into the world to get their books into the hands of readers.

Who might get left out of the chance to see you IRL?

Your readers on Substack. Our audience. Chances are they don’t live in a city or a town that’s on your book tour schedule. That’s a lost opportunity for both of you.

So, we’re bringing the bookstore/book tour to your readers here. And it’s not a regular reading or launch, either.

It’s a book event à la Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam! To fill that need, we’re offering book events here in our virtual bookstore.

If you write on Substack and have a new book–or not so new, or you’re about to, this is a destination everyone can access.

In keeping with the spirit and intention of the Wham! Bam! community, you do have a feminist mindset.

We won’t be spotlighting books that celebrate tradwives and the manosphere.

A thing you may not know about me:

I’m a bookseller at heart. I sold books for years. There’s nothing better than putting a beloved book into a reader’s hands. Once a bookseller, always a bookseller.

You should see me switch into tidying and alphabetizing mode when I’m in any local bookstore. I can’t shake the habit. I don’t really want to.

Starting in July 2026 we’re doing book events. Launches. Giveaways. Readings. Kind of. Kind of, because we’re adding a twist to the old cocktail.

The twist?

Storytelling. It’s a mini-slam!

Instead of coming to hear you read an excerpt from your new book, talk about your writing process and chat with your readers, we’re asking you to do this a little differently than doing a more traditional launch.

And it goes like this…

• I do the Introductions. It’s my job!

• You, the author, invite 2 or 3 Substack writers to participate. They have published books, or soon-to-be published books. And they write on Substack, too.

• It’s time to tell your stories. Each will tell a 4-minute story based on a theme you choose to open the event.

• Then, we’ll have a “Hollywood Squares” style conversation about the author’s new book with your invited guests. And technically, they’re really rectangles, not squares.

• Now it’s time for the Q&A. Audience members, don’t be shy, this is your chance!

• We’ll provide the links to all of the books. They’re listed in our Wham! Bam! bookstores on Bookshop and Amazon. If audience members purchase a book on either platform and send us their receipt and a snail-mail address, they’ll receive a custom signed bookplate designed by me and signed by you. Wham! Bam! will earn a microscopic commission, but it adds up and helps support this project.

• In keeping with our slam tradition, I’ll tell the closing story based on your theme.

• So lovely authors, you may want to wait and check out a couple of these book slams, OR you may be more like me and jump right in.

• Reserve your spot soon, because this idea has you so excited you don’t want to miss your chance to shine, to celebrate with us. Fill out the form linked here and get yourself on our calendar. For now, I’m planning 1-2 book slams a month in addition to our regular monthly slam. I’ll be announcing our July event on Friday, and I have another 4 book slams schedule through next spring and fall. So, when are you doing yours?

Reserve my book event!

What we provide:

• Custom graphics for promoting your event. Created by designer Nan Tepper.

• Promotion in our event posts. They go out to my ever-growing community on WBTYS and to my personal stack, The Next Write Thing. That’s an audience of over 3000 subscribers.

• Ability to cross-post to your Substack readers.

• Regular Notes posted on Substack and posts on Instagram.

• Event creation on Luma for free audience reservations.

• Custom-designed bookplates for your bookbuyers.

• Private email blasts promoting your event.

• Branded video of your event and individual reels of each writer’s story for your personal use and theirs.

• Pre-recording with each writer for back-up (in case of tech-glitches, they do happen sometimes)

• Storytelling coaching if needed (hourly fee for sessions with me).

What you provide:

• YOURSELF! And your chosen guests.

• An email list of invitees

• Headshots and snarky bios for you and your guests.

• Book titles for you and your guests

• Donation of 1-3 copies of your book for a giveaway. Your guest authors can donate, too.

• Promotional copy that YOU write about your theme and your book.

• Full engagement in promoting your event.

If you want to do the WBBS Twist with us, schedule YOUR book slam, complete the form, make a $100 deposit to reserve your spot on our calendar, and subscribe to Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam!

For a limited time, the fee for the event is $250 for one author spotlight with guests. If you’d like to add your guests into the mix for a focused look at each of you and your books, the fee goes up to $200/person, for a total of $600. If you cost-share, it’s more of a savings. Your balance is do when we finalize the date for your book slam.

In 2027, the event price will go up to $450. If you want to bring your two guests in to cost share, the fee goes to $900.

I’ll work with you when we touch base. The fee is a marketing expense, one that will surely pay off.

If you need to use a different payment method, DM me, but please fill out the form.

Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam! takes place the third weekend of each month. That’s the only weekend we won’t schedule book slams.

We’re happy to accommodate requests for weekday and weekend events.

Talk to me. We’ll make this happen.

This is great. Sign me up!

To our audience members:

If you’ve been enjoying the OG version of Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam! you’ll love this new spin. Wham! Bam! Book! Slams are free to attend, and you’ll come away with some great reads to add to your book stack!

And, one of you might win our book drawing. You never know.

Subscribe now