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. 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 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 as always, we’ll end with a story I’ll share.
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.
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.
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.
Memory, Time, History on Lake of the Woods
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.
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 (IndieSpark). As soon as it’s available for pre-order, our listing will be updated.
Nan Tepper is the creator of Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam! She’s memoirist-in-chief at The Next Write Thing. She styles stacks for writers on the Substack platform. She’s living her dreams, writing, designing, and being a kosher ham on stage. She recently discovered that she’s lusted for the spotlight since childhood, so now she’s making up for lost time.
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.
Can you blame her? It’s my in-print debut.
I can’t wait to add my copy to its place of honor on my bookshelf!
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.
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?
Watch our WBTYSlam replays:
