david ebenbach

April 19, 2022

Happy birthday to the irreverent, award-winning author David Ebenbach

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The author of eight books, David Ebenbach‘s output runs the gamut from fiction, poetry, to non-fiction. His first book, the collection Between Camelots (2005), won the Drue Heinz Literature Prize and the GLCA New Writers Award in Fiction. This established a pattern as he garnered awards for four of the next six published works: Into the Wilderness (2012; Washington Writers’ Publishing House Fiction Prize), We Were the People Who Moved (2015; Patricia Bibby Award), The Guy We Didn’t Invite to the Orgy (2017; Juniper Prize for Fiction), and Miss Portland (2017; Orison Fiction Prize). His other critically acclaimed titles include The Artist’s Torah: A Spiritual Guide to the Creative Process (2012), Some Unimaginable Animal (2019), and his first science fiction novel HOW TO MARS (2021).

He currently works at Georgetown University, teaching creative writing and literature at the Center for Jewish Civilization and promoting student-centered teaching at the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship. In 2015. Ebenbach founded the AGNI blog, the companion to the influential literary magazine, which he edited until 2019.

Everyone at Tachyon wishes the witty David a happy birthday! May your dreams be full of Martian vistas and the conundrums thereof.

March 17, 2022

David Ebenbach, Elly Bangs, and Jaymee Goh speak at the AWP Conference

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For the annual AWP conference, Tachyon editor Jaymee Goh, Arshia Simkin and Emily Cataneo (cofounders of the Redbud Writing Project), and Jae Steinbacher (co-editor of VOIDJUNK: Issue One) discuss No MFA? No Problem! The virtual event happens on Friday, March 25 at 3:20PM ET.

MFA programs are not the only way to improve writing skills and craft a robust literary life: independent creative writing organizations can be more inclusive alternatives that can allow a wider range of aspiring writers to build community and careers. Join Redbud Writing Project cofounders and three successful authors who have learned from, taught at, or been inspired by various non-MFA institutions, such as Clarion and Grubstreet. Learn how you can grow, publish, and thrive without an MFA.
No MFA? No Problem!

Then on Saturday, March 26 at 12:10PM ET, Goh joins David Ebenbach (HOW TO MARS), Elly Bangs (UNITY), Rone Shavers (Silverfish), and Sheree Renée Thomas (editor of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction) in the virtual Pretending to Write About the Future: Speculative Fiction as a Lens on the Now.

“Science fiction is a great way to pretend you are writing about the future when in reality you are attacking the recent past and the present.” As Ray Bradbury suggests in this quote, many readers and writers turn to speculative fiction not to wonder about what might happen so much as to think about what’s already happening. Five writers and editors will share their experiences working with sci-fi that, rather than being an escape, serves as an engagement or confrontation with the present.
Pretending to Write About the Future: Speculative Fiction as a Lens on the Now.

The AWP Conference & Bookfair is the annual destination for writers, teachers, students, editors, and publishers of contemporary creative writing. It includes thousands of attendees, hundreds of events and bookfair exhibitors, and four days of essential literary conversation and celebration. The AWP Conference & Bookfair has always been a place of connection, reunion, and joy, and we are excited to see the writing community come together again in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2022.
AWP Conference

October 7, 2021

Join David Ebenbach, author of HOW TO MARS, for the 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention

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For the 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention, David Ebenbach, author of HOW TO MARS, presents (virtually) The Role of Science-Fiction in Reaching Mars Successfully on Thursday, October 14 at 4PM PDT.

Imagining the Journey: The Significant Role for Science-Fiction in Reaching Mars Successfully

Science fiction has long played a surprising and important role in science itself, inspiring young people to pursue STEM careers as well as shaping ideas that have led to technological advances; imagining a bright future helps us to attain it. In that same vein, science fiction has plenty to teach us in our pursuit of Mars.

The most obvious role for fiction is to help us think through technical and logistical hurdles, and there’s plenty of relevant work to turn to on these points. Perhaps less obvious, but potentially even more important, science fiction can help us appreciate the complicated and central human element that will shape any endeavor to visit or colonize the red planet. This includes paying attention to individual psychology—what it will really be like for a person to go on a journey like this—and also attending to social dynamics and to the ways that we carry culture, tradition, and human nature wherever we go, for better and for worse.

The speaker, author of the novel HOW TO MARS, will discuss fiction by authors such as Ray Bradbury, Octavia Butler, Ellen Klages, and Kim Stanley Robinson. He will also discuss discoveries derived from his own creative process and share from his work.

The Mars Society is pleased to announce that the 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention will be convened Thursday-Sunday, October 14-17, 2021, all over the world via the Internet! The International Mars Society Convention presents a unique opportunity for those interested in the planet Mars to come together and discuss the science, technology, social implications, philosophy and a multitude of other aspects of Mars exploration.

Following up on our wildly successful 2020 Virtual Convention which boasted over 10,000 people attending, and more than 150 papers presented, we will again be using unique technology, to not only hold presentations, panel discussions and debates, but also to allow people from around the world to participate, posing questions and interacting with one another.

The Mars Society’s four-day international conference will bring together leading scientists, government policymakers, commercial space executives, science journalists and space advocates to discuss the latest scientific and technological developments and challenges related to the human and robotic exploration of Mars and the eventual human settlement of the Red Planet.

September 21, 2021

Join David Ebenbach, author of HOW TO MARS, for Judaism in Space

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The Center for Jewish Civilization at Georgetown University invites you to a virtual reading and discussion with Professor David Ebenbach about his latest book, HOW TO MARS on Thursday, September 23, 6:00PM ET.

RSVP to our event here!

HOW TO MARS is an exploration of a somewhat absurd effort to colonize the red planet, and has been called “A poignant examination of what it means to be human” (Kirkus Reviews). The CJC’s Professor Ebenbach will also discuss a question that arose in writing the novel: given how tied Judaism is to the time cycles and places of Earth, how could it survive on other planets?

About the Speaker:

David Ebenbach is the author of seven books of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, winners of numerous awards, including the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, the Juniper Prize, and the Orison Fiction Prize. He teaches creative writing and literature in the Center for Jewish Civilization and is a Project Manager at Georgetown’s teaching center, the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship.
RSVP to “Judaism in Space: A Reading and Discussion”

July 29, 2021

Join David Liss, Ellen Datlow, David Ebenbach, and Peter V. Brett for Awesome Con 2021

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Tachyon authors David Liss (THE PECULIARITIES), Ellen Datlow (BODY SHOCKS, NIGHTMARES, LOVECRAFT’S MONSTERS, and more), David Ebenbach (HOW TO MARS), and Peter V. Brett (THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD) are all attending this years Awesome Con, August 20-22 at Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

Awesome Con is Washington DC’s Comic Con! We’re a star-studded celebration of geek culture, bringing over 70,000 fans together with their favorite stars from across comics, movies, television, toys, games, and more! And just like DC, we’re smart, family-friendly, and inclusive – as Awesome Con is home to:

Science Fair, an area of Awesome Con exploring where science and science fiction meet!
Book Fair, THE area of Awesome Con for passionate book dragons, dewy-eyed indie authors, casual readers, and lit lovers of all ages!
Awesome Con Jr, an all-ages destination for the next generation of fans
Pride Alley, a celebration of queer creators and fans curated by GeeksOUT
Destination Cosplay, an area of Awesome Con for cosplay fanatics with photo opportunities, Cosplay Meetups, and much much more!
Awesome Con

David Liss, Ellen Datlow, David Ebenbach, and Peter V. Brett are all participating in the varied and extensive Awesome Con programing.

Friday August 20

2:30 PM

The Appeal of Magic

Everyone wishes they could wave a magic wand every now and then, and the popularity of magic as a theme in books is proof of that. The allure of having secret powers to make all your wishes come true is a universal concept that has spurred millions of books, comic books, movies, and TV shows. How is it that magic is such a pervasive theme in fiction?

J. Kelley Skovron, Constance Sayers, Jordan Ifueko, Cerece Rennie Murphy, Peter V. Brett, Ulysses Campbell (m)

3:30 PM

The Appeal of Magic Signing

J. Kelley Skovron, Constance Sayers, Jordan Ifueko, Cerece Rennie Murphy, Peter V. Brett

Saturday, August 21

10:15 AM

Ask An Editor

What do editors do and what do they look for when acquiring a writer’s work? Get the inside scoop on what you can expect from an editor before they acquire your work and if they do, acquire it–from that point on in the process. Join Ellen Datlow, award-winning science fiction, fantasy, and horror editor and anthologist, during this Q&A session.

Ellen Datlow

11:15 AM

Ask An Editor Signing

Ellen Datlow

Ask An Author

Interested in becoming an author? Curious what it takes to go the distance as a writer? Your burning and bookish questions will be answered during this Q&A session with a variety of established authors across various genres including politics, children’s fiction, fantasy, YA, science fiction, and thriller.

Tommy Jenkins, Sam Maggs, Jordan Ifueko, David Ebenbach, David Liss, Emily Whitten

12:15 PM

Ask An Author Signing

Tommy Jenkins, Sam Maggs, Jordan Ifueko, David Ebenbach

From Fandom to Creation

Every creator starts out as a fan. Join our panelists as they discuss the books, films, and comics that first inspired them to begin their own creative journey and how their personal fandoms influence their work to this day.

Cerece Rennie Murphy, Sam Maggs, David Liss, Ulysses Campbell (m)

Sunday, August 22

11:30 AM

How to Build a Fantasy World

If you’re a fantasy writer, building a fully fleshed out world is the first step in making your creation real to the reader. Unless you can fully understand the world in which your characters live, you won’t be able to effectively write about their experiences.

J. Kelley Skovron, Constance Sayers, L. Penelope, Peter V. Brett, Jordan Ifueko, Emily Whitten (m)

12:30 PM

Creating Terror through the Written Word

How do horror and thriller authors keep us on the edges of our seats? Why do they know what makes us worry? The what ifs are always taken to the extreme in exceptionally well written horror and thriller works.

David Liss, Ellen Datlow

1:30 PM

Creating Terror through the Written Word Signing

David Liss, Ellen Datlow

2:30 PM

Writing a Series

How does one book become two, then three, then ten? There is an art to creating a fully fleshed out story contained within one book, but leaving more unanswered questions in a way that keeps your reader coming back for more. It’s more than just spreading out one story over multiple books, it’s about pacing, story flow, and when to drop the essential bombs which excite and delight readers.

J. Kelley Skovron, David Liss, Peter V. Brett, Sam Maggs, L. Penelope, Harrison Demchick (m)

3:30PM

Writing a Series Signing

J. Kelley Skovron, David Liss, Peter V. Brett, Sam Maggs, L. Penelope

June 11, 2021

Join David Ebenbach and Nana Nkweti as they read and take your questions

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On Thursday, June 17 at 7:30 pm ET, David Ebenbach, author of the acclaimed novel HOW TO MARS, and Nana Nkweti, author of the powerful, genre-bending short story collection Walking On Cowrie Shells, will read from their newly released books and answer live questions. This is part of the VCCA Fireplace Series.

Writer and VCCA Fellows Council member Clifford Garstang will host this virtual event featuring authors David Ebenbach (How to Mars, Tachyon Publishing) and Nana Nkweti (Walking On Cowrie Shells, Graywolf Press) who will read from their newly released books and answer live questions.

VCCA Fireplace Series 23

Featuring: David Ebenbach and Nana Nkweti
When: Thursday, June 17, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Live on Facebook and YouTube

The VCCA Fireplace Series — in the spirit of the sharing of work that takes place among VCCA Fellows after dinner in front of the fireplace at Mt. San Angelo — features live virtual presentations by two Fellows each month. The focus of these events is on new work, particularly by artists with public events affected by the pandemic.

May 20, 2021

Join David Ebenbach for a special Facebook Live event with K. E. Flann celebrating the release of his funny and poignant HOW TO MARS

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David Ebenbach discusses HOW TO MARS with the incomparable K. E. Flann on FACEBOOK LIVE, Tuesday May 25 at 8:00 ET.

May 18, 2021

Win a copy of David Ebenbach’s delightfully unconventional HOW TO MARS. Booklist says “HOW TO MARS is Andy Weir’s The Martian (2014) infused with poetry in a superbly concise package.”

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With the help of the fine folks at GOODREADS, we’re giving away David Ebenbach’s HOW TO MARS.

Six Marsonauts must survive on the red planet after their reality TV show is canceled in this delightfully unconventional novel.
—Kirkus

What happens when your dream mission to Mars is a reality television nightmare? This debut science-fiction romp with heart that follows the tradition of Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles, with a dash of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Mythbusters.

[F]unny, fresh, and winsome.
—Publishers Weekly

For the six lucky scientists selected by the Destination Mars! corporation, a one-way ticket to Mars—in exchange for a lifetime of research—was an absolute no-brainer. The incredible opportunity was clearly worth even the most absurdly tedious screening process. Perhaps worth following the strange protocols in a nonsensical handbook written by an eccentric billionaire. Possibly even worth their constant surveillance, the video of which is carefully edited into a ratings-bonanza back on Earth.

But it turns out that after a while even scientists can get bored of science. Tempers begin to fray; unsanctioned affairs blossom. When perfectly good equipment begins to fail, the Marsonauts are faced with a possibility that their training just cannot explain.

Irreverent, poignant, and perfectly weird, David Ebenbach’s debut science-fiction outing, like a mission to Mars, is an incredible trip you will never forget.

5/5 Stars. Strap in and get ready to blast off on one wild ride. Very much recommended.
—BookAnon

April 19, 2021

Happy birthday to the irreverent, award-winning author David Ebenbach

Rick Klaw birthday, blog birthday, david ebenbach, how to mars, some unimaginable animal, we were the people who moved

The author of eight books, David Ebenbach‘s output runs the gamut from fiction, poetry, to non-fiction. His first book, the collection Between Camelots (2005), won the Drue Heinz Literature Prize and the GLCA New Writers Award in Fiction. This established a pattern as he garnered awards for four of the next six published works: Into the Wilderness (2012; Washington Writers’ Publishing House Fiction Prize), We Were the People Who Moved (2015; Patricia Bibby Award), The Guy We Didn’t Invite to the Orgy (2017; Juniper Prize for Fiction), and Miss Portland (2017; Orison Fiction Prize). His other critically acclaimed titles include The Artist’s Torah: A Spiritual Guide to the Creative Process (2012), and Some Unimaginable Animal (2019). His first science fiction novel HOW TO MARS (2021) is due out next month.

Everyone at Tachyon wishes the witty David a happy birthday! May your dreams be full of Martian vistas and the conundrums thereof.

March 3, 2021

David Ebenbach’s HOW TO MARS is Andy Weir’s THE MARTIAN infused with poetry in a superbly concise package

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Though not coming out until May, David Ebenbach’s HOW TO MARS is already spawning excitement. HOW TO MARS is currently available for pre-order through all finer booksellers or direct from Tachyon.

For BOOKLIST, Don Vicha praises the novel.

HOW TO MARS is Andy Weir’s The Martian (2014) infused with poetry in a superbly concise package.

Jeff Sexton, at BOOKANON in a five star review, recommends the book.

Zany Space Story. The best way to describe this book, really, is that if you like Hitchhiker’s Guide To the Galaxy – a perennial favorite among the geek set for decades now that has in many cases transcended into pop culture – … you’re probably going to like this one too. There are quite a bit of similarities, given the hilarious and offbeat humor and even the “guidebook” element of the story. (Though unlike the Adams epic, this one actually includes at least parts of the guide in the story.)

[…]

If you’re looking for a more serious/ Hard Science Fiction ala Andy Weir’s take on The Martian… this isn’t that. So strap in and get ready to blast off on one wild ride. Very much recommended.

BOOK INVASION includes the work among 2021 Anticipated Science Fiction & Fantasy releases.

FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE includes HOW TO MARS among Upcoming Sci-Fi Novels That Could Hits In 2021.

Sci-fi doesn’t need to be serious, now does it? It can also have a little bit of humour and poke fun at people. That’s what David Ebenbach’s debut HOW TO MARS promises. Described as the perfect merger of Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles and Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, it already sounds like something you should be pre-ordering and adding to your reading lists way in advance.

For THE RAY BRADBURY EXPERIENCE MUSEUM, Dominic Loise talks with the author.

SWEET LIT interviews their past contributor Ebenbach.

What are some major accomplishments you have had since your Sweet publication?

I’m excited to say that I’ve had four books published since those publications, including two collections of poetry—We Were the People Who Moved (2015) and Some Unimaginable Animal (2019)—but I think the biggest accomplishment is just coming back to the page again and again. Books are great—it’s an unbelievable privilege to get to share my work with other folks—but the foundation is the writing. So I think that’s the most important accomplishment any writer can point to. #amwriting

Can you tell us about a current/ongoing project that you’re excited about?

I’m finishing edits on a novel due out in 2021 (Tachyon Publications). It’s called HOW TO MARS and it’s a sci-fi novel about an ill-advised one-way mission to Mars; the small group of Marsonauts, who went in order to escape life, unexpectedly have to get ready for the first pregnancy on another planet.

On the Tachyon Publications Channel, David Ebenbach reads from HOW TO MARS.

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