Yannick Murphy & Victoria Redel

Join authors Yannick Murphy and Victoria Redel for a reading from their new novels Things That Are Funny on a Submarine But Not Really and I Am You! Informed by an intense pressure of language, wit, and energy, Things That Are Funny on a Submarine but Not Really enraptures with the colorful world of David, nicknamed "Dead Man," and his shipmates. Stationed in Guam, they sail the depths of the oceans, swapping jokes and stories while strengthening bonds continually tested by the rigors of submarine life. When one shipmate is revealed as a Chinese spy, and another takes his own life, Dead Man is burdened by a repressed guilt and left with a lingering trauma. A mesmerizing historical novel, I Am You is a meditation on gender, an ode to artistic creation, and an unforgettable love story that reimagines the life of renowned still life painter Maria van Oosterwijck during the Dutch Golden Age. At eight years old, Gerta Pieters is forced to disguise herself as a boy and sent to work for a genteel Dutch family. When their brilliant and beautiful daughter Maria sees through Gerta’s ruse, she insists that Gerta accompany her to Amsterdam and help her enter the elite, male-dominated art world. While Maria rises in the ranks of society as a painting prodigy, Gerta makes herself invaluable in every way: confidante, muse, lover. But as Gerta steps into her own talents, their relationship fractures into a complex web of obsession and rivalry—and the secrets they keep threaten to unravel everything. Yannick Murphy is the author of the novels, The Call, Signed, Mata Hari, Here They Come, and The Sea of Trees. Her story collections include By the Time You Read This, Stories in Another Language, and In a Bear’s Eye. Her children’s books include The Cold Water Witch, Baby Polar, and Ahwoooooooo!. She is the recipient of various awards, including a Pushcart Prize, a Laurence L. and Thomas Winship/PEN New England Award, a Whiting Writer’s Award, a National Endowment for the Arts award, and a Chesterfield Screenwriting award. Her story “In a Bear’s Eye” was published in the 2007 O. Henry Prize Stories. She and her veterinarian husband live in Vermont. Victoria Redel is the author of 4 books of poetry and six books of fiction. Her novel I Am You (Zando/SJPLIT) was published in 2025 and is a Publishing Triangle LTGBTQ fiction award finalists, a London Times pick of the month, and a People Magazine best new book pick. Her debut novel, Loverboy (2001) was adapted for feature film directed by Kevin Bacon. She’s received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts and The Fine Arts Work Center. Victoria’s work has been widely anthologized, awarded, and translated into many languages. She teaches in the graduate and undergraduate creative writing program at Sarah Lawrence College. Photo credit George Rings.