events
Tuesday, April 1
8:00 pm ET
“Speakeasy” will consist of a series of virtual meetings for free-thinking readers. Members are invited to participate in a guided discussion of select Heresy Press titles, as well as an open Q&A with the author.
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The goal of Speakeasy is to re-orient literary conversation, away from adversarial interpretations, towards the timeless aesthetics of literature and fiction’s rich world of ideas. Topics may include style, plot, character, symbol, motif and authorial intention. Members will receive guiding questions prior to each meeting. While we encourage robust dialogue, Speakeasy takes place in a casual atmosphere. Members are invited to have a glass of wine, cocktail, or beverage which “pairs” well with the book of the evening.
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Led by playwright, novelist, and literature teacher, Britton Buttrill, “Speakeasy: The Heresy Press Book Club” promises to create a community of resilient and appreciative readers. Each meeting will be dedicated to a recently published Heresy Press title.
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Membership enrollment is open until March 20.
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Meeting Schedule:
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The first meeting will take place on April 1, 2025 and will focus on Richard Walter’s satirical novel Deadpan.
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Meeting time: 8 pm EST
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Logistics:
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Book club meetings will be virtual, using the Zoom platform. Invitations will be sent to all subscribers by email.
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Livestream Q&A with Humorists Richard Walter (Deadpan: A Novel) and Julie Ann Sipos (Horrible Women, Wonderful Girls: A Jaycee Grayson Novel)
Thursday, April 3
7:00 pm ET
Zoom (Details Below)
You’re invited to join a livestream Q&A with authors Richard Walter and Julie Ann Sipos. The two will discuss their new novels, Deadpan and Horrible Women, and the importance of humor and satire in chaotic times.
RSVP: The webinar will be held on Zoom on Thursday, 4/3 at 7pm ET/4pm PT.
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To officially register, please email ​info@richardwalterbooks.com​. The first 5 people who email to register will receive complimentary ebooks from both authors. To join the event on Zoom, please reference the event conferencing details below.
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Deadpan is a mordantly funny novel that skewers prejudice and scoffs at ignorance, opposing hate with humor. Order your copy ahead of the event to ask questions with the author by visiting ​the Skyhorse website.​
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A ​spirited satire of contemporary sisterhood set inside a famous Midwest doll company, ​​Horrible Women, Wonderful Girls​​ lets loose the razor-sharp “mom voice” behind a​ generation of girl-powered screen stories. Order it on ​Amazon​​,​​ Bookshop.org​​ or wherever you buy fine books.
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Learn More about the Authors:
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About Richard Walter:
Richard Walter is an author of best-selling fiction and nonfiction, celebrated storytelling educator, screenwriter, script consultant, lecturer and retired professor who led the screenwriting program in the film school at UCLA for several decades. He has written scripts for the major studios and television networks; lectured on screenwriting and storytelling and conducted master classes throughout North America as well as London, Paris, Jerusalem, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, Beijing, Shanghai, Sydney and Hong Kong. His new novel, Deadpan (published by Heresy Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing) is available for order now. Subscribe to his podcast on ​Substack​ and blog on ​Medium​, and follow him on ​Twitter​/X and ​Facebook​.
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About Julie Ann Sipos:
Writer, producer, and creative executive Julie Ann Sipos has written and developed iconic stories and characters for Universal, Warner Brothers, Disney and Mattel. Horrible Women, Wonderful Girls: A Jaycee Grayson Novel, marks her literary debut in March, 2025 from Dartmouth Park. Her previous work has earned multiple accolades, including the Parents Choice Award, the Common Sense Gold Seal, and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Children’s Programming. Author of Love from Morning to Night: Poems and Songs for Mommy and Baby (American Girl Publishing 2016), she holds a 2004 MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA and teaches in the Department of Cinema & Television at CSUN.
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Join the Author Event on Zoom:
Livestream: Richard Walter & Julie Ann Sipos Author Chat
Time: Apr 3, 2025, 7pm Eastern (4pm PM Pacific)
Join Zoom Meeting: ​https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89589455167?pwd=FImEJSIY1tDp4SGva4fGpJY16qUiW5.1​ Meeting ID: 895 8945 5167 Passcode: 921917
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US Meeting ID: 895 8945 5167 Passcode: 921917
Find your local number: ​https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kA1oZMCia​