Electric Literature turned 15 years old and to commemorate, we put a birthday hat on our patron saint Edgar Allan Poe and threw ourselves the campiest party we could imagine. On October 18th, our community of readers, writers, and staff gathered for the Masquerade of the Neon Death at Littlefield in Brooklyn to dance, party, and eat cake.
The Masquerade is more than just a celebration of books, it’s also our biggest fundraiser of the year. Sustaining a small independent nonprofit is no easy feat (in lit mag years, we’re a senior citizen). Everything we publish is free to read without paywalls. If you’ve loved reading our stories, essays, and book coverage, please consider making a donation, so we can thrive another 15 years (knock on wood!).
Here is a recap of our night of technicolored festivities, captured by our favorite photographer Jasmina Tomic.
It’s not a book party without… well, books. Our giveaway table included stickers and a selection of our hosts’s novels and short story collections: Ask Me Again, The Storm We Made, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, This Great Hemisphere, and Housemates.
We had a glow up and went neon with glow sticks, light-up sunglasses, and LED bunny ears. The dress code? A Crayola rainbow.
The surprise hit of the night? The bunny ears.
Our esteemed hosts (left to right): authors Deesha Philyaw, Emma Copley Eisenberg, Clare Sestanovich, Vanessa Chan, and Mateo Askaripour.
Electric Literature is officially entering our Book Era with our first book Both/And: Essays by Trans and Gender Nonconforming Writers of Color, forthcoming in 2025.
In her speech, Executive Director Halimah Marcus noted how much the literary landscape has changed in 15 years: “Electric Literature was at the forefront of digital publishing as the first literary magazine to have an app, and one of the first to publish in every format. In 2012, we went all online: which back then was stigmatized. For years, literary awards would not consider online magazines. Now it’s the preferred form of publication for many writers, because it allows them to reach more readers.”
Editor-in-Chief Denne Michele Norris added that even in a time when there are fewer outlets for book coverage, Electric Literature is expanding.
We were getting a little teary-eyed….
There was not just one, but two birthday cakes because we’re extra like that.
Denne Michele Norris and Halimah Marcus moments after they blew out the candles.
The dancing began as guests hit the dancefloor for some high-kicks and sword-fights!
Top: DJ Sean Davis spinning tunes. Bottom: Littlefield’s stage technician Sean Mackillop looked very on-brand for a literary party with a Sally Rooney book and a bucket hat. Rumors are that he finished the entire novel in one night (and he was reading in the dark!). FSG, please give this man some merch!
We love a good photobooth moment!
Left: Artist Karl Jacob, writer Catherine LaSota, and Jendi Reiter, author of Origin Story. Right: Mira Jacob, author of Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations and The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing, with Amy Brill, author of The Movement of Stars.
So many of the writers we’ve published over the years were in the attendance!
Top left: Temim Fruchter, author of City of Laughter, Courtney Zoffness, author of Spilt Milk, Hilary Leichter, author of Terrace Story and Temporary, and Emma Copley Eisenberg.
Bottom right: Author Shayne Terry (check out her cover reveal) and literary agent Alison Lewis.
Sincere apologies to the unnamed guests whose names are a mystery to us. If you’re in these photos and would like your names included in this recap, send us a DM (or an email if you’re old-school like that).
We reunited with old friends, made new ones, and left with our souls nourished by community.
The Electric Literature team: Halimah Marcus, former intern Vivienne Germaine, Denne Michele Norris, former intern Sophie Stein, Deputy editor Jo Lou, former interns Ruth Buchwald and Laura Schmitt, and Associate editor Katie Robinson.
Thank you to our amazing sponsors for helping us throw a fabulous birthday party! See you all next year!
