Room 217D, Henry B. González Convention Center, Meeting Room Level

In her influential essay “Two Paths for the Novel” a decade ago, Zadie Smith wrote that the avant-garde novel had languished while lyrical realism had become the dominant path, “most other exits blocked.” But recently, both the novel and story have undergone a renovation; new directions abound. At the same time, fiction increasingly represents diverse experiences. Five writers will discuss recent innovative fiction and forms of experimentation, along with what such innovations make possible.

Featuring Rita Bullwinkel, author of Belly Up (A Strange Object).