An Evening of Conversation with B.K. Jackson
Join editor B.K. Jackson and guests for readings from their anthology, ‘Relative Strangers.’
The event will consist of a series of readings from contributors Aimee Seiff Christian, Nina B. Lichtenstein, and L.C. Coppola, followed by a Q&A.
Tickets: $20 (admission w/ book), $12.50 (general admission)
Note: Tickets are non-refundable but can be transferred, if you are unable to attend.
About Relative Strangers:
What's it like when a complete unknown is actually close family?
In Relative Strangers: Inheritance, Identity, and the Meaning of Kinship-a provocative anthology curated by B.K. Jackson, with a foreword by Libby Copeland, 28 acclaimed and emerging writers explore the transformative experience of encountering unknown close relatives. These are intimate stories by those who've spent years longing and searching for their unknown biological families and by others shocked to discover they have parents or siblings they never dreamed of-blindsiding revelations that demand both a radical recalibration of identity and a redefinition of family. Each addresses the myriad emotions that arise in the wake of these discoveries and encounters, demonstrating that what we don't know can hurt us, that secrets are toxic, and that truth can bring healing, redemption, and, sometimes, estrangement. Woven through is a universal question: What does it mean to be family?
About The Readers:
B.K. (Kate) Jackson is a developmental editor, a certified book coach, and a journalist who’s contributed to HuffPost, The Los Angeles Times, The Sun, SurvivorLit, Whale Road Review, Hippocampus Magazine, WIRED and more. She earned a BA and an MA from UCLA. Kate is the founder and editor of Severance (severancemag.com), a magazine and community for adoptees and individuals who’ve discovered misattributed parentage. She’s revising a memoir about maternal abandonment and family secrets. She lives in Milford, Pennsylvania. Find her at www.bkjacksonwriter.com, creativelyadhd.substack.com, and halfasorrow.substack.com.
Aimee Seiff Christian writes memoir and creative nonfiction. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Poets & Writers, The Rumpus, Hippocampus, Pidgeonholes, Atticus Review, SmokeLong Quarterly, and more. She’s a writing instructor and developmental editor and is querying her memoir, Nobody’s Daughter, about adoption and identity. Aimee is from New York City and lives in Massachusetts with her family. Find out more at aimeechristian.net.
Lisa “L.C.” Coppola is an adoptee, writer, therapist, and founder of Coppola Counseling & Consultation, where she supports adults navigating identity, addiction recovery, DNA discoveries, and the emotional terrain of search and reunion. Drawing on her own lived experience as an adoptee in long-term recovery and more than a decade of clinical work, LC centers healing through awareness, storytelling, and connection. She’s the author of Voices Unheard: A Reflective Journal for Adult Adoptees and has created community programs and workshops that honor adoptee voices and journeys. Learn more at www.coppolacounselingconsultation.com
Nina B. Lichtenstein, PhD, MFA, is a native of Oslo, Norway. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, HuffPost, Lilith, Full Grown People, Tablet Magazine, Brevity Blog, Dorothy Parker’s Ashes, and AARP's The Ethel, among other places, and in several anthologies. Her memoir, Body: My Life in Parts, was released by Vine Leaves Press in 2025. She is the founder and director of Maine Writers Studio and the co-founder and co-editor of In a Flash Lit Mag. She lives in Maine, where her husband, kayak, bike, yoga, and skis keep her (somewhat) sane. Find out more about Nina's work at https://www.ninalichtenstein.com/.