Susan DeFreitas

"One of 25 Oregon Writers Every Oregonian Must Read." -The Oregonian

My mission is to tell stories that matter and help others to do the same.

Join me

Books

Dispatches from Anarres

A 2022 Foreword INDIES finalist!

Available via > Powell's > Bookshop > Indiebound > Amazon

A Powell's Staff Pick, recommended by the Oregonian.

"DeFreitas collects 31 impressive stories to honor Ursula K. Le Guin’s legacy.…Speculative fiction readers will find much to enjoy in this well-crafted celebration."
—Publishers Weekly

"This anthology lights many fires from the brightly burning torch of Le Guin's timeless science fiction."
—Meg Elison, author of The Book of the Unnamed Midwife

"Each story is its own magical offering to be scooped up and savored by readers."
—Annie Carl, bookseller, The Neverending Bookshop

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Editing & Coaching

With Laura Stanfill of Forest Avenue Press, publisher of Dispatches from Anarres

I serve socially engaged writers because I believe stories have the power to change the world—and because the challenges we face as a culture have never been bigger.

Praise:

“Susan is a genius, and as important, while she doesn’t pull punches, she’s kind—a calm, supportive presence on those days when it feels like all is lost." —Lisa Cron, author of Story Genius

"The queen of the big picture.”
—Ariel Gore, author of We Were Witches

“I’ve got a shelf full of craft books but none has ever made me feel as empowered and ready to write as one session with Susan." —Kristin Brown

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Blog

Small Changes > Big Goals

January 10, 2023

What’s your cup of tea?

December 7, 2022

About

An American of Indo-Guyanese descent, Susan DeFreitas is the author of the novel Hot Season, which won a Gold IPPY Award, and the editor of Dispatches from Anarres: Tales in Tribute to Ursula K. Le Guin, a finalist for the Foreword INDIES. Her work has been featured in the Writer’s Chronicle, LitHub, Story, Daily Science Fiction, Portland Monthly, and High Desert Journal, among other journals and anthologies. An independent editor and book coach, she specializes in helping writers from historically marginalized backgrounds, and those writing socially engaged fiction, break through into publishing. She divides her time between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Portland, Oregon.

Classes and Events

Join Susan for this online class, live on March 8, 2023 (or watch the recording later).

To give your novel its best shot in the marketplace, you need more than an intriguing story concept, a whiz-bang plot, and some fabulous characters—or even great writing.

You need an emotionally affecting story core.

In this presentation, Susan DeFreitas will draw upon her 12+ years as a book coach and editor to share the secrets of long-form fiction that generates strong emotions in readers—and, in the process, creates raving fans.

To learn more and sign up, click here: https://www.janefriedman.com/the-heart-of-story-with-susan-defreitas/

Join Susan on March 23, 2023, for a conversation with Zoe Ballering. This event will take place at Powell's City of Books in Portland, OR, at 7:30 p.m. PT.

Zoe is the author of the speculative short story collection, There Is Only Us, which explores themes of loneliness, connectedness, and selfhood. The book presents a series of escalating scenarios, intimate and yet absurd, that ask, how much can you change and still be you?

For more information, visit the Powell's events page: https://www.powells.com/events-update

You're a person with a passion for justice, and a writer who cares about craft.

Ready to claim your power as a storyteller? Register for my FREE masterclass, Fiction As a Force for Change.