Susan is a novelist, essayist, and poet. She is also a writing coach and editor. She runs a writing room every Saturday morning at Forbes Library, the public library in Northampton, MA, where she was Writer in Residence for five years. The writing room is free and open to all. Susan’s most recent novel, Spider in a Tree, was published in 2013 by Small Beer Press. Spider in a Tree is about eighteenth century preacher. theologian, and slave-owner Jonathan Edwards. She speaks on literary and historical topics such as researching a novel, and also on issues related to fatness and queerness.