Diane Williams with Jeannie Vanasco: I Liked Rex

Diane Williams presents *I Liked Rex*, her twelfth book of fiction, in conversation with Baltimore writer Jeannie Vanasco. Williams’s compact stories, often only about two pages long, begin in ordinary or playful situations and take unexpectedly disorienting turns. The program offers a closer look at her distinctive syntax, imagination, and influence on contemporary flash fiction.

Williams is the founder and editor of the literary annual NOON, which has helped shape the work of writers including Lydia Davis, Danielle Dutton, Kathryn Scanlan, and Rita Bullwinkel. Vanasco, an author and reader based in Baltimore, joins her for the discussion.

When: Thursday, October 29th, 2026

Showtimes: 6:00–7:30 p.m.

Venue: Bird in Hand Coffee & Books, 11 East 33rd Street, Baltimore, MD 21218

Tickets: Price not available

Lineup: Diane Williams, in conversation with Jeannie Vanasco

Featured book: *I Liked Rex*, Williams’s collection of flash-fiction stories

About Diane Williams: Williams has published numerous short-fiction collections. Her complete stories were collected in *The Collected Stories of Diane Williams* in 2018, and her personal literary archive, along with the NOON archive, was acquired by the Lilly Library in 2014. She lives in New York City.

About Jeannie Vanasco: Vanasco is the author of the memoirs *A Silent Treatment*, *Things We Didn’t Talk About When I Was a Girl*, and *The Glass Eye*, all published by Tin House. Her essays have appeared in *The Believer*, a McSweeney’s anthology, *The New York Times Magazine*, and the *Times Literary Supplement*. She is an associate professor of English at Towson University, lives in Baltimore, and has a fourth book under contract with Tin House.

RSVP: An RSVP is requested through the event page.

Books: *I Liked Rex* may be ordered through the event page.