Panel
1.00 PM – 1.30 PM
In 2023, Rachel Moore and Mackenzie Reed stepped onto the literary stage with their powerful debuts—and now, they’re back to share what came next. Join host Asli Jenson for an insightful conversation with these rising voices as they reflect on the whirlwind of debut year, the challenges of writing under a spotlight, and how their voices, and careers, have evolved with each new release. From navigating expectations to rediscovering creative joy, this panel offers an honest and inspiring look at what it really means to grow as an author after their debut.
About Asli Jenson
Asli Jensen is a writer, born and raised in West London. She is proud of her cultural heritage, being of Somali and Danish descent. Her writing is an amalgamation of untold stories and unheard voices, including her own. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck University and previously had her work published in Stylist Magazine. In 2023, she was the recipient of The Lime Pictures New Storyteller Award.
About Mackenzie Reed
Mackenzie Reed is the author of books with heart, humor, and hijinks. She has a Communication and Media degree from Nazareth College and unironically enjoys long walks on the beach. Her young adult novels, The Rosewood Hunt and The Wilde Trials, are out now with HarperCollins, her third, Worse Than the Others is coming in 2027, and her forthcoming adult debut, I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell, will be released with Berkley/Penguin Random House in Fall 2026.
About Rachel Moore
Rachel Moore is the author of high-stakes, genre-blending novels The Library of Shadows, Us in Ruins, and her forthcoming adult debut, Safari Murder Party. She lives in Tennessee with her husband and two cats she's violently allergic to. (The cats, not the husband.) On the rare occasion she isn't writing happy endings, you can find her collecting dictionaries, drinking entirely too much coffee, and drifting through the library stacks.
