ERIN BARTELS is a copywriter and freelance editor by day, a novelist by night, and a painter, seamstress, poet, and photographer in between. Her debut novel, We Hope for Better Things, released in January 2019 from Revell Books, and will be followed in September 2019 with The Words between Us, the manuscript for which was…
Whether you’re someone who wants to wind down at night with a short story, fill the empty moments with a bit of poetry, or allow yourself to get swept into a novel that illuminates the past and delves deep into our present cultural realities, you’re sure to find something here that challenges, inspires, and entertains.…
From book talks and signings to writing conferences and workshops to book clubs and retreats, here are just some of the places you can find me throughout the year. If you see me anywhere, I hope you’ll introduce yourself! I love meeting readers and writers, talking about books, and sharing whatever wisdom I can to…
Would you like me to chat with your book club? Let’s make it happen! I’d love to visit your group to discuss characters, themes, or issues in my novel, or just talk about the writing life in general. If you’re in Michigan, chances are I can come in person. Out of state? Thanks to the…
Take a listen to this ten-minute interview with Marty Guise of the Bott Radio Network — the perfect length for a work break or a short commute. But if you have an hour and you’re a more visual person, you could watch this interview I did for the Write Now Workshop podcast with Kitty Bucholtz…
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT . . . We Hope for Better Things “In this powerful first novel . . . Bartels successfully weaves American history into a deeply moving story of heartbreak, long-held secrets, and the bonds of family.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review (You can read the entire review here.) “A forbidden interracial marriage, an…
Your Face Is Crooked is a semiautobiographical podcast that features short (about five minutes or less), true (or mostly true), often humorous vignettes that touch on everything from formative childhood experiences to bizarre neuroses to the insistent, nagging doubts we have about ourselves (sometimes on a daily basis). It’s about me, but in such a…
My musings on creativity, writing, sewing, nature, Michigan, family, faith, and more, often accompanied by lovely photos and sprinkled with what I hope amounts to good advice.
Book me as a speaker, teacher, or panelist at your conference, retreat, book club, writing group, or classroom. I love talking writing, books, and publishing, and I especially enjoy helping young and aspiring writers develop a rich writing life, improve their craft, and understand the publishing process. Choose from one of these topics or suggest your…
I love where I live. Michigan is more than Detroit and farm fields. It is a varied landscape, formed by ice and marked by evidence of its time as a tropical sea, forever being refashioned by wind and waves. It is a showcase for all four seasons, where in the same week you might get hypothermia…
