This event has passed
Author Event: Candice Wuehle and Leigh Stein - Ultranatural
Featured Book
ultranatural
Before Love became a household name, she was Lacey Dove Bart, a determined teen with dreams of stardom. Desperate to escape her bleak small-town life, Lacey dazzles at an audition for the prestigious Newland Academy, catching the eye of mega producer Jimmy Coins. Lacey’s friend and co-performer, Carrie-Anne, believes they’re on the brink of achieving their shared dream of escaping Appalachia. But a betrayal by Lacey leaves them both reeling. As Lacey is transformed into “Love,” the carefully controlled idol of a generation, she loses piece after piece of herself. She’s contracted for stints on Christian variety shows, toured through malls and state fairs, and even locked in a fortress-like mansion between recording sessions. With her life spiraling out of control and younger, hungrier replacements waiting in the wings, Love’s only chance at freedom is to reconnect with Carrie-Anne and seek redemption in the one authentic bond she has left. Part pop elegy, part horror story, part radical reimagining of female celebrity, Ultranatural autotunes the static of fame until it sounds like prophecy.
This book will be available for purchase at the event.
About This Event
Join Candice Wuehle to celebrate her latest novel, Ultranatural, with a reading, conversation, and signing! Candice will be in conversation with Leigh Stein.
Featured Author
Candice Wuehle
Candice Wuehle is the author of the novels ULTRANATURAL (University of Iowa Press, 2026) and MONARCH (Soft Skull, 2022), named a Best Book of 2022 by NPR, SPIN!, and Lambda Literary. She has also written three collections of poetry, including FIDELITORIA: fixed or fluxed (11:11, 2021), BOUND (Inside the Castle Press, 2018), and Death Industrial Complex (Action Books, 2020), selected as a 2020 finalist for The Believer Magazine Book Award. She is currently at work on Taylor Swift's Not-So-Tortured Poets Department, to be released by the University of Iowa Press.
In Conversation With
Leigh Stein
Leigh Stein is the bestselling author of six books, including the critically acclaimed satirical novel Self Care and the gothic mystery If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You. She is the creator of the Attention Economy newsletter on Substack.
About the Venue
City Lit Books
Located in the heart of Logan Square, City Lit specializes in contemporary fiction and non-fiction, with a richly curated collection of children's literature, speculative fiction, poetry, and more. Our store is a literary hub for the community, hosting many book clubs, poetry readings, and author events.
Visit store page