An Evening with Jane Schoenbrun: Public Access Afterworld + I Saw the TV Glow

THIS SCREENING IS AT RUSH! Co-presented by Book Passage. Join us for a special evening with acclaimed filmmaker and writer Jane Schoenbrun, celebrating the release of their debut novel, Public Access Afterworld. Schoenbrun will join us for a moderated conversation about the book and their work, followed by a screening of their acclaimed film I Saw the TV Glow. A mesmerizing mash-up of speculative fiction, horror, and conspiracy, Public Access Afterworld spans decades and realities, following an unforgettable ensemble of outsiders drawn into the mystery of a strange pirate television network broadcasting from somewhere beyond the static. Ticket includes a pre-signed copy of Public Access Afterworld. Additional books will be available for purchase at the event. About Public Access Afterworld “Beautiful, funny, and scathing… I stayed up all night binge-reading.” – SenLinYu “Psychedelic horror of the first order.” – Grady Hendrix “Heart-wrenching, hilarious, visionary, and so damned smart, this novel is a major work by a major writer.” -Paul Tremblay “Dazzling and politically acute, Schoenbrun’s debut announces a major literary voice.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review) One of Publishers Weekly’s 10 Most Anticipated Books. One of the Most Anticipated Books of the Year: Lit Hub, The Chicago Review of Books, The Bookseller, Reactor, Library Journal, and Debutiful. Find the receiver. Make it real. At 5:35 p.m. on September 3, 1988. Dallas weatherman Ray “Can You Say Sunshine” Davino makes passing reference to Public Access Afterworld during a rambling monologue, right before he puts a gun to his head on live television and pulls the trigger. On June 12, 2009. David Sawyer and Erin Morrison, two lonely, TV-obsessed suburban teens who might be falling in love, gather in Erin’s basement to watch TV’s analog-to-digital transition. But in the static that follows, Erin witnesses surreal broadcasts from a pirate TV network called Public Access Afterworld, and their lives are changed forever. Seventeen years later, Bethany Peters toils through the night shift at megacorp GlobalVill’s bleak Austin campus. A trans content moderator, she spends her evenings reviewing an endless stream of horrific videos. But then a young streamer begins to crop up in her feed calling out to Public Access Afterworld. But what is Public Access Afterworld? Spanning decades and realities, with an unforgettable ensemble of outcasts and nerds-especially the messy but wholly relatable Bethany, who must overcome paranoia and self-doubt to transform into a hero of our times-Public Access Afterworld will have you reading through the night and rooting for its characters to survive. A mesmerizing mash-up of speculative fiction, horror, and conspiracy, it marks the arrival of a major new force in contemporary fiction by a groundbreaking filmmaker who’s been compared to David Lynch and Paul Thomas Anderson. Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show—a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. As the two become increasingly consumed by the show, Owen’s sense of reality and identity begins to crack. Written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun, I Saw the TV Glow is a haunting coming-of-age story about identity, isolation, fandom, and the strange power of the media that shapes us. Blending psychological horror with the hazy nostalgia of late-night television, the film explores the porous boundaries between the worlds we watch and the lives we inhabit. All ticket sales are final. Roxie members receive a discount with a special code. Email us at [email protected]