Pamela Gwyn Kripke is an award-winning journalist and author whose news stories, features and essays have been widely published in newspapers, magazines and literary journals.

Her debut novel, At the Seams, was published in 2023 by the traditional small press, Open Books. A coming-of-age story about a girl who grows up to investigate the family mystery that haunts her through childhood, the book addresses the generational impact of keeping secrets, revealing how far we’ll go to protect the people we love. The book is based on true events.

“Pamela Kripke writes effective descriptions that had me picturing every scene in vivid detail. Jealousy, insecurity, misunderstanding, unrealistic expectations, and the inability to accept one another and their differences are described with insight and perception.” -Readers’ Favorite

 “The story regales readers with striking images, such as an arm that whips down “like a knife,” or dresses that “…appeared on the screen, like playing cards flipped from a deck.” The novel has comedic episodes, history, sparkling dialogue, and a crisp pace throughout. Kripke offers a clear-eyed, compassionate look at the strengths and struggles of a family and the cost of unacknowledged grief.” –Constance Garcia-Barrio, Philadelphia Stories

In the award-winning story collection, And Then You Apply Ice (Open Books, 2024), women and girls encounter hurt – to their emotions, bodies, beliefs and ideas – confronting who they are or will become. Their predicaments reveal the subtleties of human interaction, the power in one’s decisions and ultimately, the complex resilience that imbues women’s lives. A captivating look at managing transgression, the collection is an honest, funny and astute portrayal of the female experience. Seven of the 21 stories have been previously published in various literary journals.

“Pamela Gwyn Kripke’s prose is pitch-perfect, starting with the title. The scenes in And Then You Apply Ice are vivid and fresh, ironic and funny. This collection is an absolute joyride.” —Corie Adjmi, author of The Marriage Box and Life and Other Shortcomings

“In Pamela Gwyn Kripke’s accessible and surprising collection of stories, we glimpse into the rich inner lives of women exploring their boundaries in the world: mothers and daughters; lovers on the brink of connecting or falling apart; and girls discovering what it means to move among boys who claim to love them, whether they want them to or not. With humor and lyricism, Kripke creates characters who struggle to understand each other and themselves, only to find they need more than just ice to soothe their pain.”  – Elizabeth Stix, author of Things I Want Back From You

“In covering the various life experiences of women across different life stages, Kripke is a master of transforming the fundamental, day-to-day aspects of life into stories with sharp observations about human interactions and relationships. What makes the stories powerful is Kripke’s ability to transform details about numerous prosaic moments into mechanisms that reveal the sometimes-overwhelming feelings about those interactions and relationships…(S)he not only showcases her own talent for describing and building anticipation but also showcases how the structure of a short story collection can deliver its own narrative. Kripke’s structure is, in many ways, an invitation to the reader to reflect on the arc of the stories–something not all short story collections so graciously offer their readers.” – Ashlee A. Paxton-Turner, Cleaver Magazine

“…absolutely delightful, intriguing short stories with an edge or an attitude — highly recommended.” – Andrew Pessin, author of Bright College Years

Purchase At the Seams here.

Purchase And Then You Apply Ice here.

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Thank you so much for reading my work. I hope you love it!

EVENTS

Saturday, August 24, 2024: Signing, Barnes & Noble, Broomall, PA, 1:00

Saturday, August 17, 2024: Local Author Signing, Towne Books, Collegeville, PA 1:00

Saturday, August 3, 2024: Signing, Barnes & Noble, Exton, PA 1:00

Saturday, June 29, 2024: Signing, Barnes & Noble, Valley Forge, PA, 1:00

Saturday, June 1, 2024: Wellington Square Books, Exton, PA

Monday, May 13, 2024: Reading and Signing, City Institute Library, Philadelphia PA 5:30

Monday, January 22, 2024: Virtual Talk, Ludington Library, Bryn Mawr, PA, 7:00

Thursday, January 18, 2024: Reading at Phoenixville Library, PA, 6:45

Thursday, November 30, 2023: Author Panel, Keneseth Israel, Elkins Park, PA, 7:00

Thursday, October 19, 2023: Reading at Narberth Bookshop, Narberth, PA, 7:00

Saturday, October 7, 2023: Collingswood Book Festival, Collingswood, NJ

Saturday, September 9, 2023: Book signing at Barnes & Noble, Plymouth Meeting, PA 1:00-3:00

Saturday, June 24, 2023: Book signing at Barnes & Noble, Devon, PA, 1:00-3:00

Saturday, June 17, 2023: Author talk at Scarsdale Public Library, Scarsdale, NY, 2:00-3:00

Saturday, June 10, 2023: Book signing at Barnes & Noble, Exton, PA, 1:00-3:00

PODCASTS AND OTHER INTERVIEWS (Click to listen)

Radio interview, KPFA 94.1 Berkeley, CA and on KPFA.org, 1:00 Pacific

“Write the Damn Book Already,” with Elizabeth Lyons

“Helping Writers Become Authors,” with Emma Dhesi

“Cover to Cover,” with Mary Elizabeth Jackson

Local Author Talk, Phoenixville Public Library

May 2024: The Resilient Writers Radio Show, with Rhonda Douglas

Tuesday, April 9, 2024: Writers Corner, with Mary E. Jackson and Bridgetti Lim Banda

Monday, May 20, 2024: Book Lover’s Companion, with Edith Zeitlberger

Thursday, September 5, 2024: Coffee Talk reading, with Anne Gudger

October, 2024: The Writer’s Corner on Authors’ Alcove, with Angie Wolfe

March, 2025: Coffee and Grief podcast, with Anne Gudger