Kalani Pickhart headshot

Kalani Pickhart’s Debut Novel is Revolutionary


We are happy to share that past contributor Kalani Pickhart just released a book, I Will Die in a Foreign Land. The novel is Kalani’s first book and is published by Two Dollar Radio.

The lives of four people intersect during the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution… Innovative, emotionally resonant, and deeply affecting, this is a more-than-promising debut from a very talented writer.

Kirkus, Starred Review

I Will Die in a Foreign Land is the story of four people living through the 2013-14 Ukrainian Revolution. Set over the course of an unstable winter, the plot turns around the Euromaiden protests. The characters – a doctor, an engineer, an activist, and a KGB agent – embody empathy and perseverance as they grapple with their ever-changing surroundings and political landscape. I Will Die in a Foreign Land is sweeping, touching, and powerful.

Love triangles, grieving parents, sex trafficking, the KGB, Chernobyl, the Euromaidan protests—I Will Die in a Foreign Land has it all. This bold, intricate novel is as rich and complex as the Ukrainian history it describes with such precision and longing. In spite of their unspeakable personal and political tragedies, the people in this book will fill you with hope for a better world long after you turn the last page.

Maria Kuznetsova, author of Oksana, Behave! and Something Unbelievable

I Will Die in a Foreign Land is an American Booksellers Association “Indie Next List” pick for November 2021. Grab a copy of the novel from Two Dollar Radio, Bookshop, or Barnes & Noble.

Kalani’s short story “Little Mouse” was featured in Issue 19. To learn more about Kalani, visit her website, Twitter, or Instagram. Congratulations, Kalani!

#ArtLitPhx: ASU MFA Reading Series feat. Steve Abell, Kalani Pickhart, and Jack Geist

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program at Arizona State University is hosting a special 8-part reading series featuring brand new work from ASU graduate students! Each reading will host 3-4 students at The Watershed, a beautiful waterfront restaurant and bar.

Watershed LakeviewThe next installment of the series will take place on November 7 from 7:30pm to 8:30pm, though you can come earlier to mingle, drink, and eat. You can find The Watershed at 5350 S Lakeshore Dr, Tempe, Arizona 85283.

The featured readers for the November 7 event are:

  • Steve Abell, Poetry
  • Kalani Pickhart, Fiction
  • Jack Geist, Poetry

(Update: Natasha Murdock has replaced Jack Geist as the third reader!)

We’re so excited for this installment of the series, especially because Kalani Pickhart was a contributor in Issue 19 of Superstition Review! You can read her piece, “Little Mouse,” here.

Stay tuned for later installments of this reading series! You can find more information on the event’s Facebook page and on the Facebook page for the ASU MFA Program in Creative Writing.