The Art of Discomfort

We live in a montage culture, one that creates a false idea of how art—or really anything worth doing—gets made. But if we understand the vital role discomfort plays in the process of creating and we learn to embrace it rather than turning away from it, discomfort can become our secret weapon. This talk is designed to inspire artists and writers in their creative journey, but it can be applied to any profession. It touches on the rewards of discomfort in everything from our reading choices to our interactions with others. It is also relevant about the rise of AI and the way this new technology is not just stealing intellectual property but depriving people of the experience of creating.

Power & Place

The basics of world building for fiction writers. The signposts of power and place that help to orient readers. How to manage release of information. How to keep from getting overwhelmed as you approach a new work.

Lessons of the Inquisition

Myths and misreadings of the Spanish Inquisition; gender roles and subversions of those roles during the early Renaissance; herblore and superstition within Sephardic Jewish tradition; real world inspiration and research for The Familiar

Sinister History

Resurrection Riots, secret societies, real murder cases and… tax codes? The historical inspiration behind Ninth House and an exploration of how class and crime collide in the relationship between town and gown.

Trope Springs Eternal

This talk focuses on both craft and broader themes of narrative manipulation, as well as the cultural panic around the things women love—first YA, now romance. It touches on why underdog narratives work in fiction, when they fail, and how they’re used to influence our perception in the real world.

“Fantasy Writer Leigh Bardugo On Magic & Miracles”

“Miracles, mystery, and magic in Leigh Bardugo’s ‘The Familiar’”

“The Fantasy Life”

“Leigh Bardugo and Brandon Sanderson talk fantasy heists, discomfort in writing and share advice”

“Leigh Bardugo on her new historical fantasy novel set during the Spanish Inquisition”

Praise for Six of Crows: The Dregs Edition

“Full-throttle adventure . . . If you’re not careful, it’ll steal all your time.”
— The New York Times Book Review

“Six of Crows is a well-turned heist tale. . . [It] has a muscle car’s drive and a cast that hangs with you like they were made of magnets.”
— NPR

Praise for Crooked Kingdom: The Dregs Edition

“Dark, larcenous fun.”
— NPR

“Bardugo outdoes herself in this exhilarating follow-up…fans will have their eyes glued to every page.”
— Booklist, starred review

“Un-put-down-able excitement from beginning to end.”
— Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Praise for Hell Bent

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2023 by The New York Times, The Week, Kirkus Reviews, PopSugar, Distractify, Booklist Queen, The Nerd Daily, and more!

“A tour de force of suspenseful pacing and empathetic writing… The beauty of Hell Bent is that for all the bleakness, the sense of wonder somehow still remains.”
— The New York Times

“All hail the queen of dark academia!… Ninth House and Hell Bent may be Bardugo’s first books for adults, but you’d never know it, or care, because you’re so busy following all of the action… you’ll want to capture your copy quickly.”
— NPR

“[T]he return of protagonist Alex Stern and her mystical version of the Ivy League is very welcome… Watching this damaged loner bring together a squad of ride-and-die friends is endlessly fun, and Bardugo finds new depths to most of her supporting cast.”
— The Washington Post

“Gut-wrenching and deeply human, this book will tug at your heartstrings even as it chills you to the bone…. Standing head and shoulders above the already impressive Ninth House, Hell Bent is one of the best fantasy novels of the year..”
— BookPage, starred review

“Thrilling … fascinating supporting players … The taut plot, often grisly magic, lavish scene-setting, and wry humor combine to make this just as un-put-downable as the first installment. Readers will be wowed.”
— Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Bardugo doesn’t flinch from the dark sides of magic and human nature….This portrait of a survivor’s dogged determination to accomplish her goal will appeal to readers of dark academia, urban fantasy, and horror.”
— Booklist, starred review

“Vivid, intelligent, and funny at just the right moments, but best of all are the complex characters.”
— Kirkus Reviews,starred review

“Hell Bent is a taut, complexly plotted headrush, stocked full of complicated monsters, entitled academics, and grifters big-time and small.”
— Book of the Month

“Hell Bent is just as outrageously good as Ninth House, if not better… This mystery runs on vibes, and the vibes are unparalleled.”
— Chicago Review of Books

“Hell Bent is everything fans of Bardugo’s Alex Stern series could have asked for: It’s thematically richer, its characters are more complexly rendered, the darkness lurking at the edges of its New England-set world of privilege is more frightening, and its wit more biting.”
— Paste Magazine

“Although Hell Bent is one of my first reads of 2023, I can confidently see it being a top read of the year by the end of it.”
— SFF World

Praise for The Familiar

“Reading Bardugo is an immersive, sensual experience… One can’t help sinking into Luzia and Santángel’s world and wishing never to leave.”
— The New York Times

“The Familiar feels distinct from similar tales — including Bardugo’s own — because it explores a brutal and shameful real-life history… Bardugo brilliantly explores the wavy line between the supernatural and the divine: Magic is forbidden, but miracles come from God.”
— The Washington Post

“Full of hidden perils and twisting machinations, The Familiar is Bardugo’s most assured and mature work yet, a remarkable portrait of the magic of exiles and the traumatic echoes of the Spanish Inquisition.”
— BookPage, starred review

“The sharp realism mixes with a genuine feeling of enchantment to create a top tier historical fantasy.”
— Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The Familiar highlights all of the things that make Bardugo so well loved: a romance with maddening chemistry, an artfully built world, side characters with their own deep backstories, and a plot full of dark twists and spiderweb connections.”
— Booklist, starred review

“Lush, gorgeous, precise language and propulsive plotting sweep readers into a story as intelligent as it is atmospheric.”
— Kirkus, starred review

“Bardugo masterfully weaves magical realism with historical fiction and romance, which makes this book impossible to put down.”
— Library Journal, starred review

“At this point it seems fair to wonder—is there anything Leigh Bardugo can’t do?”
— Paste Magazine

“If you appreciate rich historical fantasy with gorgeous descriptions and powerful displays of magic, check out The Familiar.”
— Geek Girl Authority

“A richly imagined, intricate tale… I loved every word of this novel, and it’s a must-read for those who are seeking a little magic in their lives.”
— Deborah Harkness, #1 bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches

“Riveting… Leigh Bardugo’s characters are so three-dimensional you want to reach through the page.”
— Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Outlander

“A wonderful, transporting ride through a moment in history, where you can see the height of Spanish power but also sense the rot underneath. I really enjoyed it, it definitely made me think, and, of course, it’s deeply romantic.”
— Katherine Arden, author of The Warm Hands of Ghosts