Pleased to meet you; let’s get real.

Who I am/what I do:

I’m Christiane Knight [she/they] and I’m disabled, queer, and several flavors of neurospicy. I live right outside the city of Baltimore, MD, near the Chesapeake Bay. I’m an author and poet, concentrating on contemporary fantasy and speculative fiction that centers on stories about hope and community. That’s my big WHY when it comes to everything in life: inspiring hope, building community.

I’m also known as Xiane [zye-ANN] though I’ll answer to Xi [zee], Chris, or “that awfully perky pink-haired person.” I have done a lot of random things in my life, some improbable, and I draw on them extensively in my writing and how I handle life. In previous incarnations of Xiane I’ve been: a radio and club DJ, manager, and promoter; a kitchen manager and coffee expert; an office manager for a publishing company [see a theme here?]; a self-employed fiber artist with a decently successful business and following; a seller of a variety of different products; a clown.

I’ve also been a musician, homeless, a zine maker and small press owner, a wanderer, dancer, and general student of the world. Now? I write speculative fiction–mostly contemporary fantasy–that imagines a version of this world with more magic and possibility, or at least one where those things are more accessible. I also talk a lot about self confidence and how to nurture it, tapping into the hidden magic around us, and how to be the kind of writer that feels the most like you, in alignment with your own ideals, morals, and values.

Expect me to be nurturing, funny, a little silly, approachable, honest, vulnerable, and very willing to share what I know and admit what I don’t. I try to mix professionalism with a heavy dose of being the real me, which incidentally is also how I advise that you approach your own writing career. And speaking of that…

How this works/what to expect

Sign up! Once you’ve done that you’ll get an email with further instructions on things like how to join the Discord.

Course content is added regularly as I’m able, and I will post updates on my blog and also on Ko-fi to keep students in the loop. Here are the sections of focus for this course:

• Introduction – this includes Xiane’s Library, where you can find the books I recommend, and Xiane’s Toolbox, which has all a list of all the programs and other tools that I rely on or suggest. Also here are community links and other important information for students.
• Writing & Editing – how to deepen your connection with your stories, convey them authentically, and bring your readers deeper into your words and worlds.
• Publishing – put your books into the world yourself without spending too much money or sacrificing your rights. Get them into peoples’ hands in a way that aligns best with your values and still allows you to get paid.
• Promoting – get seen without selling yourself out. Control your narrative and your platform. Put less money in the hands of corporations that only see you as a dollar sign. Fuck hustling, let’s be genuine.
• Mindset – say no to impostor syndrome, get motivated and organized, let go of stress and go deep to foster resilience and focus.
• Career Building – build your career vision and learn to live it through understanding what you want as an author and why. Explore ways to expand beyond authorship, create connections, and find communities that will allow and assist you to flourish as a writer. Create ethical entrepreneurship that you can feel good about.

Expect some worksheets and books, video content, and plenty of extras to come.

All the lessons are constructed from experience; mostly mine but also what I’ve learned from others. Eventually I’d like to add guest speakers, too! Other perks you’ll receive include a channel on our House of Three Ravens Discord, as well as access to other channels there. This includes co-working sessions and office hours!

You can take as long as you like with Emergence. You can ask me as many questions as a student as you like. If I don’t have the answer, I’ll help you find it. The point is to grow together and build a strong community between all of us.

Thanks for coming along with me.