Red Hands Debut Reading at William and Mary, U.S. Launch, April 2023

As I cross the Sunken Gardens, a sense of anticipation fills the air. Eager to share my words, I step into the hallowed Washington Hall at the College of William and Mary, ready to engage minds and unveil some of the surprises hidden within the pages of Red Hands, the story of Iordana Ceausescu.



Founded in 1693, the College of William and Mary holds a storied past. From its status as the second-oldest higher education institution in the United States to its influential alumni like Thomas Jefferson, this historic institution embodies a rich tapestry of knowledge, tradition, and academic excellence.

Jefferson kept some secrets close; Iordana Ceausescu, in exile in Maine, found the courage to reveal many of hers after years of frozen silence and dread that she'd be discovered in hiding after the bloody Romanian Revolution of 1989. "In a way, I was like all of Romania."

It's all coming out now, Iordana–your heedless privileges of growing up chic and communist in the Nomenclatura. Your secret romance with the dictators' son Valentin as you and he came to be known as the Romeo and Juliet of Romania. Your dread as your family's safety begins to unravel.

Your fright--or was it disgust–at being chased across the globe until you hit rock bottom–as an illegal alien in a cinderblock one-room apartment with TV in a deserted beach town in wintry Old Orchard Beach, Maine, a black swallowtail in the snow.

The amphitheater is packed, filled with the curious–students and fellow professors. I feel you’re here with us, Iordana, in spite of your passing. Welcome to the U.S. launch of Red Hands. Take a deep breath. Here we go!