Maynard Book Festival Author Talk: Luke O'Neil

Luke O’Neil is the author of the acclaimed political and literary newsletter Welcome to Hell World and the book of the same name. His first collection of short fiction and poetry, A Creature Wanting Form, was published in 2023, and the follow-up, We Had It Coming, in November 2025. He’s a former writer-at-large for Esquire and was a longtime journalist for The Boston Globe, The Guardian, and many other newspapers and magazines. He lives in Massachusetts.

We Had It Coming is a collection of stories that pulse with both the familiar and the uncanny. O’Neil’s characters struggle to survive in a reality rife with violence, addiction, fascism, and the crushing weight of modern life. Yet even amid the chaos, O’Neil’s trademark wit cuts through, offering moments of unexpected levity. Jumping from CVS to the emergency room to a seaside Massachusetts town ravaged by the opioid crisis, and blending short stories, poetry, and micro-fiction, O’Neil’s stream-of-consciousness style and inventive syntax pull the reader into a mesmerizing rhythm. 

The Silver Unicorn Bookstore will have copies of Luke's books at the event for purchase and signing.