ABOUT
About Fern & Fiction
Reading isn’t escape — it’s return.
Fern & Fiction exists for readers who crave quiet, connection, and renewal. I believe in unhurried reading, the restorative rhythm of nature, and the quiet joy of community without performance.
I'm creating spaces where books and landscapes meet--where you can rest deeply, read freely, and reconnect with yourself and others through story.
Read with me!
Susan, Owner, Fern & Fiction
I’m Susan, an elementary teacher–turned librarian–turned college professor. I'm guided in this work by a lifelong love of reading and the quiet spaces books create.
I live in Rochester, NY, in the heart of the Finger Lakes, with my husband and our cat. I’m drawn to the quiet beauty of this region--the water, the changing seasons, the small pockets of stillness tucked between towns. It’s a place that encourages slowing down, paying attention, and finding meaning in ordinary moments.
One of my favorite things to do is travel to a quiet and peaceful place, and there are so many in this beautiful region of New York state. My best trip ever was to Glacier National Park, though my heart returns often to the Adirondack Mountains in eastern NY--anywhere quiet, wooded, and a little removed from the rush of everyday life.
I read widely and without rules: romance, mystery, horror, fantasy, and historical fiction all have a place on my shelves. No matter the genre, I love a physical book, something with weight, texture, and pages meant to be turned slowly, but I have recently discovered the joy of a good audiobook.
Fern & Fiction grew out of my belief that reading doesn’t need to be productive or performative to be meaningful. Through retreats, Quiet Letters, and this space, I hope to create moments of calm--places where readers can rest, reconnect, and feel at home with their reading lives.
