This event is co-presented with the Asian American Writers’ Workshop. For more information, please visit their website at aaww.org.

Moderating the discussion is staff writer at The New Yorker Jia Tolentino. This event will be hosted in the Strand Book Store’s 3rd floor Rare Book Room at 828 Broadway on 12th Street.

Can’t make the event? Purchase a signed copy of The Moon Without Stars here.

ACCESSIBILITY:

Strand Book Store is an ADA compliant venue. The event space is accessible via elevator.

ASL interpretation is available for this event by request only. Please reach out to our events team at events@strandbooks.com by Dec. 29 to request.

Please ask a Strand employee upon arrival for directions to accessible seating if preferred.

For further information on accessibility in this space, or to make a request, please contact events@strandbooks.com

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What’s the deal with middle school, anyway? Newbery Honor-winning author and artist Chanel Miller explores the glorious mess that is middle school—and the way growing up, finding friends, and discovering who you are can be both awkward and empowering.

At the beginning of seventh grade, Luna knows who she is: an observant, quiet girl who loves writing and making zines with her best friend, Scott. But when one of their zines takes off, somehow Luna is swept up into the popular group and learns just how much of herself she’s going to have to compromise to stay there. Will she give up her writing? Her best friend? What about her own beliefs about who she is and what she stands for?

In a contemporary novel that feels like today’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Newbery Honor winner and bestselling author Chanel Miller explores what it means to lose and then find yourself again in the middle of middle school.

For over 30 years, the Asian American Writers’ Workshop (AAWW) has been dedicated to publishing and amplifying Asian American literary culture. Operating from a radically inclusive ethos, AAWW expands the definition not only of who is a writer, but also of who is Asian American. Through a robust and diverse lineup of programming, AAWW serves as a vital sanctuary space for writers and readers alike.

Photo credit: Mariah Tiffany

Chanel Miller is a writer and artist. Her first children’s book, Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All, was a Newbery Honor winner and an instant New York Times bestseller. It was also a TODAY show Read with Jenna Jr selection, a Good Housekeeping Best Kids’ Book Awards winner, a New York Times for Kids pick, a The Week Junior book club selection, a People magazine summer reading pick, a Junior Library Guild selection, and an Indie Next pick. Her memoir, Know My Name, was a New York Times bestseller, a New York Times Book Review Notable Book, and a winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the Ridenhour Book Prize, and the California Book Award. It was also a best book of the year in TIME, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, NPR, and People, among others. She was named one of the Forbes 30 Under 30 and a Time Next 100 honoree and was a Glamour Woman of the Year honoree. You can visit her online at Chanel-Miller.com or follow her on Instagram @Chanel_Miller.

Photo credit: Elena Mudd

Jia Tolentino is a staff writer at the New Yorker, the author of the essay collection Trick Mirror, and a screenwriter. Formerly, she was the deputy editor at Jezebel and a contributing editor at the Hairpin. She grew up in Texas, received her undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia, and got her MFA in fiction from the University of Michigan. In 2020, she received a Whiting Award as well as the Jeannette Haien Ballard Prize. Her work has also appeared in the New York Times Magazine and Pitchfork, among other places. She lives in Brooklyn.