Ace and Aro Relationship Guide Panel

We are excited to welcome back Cody Daigle-Orians, August Owen Grimm & Ashabi Owagboriaye for The Ace and Aro Relationship Guide Panel! All three authors will be present for a panel-style discussion to discuss ace and aro relationships.

Please note: This event is free to attend, but registration is required. Masks are required for our in-store events.

Should I be upfront with someone I'm interested in that I'm ace or aro?
How do I get people to respect my boundaries around intimacy?
What if I don't want intimacy at all?
Is it selfish to pursue a relationship if I don't want romance?
These questions are not only a source of deep anxiety and frustration for ace and aro people - but limit the heights that ace and aro folks believe they can reach for in their lives. These questions make us believe that we should settle for less, when in fact we all deserve more. Whether we're talking about friendships, romantic relationships, casual dates or casual intimate partners, this guide will help you not only live authentically in your ace and aro identity, but joyfully share it with others.

Cody Daigle-Orians (they/them) is a writer and asexuality educator living in Columbus, Ohio. They are the creator of Ace Dad Advice, a social media-based asexuality education project designed to support people exploring asexuality or questioning their sexual orientation. They are the author of the young adult books I AM ACE: ADVICE ON LIVING YOUR BEST ASEXUAL LIFE and THE ACE AND ARO RELATIONSHIP GUIDE, and they are a contributor to the 2024 Lambda Literary Award finalist anthology BEING ACE. Their next project is the first aroace picture book, LOVE LOOKS LIKE LOLA. They were nominated for a 2023 British LGBTQ Award for Online Influencer. They are queer, ace, and agender.

August Owen Grimm’s work appears in, among others, The Rumpus, Zócalo Public Square, and in the Los Angeles Times bestseller, It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror. August is a co-editor of Fat and Queer: An Anthology of Queer and Trans Bodies and Lives (2021, Jessica Kingsley Publishers/Hachette). Fat and Queer won the 2022 AASECT Book Award for a general audience from the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists as well as the Reads Rainbow’s Best Nonfiction 2021 Award. They coined the term Haunted Memoir in their essay of the same name. They attended the Tin House Summer Workshop in 2024 and are at work on a book that combines personal narrative with trans horror film criticism.

Ashabi Owagboriaye is a Nigerian-American Therapist, Artist, community organizer and educator from in Chicago, IL. Practicing at Little Seed Wellness, they see clients starting in their early adulthood who struggle through a wide range of mental health issues; with a focus within marginalized populations and first generation experiences.Her other work includes her education on Asexuality. Though Ace In Grace, she’s able to provide nuanced perspectives about this sexuality while uplifting Black and IPOC voices who share this lived experience. With her community's support, she launched the Ace Flag Revision Survey—an opportunity to bring meaningful change and promote more inclusive representation to the Asexual Flag. When she’s not working, she enjoys creating & capturing moments in her life with the people she loves, baking when they’re in a good mood and sleeping!

Accessibility: This event is hosted at the bookstore, which is a wheelchair accessible space. Masks are required. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. To request ASL interpretation for this event, please email events@womenandchildrenfirst.com by no later than 14 days before the event. For other questions or access needs, please email events@womenandchildrenfirst.com.