In-Person: ALONDRA by Gina Femia

Please join us in welcoming Gina Femia to celebrate their young adult novel, Alondra. For this event, Gina will be joined in conversation by Jen St. Jude.

Please note: Pre-registration for this event is required. By pre-registering, you are verifying that you are fully vaccinated and will wear a mask throughout the entirety of the event.

A contemporary YA debut from award-winning playwright Gina Femia, Alondra is a coming-of-age story of friendship and romance, about a bisexual teen girl and her friends wrestling their way through the summer--sometimes on the playgrounds of Coney Island, sometimes with their feelings and at home.

Sixteen-year-old Alonda loves professional wrestling. So when she meets a group of teens with aspirations of wrestling fame in her Coney Island neighborhood, she couldn’t be happier. So as the ragtag team works to put on a show to remember, Alonda sheds her old self behind and becomes Alondra—the Fearless One. But with her conflicting feelings for King, the handsome leader of their group, and Lexi, the girl with the beautiful smile, Alonda has to ask herself: can she be as fearless outside of the ring as she is inside it?

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Gina Femia is an award-winning playwright and performer who has written over 30 plays that have been performed all over the country. Gina writes narratives that explore the spectrum of queerness, particularly ones that explore joy. Alondra is the first novel Gina has written.

Lambda Literary Fellow Jen St. Jude (she/they) grew up in New Hampshire apple orchards and now lives in Chicago with her wife and dog. She holds degrees in creative writing from Colby College and Harvard University Extension School, and has served as an editor for Chicago Review of Books, Just Femme & Dandy, and Arcturus Magazine. When she's not reading or writing, you can find her cheering on the Chicago Sky and Red Stars. If Tomorrow Doesn't Come is her first novel.

Accessibility: This event is hosted at the bookstore, which is a wheelchair accessible space. Masks are required during in-person events. For other questions or access needs, please email events@womenandchildrenfirst.com.