Augusta University Writing Project Author Series will be launching a new cycle of online speaking engagements for Pride Month, starting Wednesday evening.
“We feature LGBTQ+ authors and books that fall along that theme, so we can make sure that we’re highlighting the contributions from this community,” said Rebecca Harper, associate professor of language and literacy who directs the university’s Author Series.
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The Author Series invites writers to speak on their works and a variety of other subjects. Nic Stone, author of New York Times bestseller “Dear Martin,” is one recent guest speaker. The Pride Month Author Series is a subset of the same focusing on LGBTQ+ writers, and was first launched last summer, to an enthusiastic reception, says Harper.
“We feature LGBTQ+ authors throughout the year, but a lot of times, authors from that community and books that address LGBTQ+ themes sometimes get eclipsed in school libraries and book clubs,” she said. “They don’t always get the focus and attention they need”
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This year’s Pride Month Series will feature ten authors, starting with Arvin Ahmadi, a gay Iranian-American writer who has participated in the Author Series before, and whose young adult novels include “Down and Across,” “Girl Gone Viral” and “How it All Blew Up.”
“It’s a fantastic story that has a number of important social issues in it,” said Harper about “How It All Blew Up,” about a Muslim teenager who deals with both coming out to his parents and discrimination amid a trip to Rome. “Ranging from of course, LGBTQ things, but also issues of racism and social justice and such. It was a beautiful, beautiful book.”
This talk series, which will last through the month of June, will be entirely virtual, free and open to the public, though those wishing to participate must register first. The Zoom link to the first talk with Ahmadi, which is Wednesday at 7 p.m., is https://bit.ly/AUWPPride22. For more information about the 2022 Pride Month Author Series, visit the AU Author Series web page at https://www.augusta.edu/education/community-outreach/writing_project/authortalks.php#:~:text=The%20Augusta%20University%20Writing%20Project,children’s%20and%20young%20adult%20literature.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering education in Columbia County and business-related topics for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
