BookPeople Presents: Maya Golden Bethany - The Senator

Please welcome Maya Golden Bethany and Beverly Chukwu to celebrate The Senator!

This event is free and open to the public.

• Start time: 4:00 P.M.
• Run time: 45-60 minutes, followed by a signing line.
• Location: The second floor of BookPeople.

The author will be signing and personalizing copies of the book after the speaking portion of the event.

• To get a book signed, a copy of the event book or an item of equal value must be purchased from BookPeople.

Guidelines:

• Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

• If you have any other questions, please visit our Eventbrite FAQ. If your question isn't covered in the FAQ, feel free to email us at [email protected].
• All event guidelines are subject to change.
• BookPeople reserves the right to cancel or postpone this event if necessary.
• There will not be a live stream or recording available.

About the book:

US Senator Oliver Michaels of Maine campaigned on the hopes of changing Washington. One year after becoming the youngest senator in Congress, Oliver finds himself disheartened by systemic bureaucracy, partisan finger-pointing, the power of lobbyists, and the collapse of his marriage.

When New York Times reporter Alex Broussard shows up at his office, Oliver is presented with a shocking corruption scheme involving two congressmen, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, and a chemical manufacturer.

With this real opportunity to clean up dirty DC politics, Alex reignites Oliver’s pledge to help people lost in messy legislative battles and abandoned by government in sacrifice zones. Yet, lofty political aspirations aren’t the only things burning with passion. Working side by side, Alex and Oliver, once an item in college, realize feelings still linger for one another.

Alex and Oliver’s efforts to expose the unlawful plot also uncovers the fact that they are pawns in a rigged game hosted by those who will do anything to keep their positions of power and their wallets padded - even K*ll. The stakes continuously rise, putting Alex, Oliver, and their family and friends in grave danger. Each must decide what’s more important; the safety of their loved ones or the health of the public.

About the author:

Maya Golden Bethany is an Associated Press winning and Emmy-nominated multimedia journalist in Texas. Her debut memoir, The Return Trip, released in 2023. Maya is the winner of the Excellence in My Market Award (EMMA) from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. She is the founder of the 1 in 3 Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides recovery and counseling resources to survivors of sexual trauma with little to no income in East Texas. The Texas A&M alum’s career includes experiences as a sports anchor/reporter and television production editor, newscast writer, field producer and print writer. Maya has been featured on Bally Sports, Fox Sports College, and ESPN 2 and 3. She has written for Newsweek, Salon, Insider and BlackGirlNerds.com. Maya speaks as a survivor for organizations such as the Children’s Advocacy Center, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and Kids Aspiring to Dream. Maya is a member of the Writer’s League of Texas and a second-place winner of the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing 2024 Parent-Writer Fellowship.

About the moderator:

Beverly “Bev” Chukwu is a Nigerian American writer, director, and script consultant. Her projects have screened at the African Film Festival Atlanta; Women in Horror Film Festival; Cine Las Americas; AGLIFF; and more. Along with her achievements as a filmmaker, including a “Best First-Time Director” award at the Portland New Alternative Voices Festival, Bev’s screenplay PRINCE OF LAVENDALE STREET was the feature winner in the 2021 BlueCat Screenplay Competition, and her video essay “Sometimes Black” is now used as educational material at the University of Texas at Austin. She has spent over seven years working in various mental health arenas and nearly a year providing behavior therapy to neurodivergent youth and adults. Bev has received fellowships from the Black List x WIF Episodic Lab; Google’s YouTube Originals Black Voices Creator Program, which also provided financial support for her narrative short film “Princess”; and the James A. Michener Center for Writers, where she received an MFA in screenwriting and fiction.
For over three years, Bev served as a Development Executive for Pipeline Media, reading and elevating the work of writers worldwide. Bev continues to advocate for filmmakers as EA to the Head of Film and Creative Media at the Austin Film Society and through her relationships teaching for the nationally acclaimed Torch Literary Arts, the Writer's League of Texas, Austin Bat Cave, and other local non-profits.

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Thank you for supporting Maya Golden Bethany, Beverly Chukwu, and your local independent bookstore!

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