Celebrating MIDNIGHTS WITH YOU with Clare Osongco & Hannah Sawyerr

Bel Canto Books is delighted to host Clare Osongco for her debut novel, MIDNIGHTS WITH YOU, in conversation with author Hannah Sawyerr, author of ALL THE FIGHTING PARTS.

Kindly RSVP so we can plan accordingly. Please stay home if you feel sick.

This event will be held indoors at KUBO LB (3976 Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach CA).

EVENT SCHEDULE

3:45PM - Event check-in begins

4:00pm - Welcome & event start

4:15-5:00pm - Author reading, conversation, and Q&A

5:00pm-6:00pm - Book signing & shopping time

6:00pm - Event ends

ABOUT "MIDNIGHTS WITH YOU"

Fans of Susan Lee and Dustin Thao will be enchanted by this soulful YA romance about how we love, how we heal, and how we find the strength to go on
“Where were you thinking of going?”
“Nowhere.”
“Great,” he says lightly, putting the car in gear. “Then we’ll go there.”
Seventeen-year-old Deedee's life is full of family ghosts and questions she can't ask. She longs to escape her stifling home, but guilt holds her back—that, and the fact that her strict Filipino single mom won't let her learn to drive.
But one sleepless night leads Deedee down a road she never thought possible: secret driving lessons with the new boy next door, Jay, whose turbulent family life also keeps him up until sunrise.
As midnights stretch into days, Jay helps Deedee begin to unravel her past, and as shared secrets blossom into love, Deedee starts to imagine a life where happiness is possible. But the deeper she digs into the trauma that has shaped her, the more that trauma threatens to tear Deedee and Jay apart. Together, these two must decide if the pain they've both inherited has the power to choose their fate, or if they have the power to choose for themselves.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Clare Osongco is a biracial Filipina American author who likes to write about diaspora feelings and complicated relationships. Midnights With You (Disney-Hyperion, Nov. 12, 2024) is her debut novel.

ABOUT THE IN CONVERSATION PARTNER

Hannah V. Sawyerr is a Sierra Leonean-American writer with a passion for people and storytelling. For Hannah's literary and community involvement, she was recognized as the 2016 Youth Poet Laureate of Baltimore. Her spoken word has been featured on the British Broadcasting Channel's (BBC) "World Have Your Say" program, as well as the National Education Association's "Do You Hear Us?" campaign. Her written word has been featured in several publications such as Essence, gal-dem, and xoNecole. She holds a BA in English from Morgan State University and an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. Her debut novel ALL THE FIGHTING PARTS was selected as an American Booksellers Association’s (ABA) Kids’ Indies Introduce Pick, a September/October Kids’ Indie Next Pick, a William C. Morris Debut Award Finalist, a Walter Dean Myers Award Honor Book, an American Library Association’s (ALA) Rise: A Feminist Book Project Top Ten Title, and a Kirkus Best Book of the year. Sawyerr lives in Los Angeles, California.

ABOUT BEL CANTO BOOKS

Founded by Jhoanna Belfer, a Filipina-American poet and former hospitality executive, Bel Canto Books offers a curated selection of fiction, nonfiction and children's books, organized around a theme of the month, in particular celebrating books by women and people of color. Learn more at belcantobooks.net.

ABOUT KUBO LB

KUBO LB is a creative community space for Filipinx, BIPOC, LGBTQ, and Women led small businesses. KUBO LB is a space to support and educate small businesses through retail, business workshops and more. Learn more at kubolb.com.

MIDNIGHTS WITH YOU by Clare Osongco

Host or Publisher Bel Canto Books - Long Beach, CA