This delightful panel introduces four authors, two from Brazil and two from Pittsburgh, writing queer contemporary young adult (YA) literature. From Brazil, we welcome Vitor Martins and Lucas Rocha, both recipients of the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative’s Book Prize for translated YA fiction. From Pittsburgh, we welcome University of Pittsburgh alumni and co-authors of best-selling novel She Gets the Girl, Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick. These authors will discuss the landscape of queer contemporary YA writing, with a special focus on the translation of these works. This conversation will be moderated by Pittsburgh teens Oluwatobiloba Olaore, a contributor to the Bridges & Books teen podcast, and Rho Bloom-Wang, our 2022-2023 Youth Poet Laureate. The panel will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signing. 

You can purchase your own copy of these authors’ works at City of Asylum Bookstore.

About the Authors:

Vitor Martins (he/him) lives in São Paulo, Brazil, and works as an author and translator. He believes that representation in young adult literature is a powerful weapon, and his main goal as a writer is to tell stories of people who have never seen themselves in a book.

Lucas Rocha (he/him) is a librarian from Rio de Janeiro but lives in São Paulo. He splits his time writing and working at a public library. Where We Go From Here is his first novel.

Rachael Lippincott (she/her) is the coauthor of All This Time, #1 New York Times bestseller Five Feet Apart and She Gets the Girl, and the author of The Lucky List and Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh. She holds a BA in English writing from the University of Pittsburgh. Originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, she currently resides in Pennsylvania with her wife and daughter.

Alyson Derrick (she/her) was born and raised in Greenville, Pennsylvania, a town where burn barrels take the place of recycling bins. After making her great escape to Pittsburgh, where she earned her bachelor’s in English writing, Alyson started her own food truck but soon realized she much prefers telling stories over slinging cheesesteaks. She is the coauthor of New York Times bestseller She Gets the Girl and author of Forget Me Not. Alyson currently resides in Pennsylvania with her wife and daughter.

About the Moderators:

Oluwatobiloba Olaore (she/her) is a Nigerian-American junior attending Pittsburgh CAPA as a piano major. At her school, she is a part of the mock trial team and many student councils. She is a devoted reader and musician, and uses literature and music to express herself. She is a member of the Bridges and Books podcast. She is passionate about diversity, particularly in books and education.

Rho Bloom-Wang, our 2022-2023 Youth Poet Laureate of Allegheny County, serves as Editor-In-Chief of Plaid Literary & Arts Magazine. Passionate about social and environmental justice, they view creative expression as a means for both individual growth and interpersonal change. Rho is a winner of the Oakland Sidewalk Poetry Contest, and has been nationally recognized by YoungArts, DePaul’s Blue Book, and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. You can find their work in Lumiere Review; the tide rises, the tide falls; Eunoia Review; and elsewhere. Rho loves long hikes along trails with wild blueberries.

About Your Visit: 

The in-house restaurant will be closed.