An evening with M. Evelina Galang (wsg Angela Narciso Torres)

M. Evelina Galang will read from her new young adult novel, Angel de la Luna and the 5th Glorious Mystery at Women & Children First on Wednesday, January 8th at 7:30 p.m. in an event co-presented by Guild Literary Complex and Coffee House Press.

The novel follows fifteen-year-old Angel after the death of her father and through her family’s move from Manila to Chicago. In grappling with her grief, Angel becomes heavily involved in the Philippine People Power Revolution, the only way she can think to help the surviving Filipina “Comfort Women” of WWII. It has been praised as “[A] vivid portrait of a culture” by Kirkus and “ethereal and immersive” by Publishers Weekly.

Angela Narciso Torres will open the evening with a poetry reading, and both authors will be available for a Q&A and signing following the event. A wine reception will conclude the evening.

In honor of this literary event, U.S. wireless subscribers can text the word AID to 80108 to give a $10 donation to The mGive Philippines Typhoon Disaster Relief Fund. All contributions will be distributed immediately to relief organizations that are providing food, water and many other relief services to those most in need in the Philippines.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

M. Evelina Galang is the author of Her Wild American Self (Coffee House Press, 1996) and the novel One Tribe (New Issues Press, 2006). She has edited the anthology Screaming Monkeys: Critiques of Asian American Images (Coffee House Press, 2003). Galang teaches in and directs the creative writing program at the University of Miami, is core faculty for vona/Voices: Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation, and has been named one of the one hundred most influential Filipinas in the United States by Filipina Women’s Network.

Angela Narciso Torres is the winner of the Willow Books Literature Award for Poetry. Recent work appears in Cimarron Review, Colorado Review, and Cream City Review. A graduate of Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Angela has received fellowships from the Illinois Arts Council, Ragdale Foundation, and Midwest Writing Center. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Manila, she currently resides in Chicago, where she teaches poetry workshops and serves as a senior poetry editor for RHINO.

ABOUT OUR PARTNERS

Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Coffee House Press is an independent, nonprofit literary publisher of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. The mission of Coffee House Press is to publish exciting, vital, and enduring authors of our time; to delight and inspire readers; to contribute to the cultural life of our community; and to enrich our literary heritage. More information, and their full catalog, is available at: coffeehousepress.org

Women & Children First (WCF) began in a modest storefront in 1979. Over the years they moved twice and are now in a northside Chicago neighborhood known for its diversity, queer-friendliness, women-owned businesses and community spirit. WCF staffers include teachers, graduate students, professional writers and storytellers, political activists, board members, and poets. Each is a reader, a feminist, and a bookseller. The purpose in beginning the store 33 years ago was to promote the work of women writers and to create a place in which all women would find books reflecting their lives and interests. WCF strives to do this in an atmosphere in which all are respected, valued, and well-served. That remains their purpose still, online as well as in the store.

Women & Children First is one of the largest feminist bookstores in the country, stocking more than 30,000 books by and about women, children’s books for all ages, and the best of lesbian and gay fiction and non-fiction. Anything not  in stock we usually be available in the store in a few days’ time, even if it’s a title outside WCF’s specialty. They also carry cards, magazines, blank books and journals, calendars, CDs, gift items like candles, and pride products. More information can be found online at: www.womenandchildrenfirst.com