Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating the release of When We Become Ours: A YA Adoptee Anthology This incredible collection of stories by adoptees explores the complexities of identity, belonging, and self-discovery.
Date: Friday, November 3, 2023 Time: 6:00-8:00PM
Location: Asian Counseling and Referral Service, 3639 Martin Luther King Junior Way South, Seattle, WA 98144
Light refreshments will be provided
Immerse yourself in the powerful narratives of talented adoptee authors as they share their personal journeys and insights. This unique event promises an intimate reading, followed by a book signing where you can meet a few authors and purchase your own copy of this groundbreaking anthology.
Whether you're an adoptee, adoptive parent/family, birth parent/family, friends/loved ones, or simply interested in diverse voices and compelling storytelling, this event is not to be missed. Come and be part of a vibrant community as we celebrate the power of literature to illuminate the complexities of the adoptee experience.
Book contributors Stefany Valentine and JaeRan Kim are confirmed to be in attendance. Hopefully more to come. The conversation will be facilitated by adoptee, Kalani Kapahua.
Please RSVP and join us for an evening of inspiration, connection, and celebration!
If you request accessibility accommodations, please contact AIRE immediately: aireroots23@gmail.com.
Kalani Kapahua is a bookseller from Seattle. He studied creative writing at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, and graduated from the University of Denver's Publishing Institute. He currently works as the Store Manager of Third Place Books Ravenna. He was previously a featured playwright at the American Repertory Theater's Annual Young Playwright's Festival and has held roles with the Washington State Book Awards, Seattle City of Literature, and the Seattle Public Library Literature and Humanities Community Advisory Group. He is a contributing reviewer at The International Examiner. He is a Korean American adoptee.
JaeRan Kim, Ph.D., MSW, (she/hers) is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work and Criminal Justice at the University of Washington at Tacoma. JaeRan’s research is focused on the wellbeing of adoptees, exploring race, transnational experiences, and parenthood for adoptees. JaeRan is passionate about engaging in community-based projects and has been blogging at Harlow’s Monkey, which focuses on the transracial/transnational adoptee experience, since 2006.
Stefany Valentine first fell in love with writing when her elementary school teacher gave her an assignment to create a picture book, and she ended up writing a twenty-page manuscript laced with misspelled words. Since then, she's proudly graduated from writing stories about befriending orca whales to tales about her Taiwanese diaspora and existential sci-fi. Her debut novel, First Love Language, in which a Taiwanese adoptee reconnects with her heritage by learning Mandarin, will release with Penguin Workshop in 2025. When not reading or writing, she can be found practicing Mandarin, stuffing her face with street tacos, and trying to not kill her plants. Again.
There is no universal adoption experience, and no two adoptees have the same story. This anthology for teens edited by Shannon Gibney and Nicole Chung contains a wide range of powerful, poignant, and evocative stories in a variety of genres
These tales from fifteen bestselling, acclaimed, and emerging adoptee authors genuinely and authentically reflect the complexity, breadth, and depth of adoptee experiences.
This groundbreaking collection centers what it’s like growing up as an adoptee. These are stories by adoptees, for adoptees, reclaiming their own narratives.
With stories by:
