A conversation on identity, colorism, mental health, family, and ancestral history to celebrate the release of My Soul Told On Me.Join us at Village Well for an intimate book signing and Q&A celebrating the powerful release of Chántelle Adanna Agbro's My Soul Told On Me. This thought-provoking book delves into the complex themes of colorism, breaking generational curses, and the journey of self-identity, self-love, and confronting self-hate. Engage in a candid conversation with the author as they share personal insights and reflections on these critical issues.About the participants:Chántelle Adanna Agbro is a Nigerian-American millennial Literary Artist, International Award Winning Self-Published Author, Speaker & Educator. Originally from Maryland, she self-published her first memoir at 23, titled, My Soul Told On Me. Since then, she’s self-published 2 other literary pieces. Her work is deeply rooted in emphasizing the importance of emotional and mental health for black women throughout the entire diaspora.Letia Solomon is an award-winning filmmaker and former Chemical engineer based in Los Angeles. She made her television directorial debut on Season 7 of ABC/Shondaland’s Station 19. She’s a fellow of the 2024 Disney CTDI Directing Program, Ryan Murphy’s HALF Initiative Program, and Netflix's 2023 Episodic Directors on the Rise Masterclass with Read More ...

Join us for a conversation between "Youthjuice" author E.K. Sathue and horror writer CJ Leede.Join E.K. Sathue and CJ Leede as they discuss the goopy gory world of Sathue's satirical send-up of NYC It-Girl culture and the beauty industry. Attend the event and never moisturize the same way again.American Psycho meets The Devil Wears Prada: outrageous body horror for the goop generationA 29-year-old copywriter realizes that beauty is possible—at a terrible cost—in this surreal, satirical send-up of NYC It-girl culture.From Sophia Bannion’s first day on the Storytelling team at HEBE, a luxury skincare/wellness company based in New York’s trendy SoHo neighborhood, it’s clear something is deeply amiss. But Sophia, pushing thirty, has plenty of skeletons in her closet next to the designer knockoffs and doesn’t care. Though she leads an outwardly charmed life, she aches for a deeper meaning to her flat existence—and a cure for her brutal nail-biting habit. She finds it all and more at HEBE, and with Tree Whitestone, HEBE’s charismatic founder and CEO.Soon, Sophia is addicted to her HEBE lifestyle—especially youthjuice, the fatty, soothing moisturizer Tree has asked Sophia to test. But when cracks in HEBE’s infrastructure start to worsen—and Sophia learns the gruesome secret ingredient Read More ...

Author Soma Mei Sheng Frazier reads from "Off the Books" and leads a discussion on her debut novel's themes.``Join us at Village Well Books & Coffee for the launch of Soma Mei Sheng Frazier's acclaimed debut novel Off the Books! Frazier and historian Samuel Yamashita will discuss the writing life, road trips, and international politics through the prism of this thrilling story.Off the Books:Recent Dartmouth dropout Mei, in search of a new direction in life, drives a limo to make ends meet. Her grandfather convinces her to allow her customers to pay under the table, and before she knows it, she is working as a routine chauffeur for sex workers. Mei does her best to mind her own business, but her knack for discretion soon leads her on a life changing trip from San Francisco to Syracuse with a new client.Handsome and reserved, Henry piques Mei’s interest. Toting an enormous black suitcase with him everywhere he goes, he’s more concerned with taking frequent breaks than making good time on the road. When Mei discovers Henry's secret, she does away with her usual close-lipped demeanor and decides she has no choice but to confront him. What Henry reveals rocks her to Read More ...

Join us to celebrate the launch of Karl Dunn's memoir, How to Burn a Rainbow, the first book about gay divorce.Imagine being married to your dream partner, owning a gorgeous house in LA, being at the top of the global advertising industry, and leaving it all to figure out who the hell you actually really are. That’s what happened to Karl Dunn, whose divorce from his husband in California became his crisis of identity. It’s an Eat Pray Love style, riches-to-rags journey from LA to Europe that Karl chronicled in his book How To Burn A Rainbow, an intimate, honest, and revealing story about divorce and self-love that questions and reframes the entire institution of marriage. As Karl says in his book, “My marriage didn’t make me whole, my divorce did.”About the author:Karl Dunn is a multi-award-winning advertising Creative Director who has lived and worked in eleven cities throughout Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe, and America. A global citizen, Karl speaks on a broad section of topics such as Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Self-love — a culmination of his 25 years in international business, his personal experience of divorce, and his passion for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. He Read More ...

Monika Kim will do a reading, have a conversation with a guest, do a Q+A, and end up finishing with a signing.The Eyes Are The Best Part has been described as My Sister, The Serial Killer meets Crying in H-Mart, as a young Korean-American woman begins to fracture as her family breaks, and in her rage, begins to crave the eyes of men, especially the blue eyes of her mother's new, abusive partner, George. A mixture of horror, thriller, and literary, we've had blurbs from horror legends like Christopher Golden, Hailey Piper, CJ Leede, and more, along with very strong reviews. About the author:Monika Kim is a second-generation Korean-American living in Los Angeles’ Koreatown. She learned about eating fish eyes from her mother, who immigrated to Los Angeles from Seoul in 1985. The Eyes are the Best Part is her first novel and you can find her at Monika-kim.com.Warning: there will eyes, blood, eating eyes, violence, abuse, and probably more.

Join us as we welcome Chicago author and Emmy-award winner Ben Tanzer to share his latest novel, "The Missing".Join us as we welcome Chicago author and Emmy-award winner Ben Tanzer to share his latest novel, The Missing, a deeply psychological portrait of a marriage under duress that Kirkus Reviews calls "a taut, incisive look at two lives as they slowly implode."About the authorEmmy-award winner Ben Tanzer's work includes the short story collection UPSTATE, the science fiction novel Orphans and the essay collections Lost in Space and Be Cool. Ben is a winner of the Devil's Kitchen Literary Festival Nonfiction Prose Award and a Midwest Book Award. He has written for Hemispheres, Punk Planet, Men’s Health, and The Arrow, AARP’s GenX newsletter. He lives with his family in Chicago.

Come and celebrate the release of Tlotlo Tsamaase's debut novel, Womb City, from Erewhon Books!Come and celebrate the release of Tlotlo Tsamaase's debut novel, Womb City, from Erewhon Books! We're so excited to have this Africanfuturist horror novel in the hands of readers, and we hope you're able to join us as Tlotlo reads from xer novel, takes questions, and signs copies for readers!About the authorTlotlo Tsamaase (xe/xem/xer or she/her/hers) is a Motswana writer. Xer novella, The Silence of Wilting Skin, is a Lambda Literary Award finalist, and was the first Motswana nominee for the Rhysling Award. Tlotlo received support from the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, and xer story “Behind Our Irises” jointly won the Nommo Award. Xer short fiction has appeared in multiple best-of anthologies, Africa Risen, New Suns 2, Chiral Mad 5, and other venues. Womb City is Tlotlo’s debut novel.About the bookThe first novel from award-winning author Tlotlo Tsamaase, Womb City, has earned much praise with two starred reviews from Foreword Magazine and Publishers Weekly, who called it a "thrilling and thought-provoking page-turner . . . Tsamaase is a writer to watch." This genre-bending Africanfuturist horror novel blends The Handmaid’s Tale with Get Out in Read More ...

Lizzy Ives in conversation with Justine Pucella WinansVillage Well is hosting the official release party for Fat Witch Summer, a body-positive YA fantasy novel for fans of friendship, road trips, and magic. Join us for a conversation and Q&A with author Lizzy Ives, moderated by Justine Pucella Winans. We’ll discuss self-love, confidence, and fat liberation as swimsuit season approaches. Plus: free snacks, book plates, and friendship bracelet crafting.

Join us for the release of Sandra L Rostirolla's critically acclaimed YA/Coming of Age novel, Making Friends With Monsters.Pinkus Books and Village Well Books & Cafe invite you to the launch of Sandra L Rostirolla's critically acclaimed YA/Coming of Age—Making Friends With Monsters. Publishers Weekly Booklife called the book an “urgent, unflinching YA novel about the 'monsters' of depression and family dysfunction” (Editor's Pick).DOOR PRIZE: All attendees will enter a draw to win a signed set of Sandra's award-winning YA/Fantasy Trilogy "The Cecilia Series."SCHEDULE:5:00pm - Author interview & reading5:45pm - Audience Q&A6:00pm - Book signing/mingling6:30pm - Door prize drawing & endThe event will start at 5pm prompt, so please plan to arrive 15-20mins early for refreshments.Complimentary wine provided by Pinkus Books.PARKING: Street parking and limited parking available in the bookstore's parking lot. Plentiful parking available in nearby parking garages (see attached map).