Charis welcomes Stonewall Award-winning author Brandy Colbert with special guest Becky Albertalli in celebration of her newest novel, The Voting Booth, an all-in-one-day love story about two first-time teen voters who meet at their polling place and overcome obstacle after obstacle in order to cast a ballot in a critical election.

When Marva sees Duke turned away from their polling place, she takes it upon herself to make sure his vote is counted. She hasn't spent months doorbelling and registering voters just to see someone denied their right.And that's how their whirlwind day begins, rushing from precinct to precinct, cutting school, waiting in endless lines, turned away time and again, trying to do one simple thing: vote. They may have started out as strangers, but as Duke and Marva team up to beat a rigged system (and find Marva's missing cat), it's clear that there's more to their connection than a shared mission for democracy.

Brandy Colbert is the author of the Stonewall Award–winning novel Little & Lion, the critically acclaimed novels The Revolution of Birdie Randolph, Pointe, Finding Yvonne, and The Only Black Girls in Town, and the forthcoming The Voting Booth. Growing up in Springfield, Missouri, Brandy was surrounded by stories from a young age. She currently works as a copy editor for magazines and books, and is a faculty member in the MFAC program at Hamline University. These days, Brandy lives and writes in sunny Los Angeles.

The event is free and open to all people, especially to those who have no income or low income right now, but we encourage and appreciate a solidarity donation in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Charis Circle's mission is to foster sustainable feminist communities, work for social justice, and encourage the expression of diverse and marginalized voices. As always, if you enjoy the event we ask that you buy the author's books from Charis.

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BRANDY COLBERT WITH BECKY ALBERTALLI IN CELEBRATION OF THE VOTING BOOTH