Charis and The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History welcome Breanna J. McDaniel in conversation with Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein for a conversation about Black girls and women in science, especially astronomy and physics, to celebrate the release of Breanna's new children's book, Impossible Moon, in which a young girl undertakes an impossible trip to the moon, makes friends with the stars, and brings back something priceless. We will also celebrate the paperback release of The Disordered Cosmos and discuss how the two books, though geared to different ages, speak to each other across space and time!

In this gentle and lyrically told picture book about family, history, and memory, Grana used to tell the best stories, and Mabel used to long to soar through the heavens. Nowadays, Grana mostly lies in bed and Mabel stays close to home. But one day, Grana asks, “If we can touch the moon, then what is impossible?” So Mabel decides to do just that, embarking on a journey through the stars where The Seven Sistahs, The Big Dipper, and other constellations help her on her quest and teach her about African mythology and African American history. With the support of her new companions, Mabel reaches for her biggest dream yet: to make her sick grandma well again.

In The Disordered Cosmos, Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein shares her love for physics, from the Standard Model of Particle Physics and what lies beyond it, to the physics of melanin in skin, to the latest theories of dark matter—along with a perspective informed by history, politics, and the wisdom of Star Trek. One of the leading physicists of her generation, Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is also one of fewer than one hundred Black American women to earn a PhD from a department of physics. Her vision of the cosmos is vibrant, buoyantly nontraditional, and grounded in Black and queer feminist lineages. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein urges us to recognize how science, like most fields, is rife with racism, misogyny, and other forms of oppression. She lays out a bold new approach to science and society, beginning with the belief that we all have a fundamental right to know and love the night sky. The Disordered Cosmos dreams into existence a world that allows everyone to experience and understand the wonders of the universe.

Breanna J. McDaniel is the author of the picture books Hands Up!, Impossible Moon, Go Forth and Tell, Cute Toot plus a few more on the way! She is also a book reviewer, education consultant and researcher. She holds an MA in Children’s Literature from Simmons University and is currently pursuing her PhD at a university in the UK with research focused on representations of black children as comestible in contemporary picture books. She's the co-founder of the conference and network Researchers Exploring Inclusive Youth Literature (REIYL) and although she splits her time between the US and UK she is proud to have been born and raised in Atlanta, GA, her home.

Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is an assistant professor of physics and astronomy and core faculty in women’s and gender studies at the University of New Hampshire. Her research in theoretical physics focuses on cosmology, neutron stars, and dark matter. She additionally does research in Black feminist science, technology, and society studies. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein is also a columnist for New Scientist and Physics World. Nature recognized her as one of 10 people who shaped science in 2020, and Essence magazine has recognized her as one of “15 Black Women Who Are Paving the Way in STEM and Breaking Barriers.” A co-founder of Particles for Justice, she received the 2017 LGBT+ Physicists Acknowledgement of Excellence Award for her contributions to improving conditions for marginalized people in physics and the 2021 American Physical Society Edward A. Bouchet Award for her contributions to particle cosmology. Her first book The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred won the 2021 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the science and technology category and was named a Best Book of 2021 by Publishers Weekly, Smithsonian Magazine, and Kirkus. It has been a finalist for multiple awards including the 2022 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. The Disordered Cosmos was also longlisted for the OCM Bocas Prize in Caribbean Literature. Originally from East L.A., she divides her time between the New Hampshire Seacoast and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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Neither the Moon Nor the Cosmos Are Impossible: Breanna J. McDaniel in conversation with Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein