Join us for a reading and discussion with Stephanie Jimenez, author of the new book, They Could Have Named Her Anything. Stephanie will be in conversation with local poet and novelist, Devi Laskar. This event is in place of our usual Authors of Color Book Club.

6:00 p.m. Reception: drinks, light snacks, and mingling

6:30 p.m. Reading & discussion.

Book signing to follow!

Thanks to Little A, we have free copies of the book available to Ruby members and local high-school students who attend this event (while supplies last). We also have copies of the book for sale for nonmembers or Rubies who would like to purchase additional copies.

About Stephanie Jimenez

Stephanie Jimenez is based in Queens, New York. Her fiction and non-fiction have appeared in the Guardian, O! the Oprah Magazine, Joyland Magazine, The New York Times, and more. She is a former Fulbright recipient and a graduate of Scripps College in Claremont, California. Her debut novel, They Could Have Named Her Anything, was published in August of 2019 (Little A).

About They Could Have Named Her Anything

Racism, class, and betrayal collide in They Could Have Named Her Anything, an emotional debut novel set in Queens and the Upper East Side of Manhattan about restoring the broken bonds of family and friendship. The story follows two teenage girls—one Latina and one white—questioning what it means to live up to the names they've been given and how far they'll go for the life they've always dreamed of.

“Bristling with adolescent insecurities, sexual tension, and status consciousness, Jimenez's debut is a natural for both adult and teen readers.” —Kirkus Reviews

About Devi: Devi S. Laskar is a native of Chapel Hill, N.C. She holds an MFA from Columbia University in New York, an MA in South Asian Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a BA in journalism and English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A former newspaper reporter, she is now a novelist, poet, photographer and artist. Counterpoint Press published her debut novel, The Atlas of Reds and Blues, February 2019. She now lives in California with her family.