In three very different books, three Minnesota authors tackle difficult and taboo topics with love, empathy, and humor. All three authors will be at Garden Party to share about their work.

In The Night When No One Had Sex, a YA novel, Kalena Miller tells the story of a group of friends and their prom night experiences. She writes about teenage sexuality in all its glory, mundanity, and awkwardness. Such frankness can get a book banned, and Miller will talk about the impact of book bans on YA fiction.

In Opioid Reckoning: Love, Loss, and Redemption in the Rehab State, Amy C. Sullivan shares her family’s terrifying experience with opioid addiction. She then collected other people’s oral histories and created this excellent non-fiction book that fights the stigma of drug use and focuses on finding solutions to get people the help they need. You’ll come away with an empathetic perspective on the opioid epidemic and how it has impacted Minnesota specifically.

In Evidence of V: A Novel in Fragments, Facts, and Fiction, Sheila O’Connor grapples with the family secret she uncovered: her maternal grandmother is not actually her grandmother. Her real grandmother was pregnant at 15 and was incarcerated for six years for “immorality” by the state of Minnesota; her baby was given to her sister. In this fascinating book she combines the facts of her own story with her grandmother’s life as she imagines it, along with in-depth research on Minnesota’s system of reformatory institutions for “immoral” girls who were victims, not perpetrators.

There will be a time after each author for questions. All the books will be available for sale and the authors will be available for signing.

You don’t want to miss this chance to hear three amazing authors talk about the things we’re not supposed to talk about. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served!