Award-winning, Los Angeles-based author Kara Lee Corthron joins Four Seasons Books and the Contemporary American Theater Festival for an online reading of her latest young adult novel, Girls of Jubilation. The reading will take place on Zoom on Tuesday, December 8 at 6:30 p.m.
The book follows the story of Evvie Deschamps, a young black teenager living in the Jim Crow South, as she struggles to understand her past and gain control of her magical powers passed down through generations of women in her family.
CATF Corporate Director Nicole M. Smith describes her experience reading the book. “From the first page, I could see the world Kara created for Evvie – her home, the city,” she begins. “Kara’s writing is captivating. I was on Evvie’s journey with her. I was overwhelmed by her, scared of her, and celebrated with her.”
Published in October, Daughters of Jubilation received accolades from many notable publications, including Girls’ Life, Buzzfeed, Parade, Teen Vogue and Riveted.
“It makes sense that Kara would receive so much recognition,” says CATF associate production manager Peggy McKowen. “Kara tackles tough topics like relationships, abuse, and self-esteem very effectively and tastefully. This book really opens the door to conversations with teens about these issues.”
This will be Corthron’s second book reading at the Four Seasons. In 2017, when his play Welcome to Fear City was produced at CATF, Four Seasons hosted an author reading his first young adult novel, The Truth of Right Now.
To order an autographed copy of Four Seasons, call the store at 304-876-3486 and request a personalized copy. There is no additional charge for autographed books.
After Corthron reads a section of his novel, former WEPM radio host Hans Fogle will host a question and answer session with viewers online. For more information on reading the book and for the event link, visit www.catf.org. The event is free and registration is not required.
Sponsored in part by the West Virginia Humanities Council, the author’s reading Daughters of Jubilation is the second online collaboration between Four Seasons Books and Shepherd University’s Contemporary American Theater Festival. The first event in October featured Richard Dresser and his book It Happened Here.
