# Event Details - **Event Name**: Book Event: Grafting by Rylan Hynes - **Event Start and End Date**: Thu, 25 Jun, 2026 at 07:00 pm – Thu, 25 Jun, 2026 at 08:30 pm - **Event Description**: A luminous debut novel about second chances, forbidden love, and the courage to cultivate beauty in unforgiving soil.About this EventJoin us for an event with Rylan Hynes to celebrate the release of their debut novel, Grafting. A luminous debut novel about second chances, forbidden love, and the courage to cultivate beauty in unforgiving soil.When Eben Turner returns to his family's apple orchard in rural Maine after his parents' death, he faces more than just the weight of inheritance—he confronts the love he left behind. A decade has passed since he and Chris Hartley, the Methodist minister's son, were torn apart in their final year of high school, their secret relationship severed by the forces of faith and small-town judgment. Now, as adults navigating the crossroads of identity and belonging, they must reckon with both their buried past and an uncertain future.Set against the Edenic beauty of New England, Grafting unfolds through dual perspectives in a lyrical narrative that mirrors the delicate art of joining two trees to create something stronger. As Eben and Chris work to understand how they came to be parted, they discover that healing requires more than forgiveness—it demands the courage to cultivate love in hostile ground.This exquisite debut explores the cost of forbidden desire and the resilience required to claim one's authentic self. With prose as rooted and enduring as the heritage apple trees that anchor the story, Grafting asks whether two people can truly come home to each other after being forced apart by the very communities that shaped them.A voice-driven and unforgettable tale of queer love and rural identity, Grafting will resonate with readers who were moved by the sweeping emotion of Brokeback Mountain, the luminous prose of Ocean Vuong's On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, and stories that find the sacred in the profane, the universal in the deeply personal.Rylan Hynes is an alum of the Tin House Writers Workshop and their work has been supported by the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance and Monson Arts. Hynes serves on the Community Advisory Board for the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance and is the Communications & Editorial Director at The Telling Room.Accessibility: This event is hosted at the bookstore, which is a wheelchair accessible space. Masks are strongly encouraged. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you need a seat reserved for you for accessibility, please email events@womenandchildrenfirst.com To request ASL interpretation for this event, please email events@womenandchildrenfirst.com by no later than 14 days before the event. For scholarship tickets or other access needs please email . - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/chicago/book-event-grafting-by-rylan-hynes/100001990041142628 - **Event Categories**: art, literary-art, workshops - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 - **Event Highlights**: - Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes - Location: Women & Children First - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: Chicago - **state**: IL - **country**: United States - **location**: Women & Children First - **lat**: 41.97722220000001 - **long**: -87.6682417 - **full address**: Women & Children First, 5233 North Clark Street, Chicago, United States ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: Book Event: Grafting by Rylan Hynes - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events6/banners/7a35bbcd1e364c15b88b5a192098e46b4550f3aa7b654f922196473b13c9ba1c-rimg-w1200-h600-dcd0656d-gmir.jpg?v=1779470392 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is Book Event: Grafting by Rylan Hynes being held? - **A:** Book Event: Grafting by Rylan Hynes takes place on Thu, 25 Jun, 2026 at 07:00 pm to Thu, 25 Jun, 2026 at 08:30 pm at Women & Children First, 5233 North Clark Street, Chicago, United States. - **Q**: Who is organizing Book Event: Grafting by Rylan Hynes? - **A:** Book Event: Grafting by Rylan Hynes is organized by Women & Children First. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** Book Event: Grafting by Rylan Hynes is ideal for art lovers, collectors, creatives, and anyone inspired by visual arts, installations, and exhibitions. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Chicago, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. 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And we also serve as a neighborhood bookstore to Andersonville, Edgewater, Rogers Park, and other parts of the northside of Chicago and Evanston. Anything we don't have in stock we can usually get in a few days' time, even if it's a title outside our specialty. We also carry cards, magazines, blank books and journals, calendars, gift items like candles, and pride products." } ] } ] ```