Wild Rumpus is so please to welcome author SHANA YOUNGDAHL to our bookstore to celebrate the release of her newest YA novel, 'A Catalog of Burnt Objects'!
Shana will be joined in conversation by author SELINA LI BI, whose debut YA novel 'Sunlight Playing Over A Mountain' was released Spring 2025!
Join us as we have wonderful chats around these authors' works, and talk about writing, family, grief, resiliency, and all the many human experiences we share around these topics.
ABOUT THE BOOKS:
A CATALOG OF BURNT OBJECTS by Shana Youngdahl:
The powerful story of a girl struggling to figure out her estranged brother, a new love, and her own life just as wildfires beset her small California town—perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Kathleen Glasgow
Seventeen-year-old Caprice wants to piece her family back together now that her older brother has returned home, even as she resents that he ever broke them apart. Just as she starts to get a new footing—falling in love for the first time, uncertainly mending her traumatized relationship with her brother, completing the app that will win her a college scholarship and a job in tech—wildfires strike Sierra, her small California town, forcing her to reckon with a future that is impossible to predict.
A love story of many kinds, and a reflection of the terrifying, heartbreaking Camp Fire that destroyed Paradise, California, where the author grew up, this is a tale that looks at what is lost and discovers what remains, and how a family can be nearly destroyed again and again, and still survive.
SUNLIGHT PLAYING OVER A MOUNTAIN by Selina Li Bi:
A lyrical, mythology-tinged debut novel about a Chinese-Filipino teenager whose world of daydreams is destroyed by a family secret—perfect for fans of Emily X.R. Pan and Ann Liang.
Jasmine Cheng has grown up on stories spun by her beautiful, free-spirited mother. Together, they’re the Phoenix and Dragon. Jasmine’s father is the god Pangu, creator of the heavens and earth. Her mother may have boyfriends, but Jasmine chases them away. For her mother, love brings chaos, sleepless nights, and frightening episodes, and it’s Jasmine’s job to keep their home life stable—especially now that a social worker has started to keep tabs on them.
When the sudden arrival of Cal, her mother’s old flame, fractures their delicate world, events unfold that will send Jasmine on a cross-country journey to the West Coast—and into her past. Trapped in a tangle of fantasy and reality, Jasmine becomes determined to find the truth, even while her mother’s refusal to be honest drives a deeper wedge between them. Will the crack in their fantasy destroy her, or finally let the light in?
Selina Li Bi’s magical debut perfectly portrays the pain of growing up in a less-than-magical world and introduces a remarkable new voice in young adult fiction.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
SHANA YOUNGDAHL is a poet and author who teaches writing at Lindenwood University. One of her greatest joys is helping people embrace the stories they need to tell. She is the author of the acclaimed novel, As Many Nows as I Can Get. Shana lives with her husband, two daughters, and two cats in Missouri.
SELINA LI BI is the daughter of immigrant parents from the Philippines. She practiced as an optometrist for many years and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Minnesota State University Moorhead. She is also a certified Creativity Coach. Her work has appeared in Non-white and Woman: 131 Micro Essays on Being in the World, riksha: Asian American Creative Arts in Action, Cricket, among others. She is the author of the poetry chapbook Displaced and has written several books for the children’s educational market. She currently lives in North Dakota and enjoys running and yoga. SUNLIGHT PLAYING OVER A MOUNTAIN is her debut novel.
TO ATTEND:
This event is free and open to the public. Seating will be available on a first-come first-served basis.
Signing Guidelines:
Following the event, Shana & Selina will be available to sign copies of their books. If you are unable to attend but would still like a signed copy, you may order a copy from this page and we will ship after the event, or hold it behind the counter for local pickup. Please note in your order any personalization requests and we will do our best to accommodate. Orders must be placed by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 25th to guarantee signed copies.
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