Wild Rumpus is excited to welcome beloved local author Shannon Gibney for the release of her newest book, SAM AND THE INCREDIBLE AFRICAN AND AMERICAN FOOD FIGHT!
Rice and okra soup: Sam’s auntie from Liberia made it, and it’s Dad’s favorite. Mom, homegrown in Minnesota, made spaghetti and meatballs. And Sam? He’s just hungry, but no matter what he chooses to eat, someone will be disappointed. Caught in the middle of his family’s African and American food fight, Sam gets a little help from his grumbling stomach—and readers of this seriously funny book by Shannon Gibney get a peek at cultures colliding in a family kitchen that work out in a very delicious way. Charly Palmer’s vibrant and captivating illustrations make this gentle lesson in getting along a bright and colorful visual feast as well.
To Attend:
This event is free and open to the public. Seating will be available on a first-come first-served basis. Masks are encouraged.
Signing Guidelines:
Following the event, Shannon Gibney will be available to sign copies of her 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 Friday, May 19th to guarantee signed copies.
Shannon Gibney is a writer, educator, and activist. She is author of See No Color and Dream Country, young adult novels that won Minnesota Book Awards. She teaches writing at Minneapolis College, where she is faculty in English. She is a Bush Artist and McKnight Writing Fellow, and her latest books include The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be: A Speculative Memoir of Transracial Adoption and When We Become Ours, the first anthology of YA stories by adoptees about adoptees. She lives in Minneapolis.
Six-year-old Sam, with his Liberian dad and African American mom, finds a way to bring everyone in his cross-cultural family together at the dinner table
Rice and okra soup: Sam’s auntie from Liberia made it, and it’s Dad’s favorite. Mom, homegrown in Minnesota, made spaghetti and meatballs. And Sam?
In this unique collaboration, four authors lyrically explore where they each come from--literally and metaphorically--as well as what unites all of us as humans.
Richly layered illustrations connect past and present, making for an accessible and visually striking look at history, family, and identity.
Part memoir, part speculative fiction, this novel explores the often surreal experience of growing up as a mixed-Black transracial adoptee.