Authors Zaina Arafat and Meredith Talusan read selections from their debut books You Exist Too Much and Fairest, followed by a conversation about the writing process and how migration, gender, and queerness intersect in their stories.

Zaina Arafat’s debut novel You Exist Too Much traces her queer protagonist’s progress from blushing teen to sought-after DJ and aspiring writer, told in vignettes that flash from New York to Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine. Fairest is a memoir about a precocious boy with albinism, a “sun child” from a rural Philippine village, who would grow up to become a woman in America. Throughout her journey, Talusan shares poignant episodes of desirability and love as she migrates to the United States, where she is perceived as white, and navigates complex spheres of race, class, sexuality, and her place within the queer community. 

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This program will be captioned. If you have any questions about accessibility, email us at access@brooklynmuseum.org.

Purchase your copies of You Exist Too Much and Fairest in the Museum Shop.