About this Event
Former Seattle writer Donna Miscolta discusses her latest novel Ofelia and Norma alongside Elliott Bay Book Co. alum Karen Maeda Allman.
Registration is not required, but helps us anticipate audience size.
Twin sisters Ofelia and Norma have always been inseparable, yet their shared identity begins to fracture in community college. As Ofelia loses weight through long, solitary walks, Norma senses the twin bond slipping away and leaves for a transfer college, forcing both to confront life as large-bodied women in a world that isn’ t kind to them. Ofelia’ s deliberate weight loss spirals into disordered eating, and a near-disastrous accident drives her to move out and leave their emotionally distant mother to fend for herself. Norma retreats into the solitude of the college pool until she suffers a traumatic experience which she cannot share, deepening the rift between the sisters. When they finally reconnect, long-buried secrets surface, and Ofelia, shocked by what Norma has endured, vows to help her seek justice— and perhaps revenge.
Donna Miscolta is the author of four books of fiction, the latest of which is Ofelia and Norma (2026, Regal House Publishing). Recognition for her previous books include being named to the 2020 Latino Books of the Year, winning the Next Generation Indie Book Award for Multicultural Fiction and an Independent Publishers Award for Best Regional Fiction, twice receiving an International Latino Book Award, and being a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. Her stories, essays, and book reviews have appeared in dozens of journals and anthologies. A recording of her work is part of the Library of Congress PALABRA Archive, a showcase for Latin American and Latino writers. After spending most of her adult life in Seattle, where she became a writer and was sustained by its vibrant reading and writing community, including the marvelous Elliott Bay Book Company, she now lives in Spain. She blogs monthly at donnamiscolta.com about writing, reading, and her life in Spain.
Karen Maeda Allman is a bookseller alum, having worked for over 30 years at Independent Bookstores (including as author events co-coordinator for the Elliott Bay Book Company). She has served on many jury and awards panels, including for the National Book Award for Translated Literature, the DSC Prize and the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction. She's currently at Wales Literary Agency and also serves on the Board of Seattle Arts and Lectures
Event venue & nearby stays
The Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Avenue, Seattle, United States
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