About this Event
About the book:
Minerva tells the story of a girl raised in a patriarchal, politically divided country, where her unique family is both a source of strength and a symbol of defiance. As the only child in a queer, multi-partnered family-- two fathers and a mother-- Minerva's personal freedoms stand in stark contrast to the rigid authoritarianism of public life. When a political event threatens her life, Minerva is forced to flee her homeland and seek refuge in New York City. As she begins to navigate her new, isolated life, her mother is kidnapped in Caracas and her world is turned upside down. Determined to reunite with her family, Minerva returns home, only to realize that the looming threat of losing her mother has shown her the ultimate truth: love is the only thing that truly matters.
About the author:
Keila Vall de la Ville is a New York-based Venezuelan author, whose novel Los días animales received the 2018 International Latino Book Awards and was translated into English as The Animal Days in 2021 by Katakana Editores, receiving an International Latino Book Awards for Best Novel honorable mention in 2023. She is also the author of several short story collections, including Ana no duerme, a finalist for Best Fiction Book in the National Short Story Awards Monte Ávila Editores, Venezuela, and Enero es el mes más largo, which received an honorable mention in the International Latino Book Awards 2023. She has published the poetry books Viaje legado and Perseo en si Bemol, Paz Prize for Poetry finalist 2022, and the chronicle El día en que Corre Lola Corre dejó sin aire a Murakami. She studied anthropology and political science in Venezuela and has an MFA in creative writing from New York University and an MA in Hispanic cultural studies from Columbia University. She is a literary translator who collaborates with literary magazines and newspapers.
The conversation will be moderated by Jennifer Oko.
Jennifer Oko is a writer, journalist, and filmmaker. Her memoir Lying Together: My Russian Affair was a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice. Her novel Gloss received wide acclaim, with The Chicago Tribune calling it “a rare treat," and her novel Head Case is a comic mystery about psycho-pharmaceutical trafficking, which she swears is not autobiographical in any way. Her most recent novel, Just Emilia, was published in June 2025 and was named a Distinguished Favorite of the 2026 Independent Press Award. In addition to her fiction, Jennifer has spent her career producing television news features and feature-length documentary films, including HBO’s When a Witness Recants, which recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Jennifer received a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and holds undergraduate degrees in Studio Art and Russian Language and Literature. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband, two college-age kids, a middle-aged dog, and a young cat.
Accessibility note: This event is up two flights of stairs and Lost City Books does not have an elevator. Please contact [email protected] with questions.
Dato de accesibilidad: Este evento toma lugar en el segundo piso y Lost City Books no tiene ascensor. Favor de contactar [email protected] con cualquiera duda.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Lost City Books, 2467 18th Street Northwest, Washington, United States
USD 0.00
