Q & A and Book Signing with Becca Mann

Becca Mann is joining us for an evening at Three Avenues Bookshop for her book Outside the Lanes. The event will feature a audience Q&A with an author meet & greet and book signing to follow.

When: Friday, April 11th at 6:30 pm (doors open at 6:15 pm)

Where: Three Avenues Bookshop - 3009 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60657

Copies of will be available for purchase at the event. And you will have a chance to get your copy signed by Becca Mann!

I wasn’t afraid of the ocean. I wasn’t afraid of the unseen depths beneath the water, or what lurked below.

I was afraid of being trapped in my own mind.

​Record-breaking swimmer Becca Mann was a young swimming prodigy. A two-time USA National champion, she was the youngest person ever to place in the Top 10 in four events at a single Olympic Trials and represented Team USA at four World Championships. But after years of sacrifice, relentless drive, and coming heartbreakingly close to Olympic glory—three times—Becca’s dreams came crashing down.

In Outside the Lanes, Becca shares her journey from the disappointment of Olympic defeat to making history as the first—and only—person to conquer the grueling, 21-hour, 40-mile Maui Nui Tri-Channel Crossing. She also opens up about the mental battles that shaped her: confronting the sacrifices she endured, OCD, and the relentless pressure to succeed.

More than just a story of a young athlete, Outside the Lanes is a powerful exploration of resilience, reinvention, and redefining what it means to win. This is an inspiring read for anyone who’s ever dared to chase a dream, faced unexpected setbacks, and found a new path forward—learning that true success comes from swimming outside the lanes.

Becca is a writer and athlete who graduated with a BFA in Writing for Screen and Television at the University of Southern California. She previously worked as the Writers’ Assistant on Amazon’s The Bondsman, Script Coordinator on Apple TV’s The Morning Show, Showrunner’s Assistant on Amazon’s The Wilds, and Writers’ PA on Freeform’s Cruel Summer. Her screenplay Exiled was a 2x finalist in the 2020 Austin Film Festival and the winner of the 2021 ISA Fast Track Historical Genre and her pilot Soar was a semifinalist in the Humanitas Carol Mendelson category.

Becca’s passion for stories commenced when she read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe at five years old. Her life was then consumed by books––she was fascinated with the idea that anything was possible through the words on the page. Before she had reached double digits, she was writing books of her own.

Becca balanced her storytelling passion with her other love: swimming. Becca was a member of the USA Swimming National Team from 2012 until 2021. She was the 8th fastest swimmer in the world in the 800 meter freestyle for 3 years in a row, was the youngest person ever to place in the Top 10 in 4 events at a single Olympic Trials, and is a 2x USA National Champion. She has represented Team USA at 4 World Championships and is the only person to have consecutively swum the triangle between the Hawaiian islands of Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. These undertakings were all inspired by her constant pursuit of challenges and adventure.

Three Avenues Bookshop's goal is to be a safe, accessible, and inclusive space for all. Please email us at [email protected] to let us know if you need any accommodations for this event, and we'll do our best to meet them. Accommodations can include but are not limited to the following: space for a wheelchair or other mobility device, masks, etc.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Three Avenues Bookshop, 3009 North Southport Avenue, Chicago, United States