YR DEAD BOOK LAUNCH

Join us at Gilman Brewing for the launch of Sam Sax's debut novel YR DEAD with the author in conversation with R.O. Kwon (Exhibit).

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE BOOK HERE!

In between the space of time when Ezra lights themself on fire and when Ezra dies the world of this book flashes before their eyes. Everyone Ezra’s ever loved, every place they’ve felt queer and at home, or queer and out of place, reveals itself in an instant. Unfolding in fragments of memory, Ezra dissolves into the family, religion, desire, losses, pains and joys that made them into the person that’s decided on this

final act of protest.

Told in lyric fragments that span both lifetimes and geography, Yr Dead is a queer, Jewish, diasporic coming-of-age story that questions how our historical memory shapes our political and emotional present. 

Visceral, propulsive, and at turns fluorescently beautiful and fluorescently tragic, Yr Dead is an electric debut novel from award-winning writer Sam Sax, one of our most dynamic and imaginative writers.

“A singular, titrated, indelible debut.” —Alexander Chee, author of How To Write An Autobiographical Novel

“A perfect ghost story. It surprised me—startling me into a laugh, into knowledge, into a deep and enduring ache. I love this book.” —Safia Elhillo, author of Home is Not A Country

“A rare, compulsively readable combination of thunderous lyricism and pitch-perfect humor. There is not a wasted sentence, or even word, in this brilliant queer gem of a book.” —Jordy Rosenberg, author of Confessions of the Fox

“A kaleidoscopic wonder here to help us see this broken world anew.” —R.O. Kwon, author of Exhibit

“It’s not just that I trust Sam Sax’s imagination. My sincere belief is that Sam’s creative freedom unlocks the potential for our liberation.” —Saeed Jones, author of How We Fight for Our Lives

Sam Sax is a queer, Jewish writer and educator. They’re the author of YR DEAD, PIG, Madness, and Bury It. Sam has received fellowships from The NEA, Poetry Foundation, The Academy of American Poets, and Yaddo, and is currently serving as an ITALIC Lecturer at Stanford University.

R.O. Kwon’s nationally bestselling Exhibit, a New York Times Editors’ Choice, published in 2024. Kwon’s bestselling first novel, The Incendiaries, has been translated into seven languages and was named a best book of the year by over forty publications. The Incendiaries was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Award. Kwon and Garth Greenwell co-edited Kink, a New York Times Notable Book and recipient of the inaugural Joy Award. Kwon’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, New Yorker, and elsewhere. Born in Seoul, Kwon has lived most of her life in the United States.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Gilman Brewing Company, 912 Gilman Street, Berkeley, United States