Please join the University of Minnesota Press, North Hennepin Community College, the Legacy Family Center, and In Black Ink in celebrating the publication of author Shannon Gibney's wonderful new picture book Sam and the Incredible African and American Food Fight.

The launch event, which will take place in the Grand Hall at North Hennepin Community College on April 18, 2023 from 4:00-6:00 PM, will include arts activities, games, and complimentary food samples of American and Liberian dishes, in addition to a reading and book signing from the author herself. The event is open to the public, but registration is required.

Please register for the event here (free!).

Books will be available for purchase from the North Hennepin Community College Bookstore.

MORE ABOUT THE SAM AND THE INCREDIBLE AFRICAN AND AMERICAN FOOD FIGHT:

Six-year-old Sam, with his Liberian dad and African American mom, finds a way to bring everyone in his cross-cultural family together at the dinner table. Caught in the middle of his family’s African and American food fight, Sam gets a little help from his grumbling stomach—and readers of this seriously funny book by Shannon Gibney get a peek at cultures colliding in a family kitchen that work out in a very delicious way. Charly Palmer’s vibrant illustrations make this gentle lesson in getting along a visual feast as well.

"From Shannon Gibney and Charly Palmer comes a wonderful story filled with our childhood memories and illustrated with astonishing colors. I loved this book because it brought back my own food experiences with my grandmother. A fantastic and worthy addition to any collection!" —Siman Nuurali, author of the Sadiq Series

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR:

Shannon Gibney is a writer, educator, activist, and author of See No Color and Dream Country, young adult novels that won Minnesota Book Awards. A Bush Artist and McKnight Writing fellow, her memoir exploring transracial adoption and her YA anthology of stories about adoptees by adoptees will be published in 2023. She teaches writing in the English department at Minneapolis College.

Charly Palmer is a fine artist, illustrator, teacher, and mentor. His book illustrations include There’s a Dragon in My Closet, Rainy Day Rocketship, I Can Write the World, All Boys Aren’t Blue, and Mama Africa, for which he received the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award.

Please contact Kelly Lundquist (kelly.lundquist@nhcc.edu), Kara Olson (kara.olson@nhcc.edu), or Heather Skinner (skinn077@umn.edu) for questions.