YA and Middle-Grade Literature Pride Celebration
The Literary Arts Bookstore & Cafe is pleased to welcome Ari Koontz, author of Just Ask Elsie, and 2026 Oregon Book Awards finalist Sara Ryan, author of Mountain Upside Down, for a special Pride celebration featuring book discussions, and community conversations.
There will be fun hands-on activities throughout the evening. Join us on the mezzanine for a game of Synapsis. Support other writers in crafting a new story idea and leave with one of your own.
This event is free and open to all.
Ari Koontz
Ari Koontz is a queer nonbinary writer and artist with an MFA in creative writing from Northern Michigan University. They’re dedicated to telling full-hearted stories of bravery and whimsy in every possible genre, centering the beautiful complexities of queer identity and community, and supporting their local public library. Ari lives close to where the water meets the woods and loves to take long walks when they should be writing.
Sara Ryan
Sara Ryan is the author of the middle-grade novel Mountain Upside Down, the graphic novel Bad Houses with art by Carla Speed McNeil, young adult novels Empress of the World and The Rules for Hearts, and various comics, short stories, and essays. Sara is interested in how we come to understand who we are, how we find community, and how our environments shape us. They like writing about friendship, love, secrets, and families, both biological and chosen. They are on the faculty of the MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts.
