Reading and Paperback Launch: Swift River by Essie Chambers & Oye by Melissa Mongollon with Dawnie Walton and Cleyvis Naterra

Thursday May 08, 2025
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

POWERHOUSE Arena
28 Adams Street (Corner of Adams & Water Street across from the Archway)
Brooklyn , NY 11201

About the Books.

Swift River

“A book we all need to revive our souls” (Nicole Dennis-Benn): A “powerful novel…[that] broke my heart, and then offered me hope” (Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful) about a complicated bond between mothers and daughters, the disappearance of a father, and the long-hidden history of a declining New England mill town.

It’s the summer of 1987 in Swift River, and Diamond Newberry is learning how to drive. Ever since her Pop disappeared seven years ago, she and her mother hitchhike everywhere they go. But that’s not the only reason Diamond stands out: she’s teased relentlessly about her weight, and since Pop’s been gone, she is the only Black person in all of Swift River. This summer, Ma is determined to declare Pop legally dead so they can collect his life insurance money, get their house back from the bank, and finally move on.

But when Diamond receives a letter from a relative she’s never met, key elements of Pop’s life are uncovered, and she is introduced to two generations of African American Newberry women, whose lives span the 20th century and reveal a much larger picture of prejudice and abandonment, of love and devotion. As pieces of their shared past become clearer, Diamond gains a sense of her place in the world and in her family. But how will what she’s learned of the past change her future?

A “sparkling” (The Washington Post), “poetic, and propulsive” (NPR) debut of first friendships, family secrets, and finding the courage to let go, Swift River heralds the arrival of a major new literary talent.

Oye

LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE

Structured as a series of one-sided phone calls from our spunky, sarcastic narrator, Luciana, to her older sister, Mari, this wildly inventive debut “jump-starts your heart in the same way it piques your ear” (Xochitl Gonzalez). As the baby of her large Colombian American family, Luciana is usually relegated to the sidelines. But now she finds herself as the only voice of reason in the face of an unexpected crisis: A hurricane is heading straight for Miami, and her eccentric grandmother, Abue, is refusing to evacuate. Abue is so one-of-a-kind she’s basically in her own universe, and while she often drives Luciana nuts, they’re the only ones who truly understand each other. So when Abue, normally glamorous and full of life, receives a shocking medical diagnosis during the storm, Luciana’s world is upended.

When Abue moves into Luciana’s bedroom, their complicated bond intensifies. Luciana would rather be skating or sneaking out to meet girls, but Abue’s wild demands and unpredictable antics are a welcome distraction for Luciana from her misguided mother, absent sister, and uncertain future. Forced to step into the role of caretaker, translator, and keeper of the devastating family secrets that Abue begins to share, Luciana suddenly finds herself center stage, facing down adulthood—and rising to the occasion.

As Luciana chronicles the events of her disrupted senior year of high school over the phone to Mari, Oye unfolds like the most fascinating and entertaining conversation you’ve ever eavesdropped on: a rollicking, heartfelt, and utterly unique novel that celebrates the beauty revealed and resilience required when rewriting your own story.

About the Authors.

Essie Chambers is an award-winning author and producer. Her debut novel, Swift River—a Today Show “Read with Jenna” Book Club pick—won the 2024 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize and was named a best book of the year by The Washington Post, NPR, The Boston Globe, Elle, and more. It was also longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award, among others. A former TV executive turned filmmaker, Essie produced the Oscar-shortlisted documentary Descendant, released by the Obamas’ Higher Ground and Netflix. She holds an MFA from Columbia University and has received fellowships from MacDowell, the Vermont Studio Center, and Baldwin for the Arts. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Cleyvis Natera is the author of the acclaimed debut novel Neruda on the Park which was a New York Times Editor’s choice and won an International Latino Book Award for best first book of fiction. Her second novel The Grand Paloma Resort will be published August 12, 2025. Natera teaches fiction and Latino Studies at Montclair State University where she leads the development of a Bilingual MFA program.

DAWNIE WALTON is the author of The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, winner of the 2022 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award, the Aspen Words Literary Prize, the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, and the Audie Award for Fiction. She is the cofounder and editorial director of Ursa Story Company, an audio production venture celebrating underrepresented voices, and, along with Deesha Philyaw, co-hosts its podcast dedicated to the art of short fiction. Formerly an editor at Essence and Entertainment Weekly, she has received fellowships from MacDowell and Tin House, and an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter, and is at work on her second novel.

Melissa Mogollon is a fiction writer and high school teacher. She holds an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a BA from the George Washington
University. Originally from Colombia and raised in Florida, she now lives in Rhode Island with her partner and her dog. OYE is her first novel!