An Invitation for YOU

Hey friends,

I’ll keep it short today:

The book launch event officially has a date, time, place, and program.

And you’re amongst the first to be invited, because of course.

Here’s the official invitation:

Now, since I can extend myself a little here, let me share a bit of how the event is gonna go.

Here’s the thing: I haven’t enjoyed most book launches I’ve attended.

Most of them are basically the author speaking for like an hour, signing books, and then you’re done. Most of the time, people’s attention has left long before the author is even done speaking.

So, I don’t wanna do that. I want it to resemble an art exhibition than a book launch.

Art exhibitions are generally more social, there’s more going on, and there’s always something to look at, not just when the artist is giving their inaugural speech. And that’s the energy I wanna channel.

So here’s what we’re doing:

The doors will open at 6. From the time you arrive, there will be art on the walls (both mine and Eileen’s), books available for purchase (and signing), and other prints available for purchase. Some will be poem prints and some will be art prints by different artists.

Then, at 7, I will inevitably do the “hey I wrote a book” part. We’ll have a small conversation and Q&A about the book, but not just with me. Every one of the wonderful women involved in the book will share their process, and you can ask us all questions. I want it to be very relaxed, more like a conversation than a presentation.

And then, at 8, I have something I’m really excited about: I want to give you an insight into the book itself. We’ll have a dance+poetry show, in which I’ll pair poems from the book with different choreographies performed by my students and me. I’m very grateful they’ve accepted to participate in this project.

And then, from that point on, I wanna just give you a chance to walk around, talk to people, hang out, and maybe buy books or prints. Of course, I’ll sign every book you guys buy. I already know what pen I’m using and everything.

Aside from all of this, there will be food and wine during the event. This is included in the ticket. The food is all inspired by food that is mentioned in the book itself, and the wine will be rosé bc it’s my favorite and I get to choose things this day. (this is extremely fun, I can’t lie.)

And, for those of you who preorder, you will get your signed book that day, along with some secret surprises and a really pretty packaging I’ve put a lot of thought and love into. (This will be exclusive for preorders because the packaging part takes time, so if you wanna get the surprises + pretty packaging, definitely preorder here.)

I really hope I get to see you there! Feel free to invite as many people as you want to.

I’m so excited about this!

Until next Wednesday,

-Vale, The Friendly Artist