Cicada Summer: Book Launch

Join us on Tuesday, June 18 at 7 p.m. to launch Cicada Summer, the sophomore novel of the brilliant local writer, Erica McKeen. We are so excited to welcome this eerie, elegant novel into the world.

In the summer of 2020, with a heat wave bearing down and a brood of periodical cicadas climbing into the trees, Husha mourns the recent death of her mother while quarantining with her ailing grandfather, Arthur, at his lakeside cabin in remote Ontario. They’re soon joined by Husha’s ex-lover, Nellie, who arrives without explanation to complete their trio.

Also among them is a strange book, discovered by Husha while cleaning out her mother’s house. When she, Arthur, and Nellie begin to read it together, they learn that her mother’s last missive was a short story collection, crawling with unsettling imagery and terrifying transformations. As the stories bleed into their cloistered life in the cabin, they must each reckon with loss, longing, and what it means to truly know another person. Incantatory and atmospheric, Cicada Summer is a dazzlingly original novel about how we grieve and care for one another.

At this event, Erica will be joined by writers Carleigh Baker and Genki Ferguson. Books will be available for purchase and signing. This is a free event, but please register for your spot at this Eventbrite, as capacity is limited.

About the author:

Erica McKeen is the author of Tear, a novel that won the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for literary fiction, and Cicada Summer. She lives in Vancouver, where she works as a teacher and librarian.

More about Upstart & Crow:

Located on Granville Island, Upstart & Crow is a literary arts studio for curious readers and creative storytellers alike. We are international in our outlook, and local in our sensibilities. We create opportunities to surface new talent and champion bold ideas through events, workshops, literary launches, unique partnerships — and yes, we also sell books!

Health precautions:

We want this event to be safe for all. Masks are welcome, though we won’t enforce them. We hope that folks who come will be vaccinated and boosted and will stay home if they feel ill.

Accessibility:

The main studio of our shop is accessible for folks with mobility aids. There is a washroom on the main floor available for attendees.

Questions: hello@upstartandcrow.com.