Book Prize Postscript Readings: John Paul Brammer and Xochitl Gonzalez

In this series, past winners and nominees of the Brooklyn Public Library’s Book Prize read and discuss their work. This time, we have the winners of the 2022 BPL Book Prize in both fiction and nonfiction in conversation.

Both winners of the 2022 BPL Book Prize will be in attendance. Joining us will be John Paul Brammer, author of ¡Hola Papi! : how to come out in a Walmart parking lot and other life lessons and winner of the nonfiction prize, and Xochitl Gonzalez, author of Olga Dies Dreaming and winner of the fiction prize. After a brief reading by both authors, there will be a librarian-moderated conversation between the authors.

John Paul Brammer grew up in rural Oklahom with aspirations of writing and making art. He started his path in journalism writing for The Guardian, NBC News, and Teen Vogue. He then moved to Condé Nast as a writer while running his popular LGBTQ and Latino advice column, ¡Hola Papi!. From there, he worked with the Trevor Project to consult on their editorial content. He currently self-publishes his column at Substack and has a memoir of the same name published by Simon & Schuster in June 2021. He writes and illustrates for outlets like The Washington Post, Guernica, Catapult, and more.

Xochitl Gonzalez is The New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming. Named a Best of 2022 by The New York Times, TIME, Kirkus, Washington Post, and NPR, Olga Dies Dreaming was the winner of the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize in Fiction and The New York City Book Awards. Gonzalez is a 2021 M.F.A. graduate from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her non-fiction work has been published in Elle Decor, Allure, Vogue, Real Simple, and The Cut. Her commentary writing for The Atlantic was recognized as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. A native Brooklynite and proud public school graduate, Gonzalez holds a BA from Brown University and lives in her hometown of Brooklyn with her dog, Hectah Lavoe. Photo credit Mayra Castillo