Four award-winning LGBTQ+ authors will gather at Anderson's Bookshop on Tuesday, June 30, at 7 p.m. for a Pride panel closing out a month of programming across Naperville.
The event at 123 W. Jefferson Ave. features David Levithan, the Lambda Literary Award-winning author of "Two Boys Kissing" and "Every Day," alongside Gabriel Duckels, co-author of "The Fight of Our Lives: AIDS in America." They'll be joined by Maia Kobabe, author and illustrator of "Gender Queer: A Memoir," and illustrator Lucky Srikumar, celebrating the release of "Opting Out." Pre-registration is required, and attendees may bring up to two books per author for signing.
Kobabe's "Gender Queer" won a Stonewall Honor and an Alex Award from the American Library Association in 2020 and was the most challenged book in the United States in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The panel caps a month of Pride events hosted by the Naperville Public Library system, Youth Outlook, and local organizations. Naper Pride, the Naperville-based LGBTQ+ support group led by president Margie Wolf, has been active across the suburbs this spring. "We are just here to support each other as much as we can," Wolf told Shaw Local. "Naper Pride isn't leading anything, we are standing next to each other."
Naper Pride Fest is expected to return to Naper Settlement in fall 2026; check naperpride.org for the confirmed date.
This week
- Tuesday, June 30, 7 p.m. — Pride Panel Event, Anderson's Bookshop, 123 W. Jefferson Ave. Pre-registration required. Four LGBTQ+ authors, book signing. Details: andersonsbookshop.com
