Join us for the launch of the new novel by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans: Never Meant to Meet You (October 1, 2022), a riotously funny, emotionally real look at race and religion, love and heartache, and the realities of parenting through it all. The authors will be in conversation with librarian Aly Wepplo.

The novel follows two smart, strong women caught in mid-life tragedies who manage to laugh through the tears and heartache of the modern world they are navigating. Frank and Youmans share that, “For the two of us, the profound grief of all that we lost living through a pandemic needed a place to land.’” They married their feelings of isolation and sadness with a desperate need to laugh by writing a semi-autobiographical novel about a Jewish woman and a Black Baptist woman who are dealing with their own grief in their own ways but are forced together to process and support one another to move forward in life.  

In Never Meant to Meet You, Marjette Lewis, self-appointed fixer of other people’s woes, is uncharacteristically determined to keep to her side of the driveway when it comes to her flawless neighbor Noa Abrams. Professionally, Marjette has her hands full as she prepares for a new class of kindergarteners and her first year of teaching without her best friend, Judy. And at home, her son’s budding manhood challenges her expectations, and her vexing ex-husband continues to be a thorn in her side. But when tragedy strikes Marjette’s street, and an unexpected child shows up on the first day of school with an uncle who has all the class moms aflutter, Marjette is forced to contend with both her neighbor and her own heartache over losing the life she once thought was guaranteed. Through laughter, tears, and the gift of found family, Marjette and Noa navigate the rituals of loss together and discover the strength to remake their lives―whether they meant to or not.

A book signing with Iconoclast and light reception with the Wood River Jewish Community will follow. Click here to watch online, live or later.