CPL Presents: Alejandro Varela (Main/Virtual) In-Person / Online
Join the Cambridge Public Library in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by welcoming Alejandro Varela, the author of three books of fiction, including The Town of Babylon, which was nominated for a National Book Award, and Middle Spoon, published just this September. Middle Spoon, which Publisher's Weekly called a "refreshingly candid tale of modern love," follows a married middle-aged gay man as he struggles to move on from a break-up with his boyfriend. After reading from his work, Varela will sit in conversation with Ursula Villarreal-Moura, the author of Like Happiness. An audience Q&A and book signing will follow.
- Date:
- Thursday, October 9, 2025
- Time:
- 6:00pm - 8:00pm
- Time Zone:
- Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
- Location:
- Lecture Hall
- Branches:
- Main Library
- Audience:
- Adult
- Categories:
- Author Event City Event Feature
Alejandro Varela's (he/him) debut novel, The Town of Babylon, was a finalist for the National Book Award. His short story collection, The People Who Report More Stress, was one of Publishers Weekly's best works of fiction in 2023, a finalist for the International Latino Book Awards, and longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize, The Story Prize, and the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award. Varela, who is based in New York, is an editor-at-large of Apogee Journal and holds a master's in public health from the University of Washington.
Ursula Villarreal-Moura is the author of the novel Like Happiness, named a best book of 2024 by NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, ELLE, and them and longlisted for the Crook’s Corner Book Prize; and Math for the Self-Crippling, a flash fiction collection. Her writing has appeared in Lit Hub, Electric Literature, Alta, Bennington Review, Story, and elsewhere. She is a longtime advocate for reading diversely and for Land Back.
The City of Cambridge does not discriminate, including on the basis of disability. We may provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to people with disabilities. For more information contact us at library@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4032 (voice), or via relay at 711.
This event is co-sponsored by the Cambridge Public Library Foundation.