Join Emily Ahmed for the release of her debut poetry collection, ON DISTANCE.
🎟 This event is FREE and open to the public and books will be available for purchase the night of the event! An RSVP grants general entry, but seating is not guaranteed, so please try and show up early. Please RSVP only if you intend to attend.
This is an in-person event and will be held at Books & Books in Coconut Grove, Florida.
Address: 3409 Main Hwy, Coconut Grove, FL 33133
Register for the event here:
https://shop.booksandbooks.com/event/2026-03-26/evening-emily-ahmed-conversation-gia-rojas
On Distance by Emily Ahmed
…is a luminous debut collection that spans a decade of writing, beginning in her teenage years and culminating during a coming of age period as she grappled with notions of solitude, loneliness, and finding community. What began as scattered reflections evolved into a deeply introspective project in an effort to make sense of self, memory, and belonging through language. Blending myth and modernity, these poems explore myth-making, love, and the search for home. Ahmed reminds us that stories are life-saving acts of meaning-making, myths we return to for empathy and guidance. With lyrical grace and striking clarity, On Distance reveals how myth, memory, and survival intertwine to illuminate the distances we live and love through.
About The Author
Emily (she/her) is a mixed race Egyptian-American writer and a Michener Fellow at the University of Miami where she is completing her MFA. She is often inspired by myths, fairytales, film, television, and animals, and explores issues of mental health, coming-of-age, heritage, and family within her work. She enjoys going to the Everglades on her weekends off from school, and painting and illustrating. On Distance is her debut collection of poetry.
About The Moderator
Gianella, or Gia, Rojas (she/they) is a queer Peruvian-American writer born and raised in Miami, Florida. She’s currently an MFA Candidate and Michener Fellow at the University of Miami. Their work explores overlooked histories, relationships, grief, environmentalism, and intergenerational dialogue. The magic, care, and resistance of her communities are at the core of her writing. When Gia’s not working, they love to puzzle with friends, explore the Everglades, and sing along to KPop Demon Hunters for the thousandth time with their little sister.