One Maryland One Book Author Visit: Naima Coster

College of Southern Maryland | Fine Arts Center

Join us at the College of Southern Maryland in the Fine Arts Center (FA Building) for an intimate discussion with One Maryland One Book Author, Naima Coster, Author of 'What's Mine and Yours'.

From the author of Halsey Street, a sweeping novel of legacy, identity, the American family—and the ways that race affects even our most intimate relationships.

This program will consist of 30-40 minutes of interview-style discussion with Ashley Teagle, CEO of the Southern Maryland Regional Library Association (SMRLA), followed by 15-20 minutes of audience Q&A. Naima Coster will sign books for approximately an hour after she speaks. This event is open to the public. Registration is not required. Non-flash/still photography is permissible at this live event, however, video and audio recording are not permitted.

For groups larger than 8 wanting to attend, please contact programs@ccplonline.org for coordination purposes. Please note that seating is not guaranteed. It is open and available on a first-come, first-seated basis.

This event is organized by Maryland Humanities and co-sponsored and co-hosted by One Maryland One Book. Please note that One Maryland One Book is a program of Maryland Humanities.
CCPL thanks our partners with Southern Maryland Regional Library, Calvert Library, St. Mary's Public Library and the College of Southern Maryland in their assistance in bringing this event to Charles County. 

Questions? please contact programs@ccplonline.org.

What is One Maryland One Book? 

When we read a great book, we can’t wait to share the experience and talk about it with others. That’s one of the joys of reading!

In that spirit, Maryland Humanities created One Maryland One Book (OMOB) to bring together diverse people in communities across the state through the shared experience of reading the same book. We invite you to participate in book-centered discussions and related programs at public libraries, high schools, colleges, museums, bookstores, and community and senior centers around the state.

OMOB programs, including an author tour, take place each year in the fall. 

OMOB FAQ Page 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Naima Coster is the New York Times bestselling author of two novels and a recipient of the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 honor. Her most recent novel, What’s Mine and Yours, was a Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club pick, a Book of the Month Club pick, and was named a best book of the year by Kirkus, Amazon, Esquire, Marie Claire, Ms. Magazine, The Millions, and Refinery29.

Naima’s first novel, Halsey Street, was a finalist for the Kirkus Prize for Fiction and a semifinalist for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Published in 2018, it was named a must-read book of the year by People, Essence, BitchMedia, Well-Read Black Girl, The Skimm, and the Brooklyn Public Library.

Naima’s stories and essays have appeared in the New York Times, Elle, Time, Kweli, The Cut, The Sunday Times, Catapult, The Paris Review Daily, among other publications, and in numerous anthologies. She is a graduate of Yale University, Fordham University, and the Columbia University School of the Arts, where she earned her MFA. She has taught writing for over a decade in community settings, youth programs, and universities. She currently teaches in the low-residency MFA program at Antioch University in L.A. She is a 2022 mentor for the Periplus Collective.

Naima is at work on her third novel about early motherhood, class mobility, and the lifelong friendship between two women. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.

ABOUT THE BOOK 

A community in the Piedmont of North Carolina rises in outrage as a county initiative draws students from the largely Black east side of town into predominantly white high schools on the west. For two students, Gee and Noelle, the integration sets off a chain of events that will tie their two families together in unexpected ways over the span of the next twenty years.

On one side of the integration debate is Jade, Gee’s steely, ambitious mother. In the aftermath of a harrowing loss, she is determined to give her son the tools he’ll need to survive in America as a sensitive, anxious, young Black man. On the other side is Noelle’s headstrong mother, Lacey May, a white woman who refuses to see her half-Latina daughters as anything but white. She strives to protect them as she couldn’t protect herself from the influence of their charming but unreliable father, Robbie.

When Gee and Noelle join the school play meant to bridge the divide between new and old students, their paths collide, and their two seemingly disconnected families begin to form deeply knotted, messy ties that will shape the trajectory of their adult lives. And their mothers—each determined to see her child inherit a better life—will make choices that will haunt them for decades to come.

As love is built and lost, and the past never too far behind, What’s Mine and Yours is an expansive, vibrant tapestry that moves between the years, from the foothills of North Carolina, to Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Paris. It explores the unique organism that is every family: what breaks them apart and how they come back together.

ABOUT ASHLEY TEAGLE (Moderator/Interviewer): 

Ashley Teagle is the CEO of the Southern Maryland Regional Library Association (SMRLA). She is originally from Salisbury, MD and relocated to Southern Maryland to pursue a career in public libraries. Ashley has her B.A. in English & Communications Arts from Hood College (Frederick, MD) and a Master’s of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Ashley’s prior experience includes a variety of positions with the Charles County Public Library (MD) system. She was the Executive Director of the Wicomico Public Libraries (MD) in Salisbury, MD prior to joining SMRLA. Ashley’s library interests include digital equity, intellectual freedom, and developing inclusive libraries.

Where to get your book:
Check out or place a hold from our catalog.
Download the free e-book from Maryland Humanities.
Readers Guide (PDF)  Teachers Guide (PDF)

Other CCPL One Maryland One Book Programs:  

Saturday Book Discussion 9/17 at 10 AM @ Waldorf West Library

La Plata Book Discussion 10/13 at 7 PM 

DIY Book Club Bundles: What’s Mine & Yours by Naima Coster - 9/15-10/15, 2022

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