Vanishing Maps: A Novel
with author Cristina Garcia

In conversation with Laura Sheppard, Director of Events

Celia del Pino, the matriarch of a far-flung Cuban family, has watched her descendants spread out across the globe, struggling to make sense of their transnational identities and strained relationships with one another. In Berlin, the charismatic yet troubled Ivanito performs on stage as his drag queen persona, while being haunted by the ghost of his mother. Pilar Puente, adrift in Los Angeles, is a struggling sculptor and the single mother of a young son. In Moscow, Ivanito’s cousin Irina has become the wealthy owner of a lingerie company, but she remains deeply lonely in the wake of her parents’ deaths and her estrangement from her Cuban heritage. Meanwhile, in Havana, Celia prepares to reunite with her lost lover, Gustavo, and wonders whether age and the decades spent apart have altered their bond.

October is National Hispanic Heritage Month. To learn more, visit https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/about

Cristina Garcia is the author of eight novels including Dreaming in Cuban, The Agüero Sisters, Monkey Hunting, A Handbook to Luck, The Lady Matador’s Hotel, King of Cuba, and Here in Berlin. García’s work has been nominated for a National Book Award and translated into 15 languages. She’s taught at universities nationwide and is currently resident playwright at Central Works Theater in Berkeley, CA. (Author photo by Gary L. Aguilar.)

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