Pride Month is saved.
We’re in the midst of a gay crisis. All over the world, Pride parades have been postponed or canceled. Queer people are now coming to terms with a June spent in isolation.
Enter Becky Albertalli, author of young adult fiction, and best known for her Love, Simon series. In a surprise move, Albertalli announced on Twitter that she is indeed releasing another addition to the series. Oh, and it’s coming at the end of Pride month.
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Love, Creekwood will take place after the events of Love, Simon, and before the events of Leah Offbeat. The story will follow “the gang’s first year of college” with a collection of emails that will further develop our favorite characters in the “Simonverse.”
According to Albertalli, the book will also contain “shenanigans, exclamation points, yearning, Drunk Simon, Nostalgic Blue, Finals Week Abby, Valentine’s Day Leah, big decisions, and MUCH talk of kissing.” Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel.
Me for literally years: this is the end of the Simonverse. There are no sequels coming. Never.
Me right now: LOVE, CREEKWOOD, a Simonverse novella, out 6/30/20 from @balzerandbray in hardcover, e-book, and audio. No info yet on int’l availability, but I hope to know more soon! pic.twitter.com/zvJjMnhANF
— Becky Albertalli Updates (@beckyalbertalli) April 21, 2020
It’s about a third of the length of a Simonverse book, all emails, and it’s set during the gang’s first year of college (after Leah on the Offbeat, before Love, Victor). DEFINITELY contains spoilers for Simon and Leah’s books.
— Becky Albertalli Updates (@beckyalbertalli) April 21, 2020
Also contains: shenanigans, exclamation points, yearning, Drunk Simon, Nostalgic Blue, Finals Week Abby, Valentine’s Day Leah, big decisions, and MUCH talk of kissing.
— Becky Albertalli Updates (@beckyalbertalli) April 21, 2020
If this wasn’t enough, Albertalli is donating “100% of all my English language royalty advance” to The Trevor Project. This comes at a crucial time for crisis intervention and suicide prevention. So many young queer people are on lockdown in unsupportive households.
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According to The Trevor Project, their crisis contact volume has been “significantly higher than in recent months and has spiked at nearly two times the normal volume.”
I’m donating 100% of my English language royalty advance to @TrevorProject, the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.
— Becky Albertalli Updates (@beckyalbertalli) April 21, 2020
It’s hard to explain how important @TrevorProject is to me. They do the work I can’t, and they do it with such thoughtfulness, care, and commitment to research-based best practices.
— Becky Albertalli Updates (@beckyalbertalli) April 21, 2020
@TrevorProject also offers internationally accessible online resources, and they have saved *many* of my readers’ lives. And, as I’m sure you can imagine, there’s been a huge spike in the volume of crisis calls due to COVID19 and its specific impact on LGBTQ youth.
— Becky Albertalli Updates (@beckyalbertalli) April 21, 2020
Pride Month will be a “Simonverse” extravaganza. Love, Victor, an upcoming Hulu series, will focus on Victor (played by Michael Cimino), a new student at Creekwood High School—the same school that Simon went to! The 10-part series will also launch in June, to coincide with Pride Month.
Related | ‘Love, Simon’ Sequel Set to Premiere on Hulu for Pride Month
Never fear, there is not a single gay out there who would let Pride month pass uncelebrated. The library is open honey, lockdown, or no lockdown.
