The Event: Celebrate Pride with us! Teens in grades 8-12 are invited to meet Mel Hammond & Teghan Hammond, authors  of the 2024 YA novel Lucy, Uncensored, and ask them questions about being a writer in this special, hybrid and live-streamed program! Teens will have the option to attend the event in person at both the Main Library and the North Quincy Library, where large screens will project the presenting authors. In person attendees will have the chance to ask questions and say hello to the authors! Attendees may also view the event from the comfort of their home, via the Zoom link provided to all registrants. This event will be recorded. Signed bookplates available while supplies last (available only to in-person attendees).

If you register to view the event on your own, we will send you a link before the program. If you register to attend the program at the Main Library or the North Quincy branch, you are all set, and we will see you there!

The Book: Lucy imagines college as more than a chance to party with other drama nerds and be roommates with her best friend Callie. College will be her fresh start. For the first time, she'll be able to introduce herself as Lucy to people she hasn't gone to school with since kindergarten. Plus, she happens to live an hour away from one of the most prestigious theater programs in the country. She's always dreamed of going to Central, but when she finally has a chance to visit, it's not what she imagined. While Lucy and Callie are on their campus tour, two kids from their high school make the typical transphobic comments Lucy's gotten used to in her small town. She starts to worry that her dream school might end up being High School 2.0. What if she belongs somewhere else? Somewhere that she can truly have a fresh start?

The Authors: Teghan Hammond and Mel Hammond are sisters who grew up punching each other whenever they saw a P.T. Cruiser, dying their hair blue together, and fabricating a fake band in which their middle brother was (allegedly) the lead singer. Writing Lucy, Uncensored was their first time co-writing. Unless you count the summer they spent scribbling down recipes for the strangest sandwiches you’ve ever heard of, like the Tax Exemption Wrap (Teghan) and the Nail Gun Sandwich (Mel).

Today, Teghan lives in northern Indiana, where she drinks excessive amounts of coffee and volunteers for LGBTQIA+ causes. When she’s not tearing down gender norms, Teghan is probably watching cartoons or gaming. Mel lives in Madison, Wisconsin, where she writes books in a rainbow-painted room. Besides writing, she loves walking in the woods and eating dairy-free ice cream. Between the two of them, Teghan and Mel have four adorable cats.