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Is This a Cry for Help? - An Author Talk with Emily Austin

In Conversation with Emma Sarappo

Join us in hearing from Best-Selling Author Emily Austin as she discusses her new book Is This a Cry for Help? with Senior Associate Editor at The Atlantic, Emma Sarappo.

The Atlantic's Senior Associate Editor Emma Sarappo will be in conversation with Emily Austin about her new book Is This a Cry for Help?

Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of East City Bookshop. 

About the Book

Darcy’s life turned out better than she could have ever imagined. She is a librarian at the local branch, while her wife Joy runs a book binding service. Between the two of them, there is no more room on their shelves with their ample book collections, various knickknacks and bobbles, and dried bouquets. Rounding out their ideal life is two cats and a sun-soaked house by the lake.

But when Darcy receives the news that her ex-boyfriend, Ben, has passed away, she spirals into a pit of guilt and regret, resulting in a mental breakdown and medical leave from the library. When she returns to work, she is met by unrest in her community, and protests surrounding intellectual freedom, resulting in a call for book bans and a second look at the branch’s upcoming DEI programs.

Through the support of her community, colleagues, and the personal growth that results from examining her previous relationships, Darcy comes into her own agency and the truest version of herself. Is This a Cry for Help? not only offers a moving portrait of queer life after coming of age but also powerfully explores questions about sexuality, community, and the importance of libraries.

About the Author and Conversation Partner

Emily Austin (she/her) is the bestselling author of four novels, all published by Atria Books and Simon & Schuster Canada, including her most recent, "We Could Be Rats" (2025), which was an instant national best seller. Her next novel, "Is This a Cry for Help?", comes out in January 2026.

Emily’s debut novel, "Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead" (2021), was long listed for The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, shortlisted for the Amazon First Novel Award, and a finalist for the Ottawa Book Awards. Her second novel, "Interesting Facts About Space" (2023), has been nominated for the 2025 Forest of Reading Evergreen Award, and was long listed for The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. It was also the #1 bestselling LGBTQIA+ book in Canada and the most circulated LGBTQIA+ book in Canadian libraries in 2024. Her poetry debut, "Gay Girl Prayers", was published by Brick Books in 2024, was a CBC Best Book of Poetry in 2024, and a finalist for the 2025 Archibald Lampman Award.

Her writing often centres lesbian characters and explores themes of mental health, religious trauma, neurodivergence, and queerness.

Emma Sarappo (she/her) is an editor and critic. Currently, she is a Senior Associate Editor for The Atlantic, covering books and literary culture. Previously, she was the Arts Editor at Washington City Paper, and her writing can be found in multiple outlets. She is from south of Nashville, Tennessee, and currently lives in Washington, D.C.

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