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Music, Memory, and Finding Your Voice with Gabrielle Korn

Author Talk in recognition of LGBTQ PRIDE

Enjoy a special evening with author Gabrielle Korn as she discusses her new novel, Long Island Girls, a deeply nostalgic coming‑of‑age story set against the indie music scene of the early 2000s.

Rooted in the raw intensity of youth but shaped by the clarity of hindsight, Long Island Girl follows Susan as she navigates small‑town rumors, early adulthood, and the exhilarating yet complicated world of indie music. From Long Island to Brooklyn, she works to build a life in the industry she loves—only to confront who gets to belong, who gets to create, and what it costs to stay. When Susan reconnects with Eliza, the magnetic girl she once couldn’t ignore, she’s forced to reckon with the past that shaped her and the future she’s still trying to claim.

This richly drawn novel captures the ache of growing up, the messiness and joy of queer identity, and the power of music and memory in defining who we become.

Gabrielle Korn will discuss the inspiration behind the book, her writing process, and the themes that drive her storytelling with Nikki Payne. A Q&A and book signing will follow the conversation. Signed copies of Long Island Girls will be available for purchase from a local bookstore.

For reasonable accommodations, please contact the Center for Accessibility at 202-727-2142 or DCPLaccess@dc.gov. For ASL or tactile interpretation, please allow at least seven (7) days notice.

About the Author
 

Gabrielle Korn is the author of Yours for the Taking, The Shutouts, and Everybody (Else) Is Perfect, and the former editor in chief of Nylon. Her writing has been published across the internet since 2011, with bylines in Elle, McSweeney’s, The Millions, Literary Hub, InStyle, Domino, Oprah Daily, Refinery29, and more. Originally from New York, she now lives in Los Angeles with her wife, and together they run the Pink Door artist and writer residency.

About the Moderator   
 

By day, Nikki Payne is a Tech anthropologist building accessible government services for vulnerable populations; by night, she dreams of ways to subvert Canon literature. Hailed as "Utterly Enthralling" by the "New York Times," Her latest work, Princess and the PI, is a national bestseller and was selected for the DC reads program by the Pen Faulkner Foundation. featured in the New York Times, NPR, Elle, Oprah Daily and BuzzFeed, Nikki Payne is writing black women into their happily ever after.

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