Venessa Vida Kelley shares the real history behind their Coney Island historical romantasy, When the Tides Held the Moon, in a multimedia conversation about sideshow acts of the past, Coney Island’s cultural significance at the turn of the 20th Century, and the lessons “America’s Playground” can teach us about ourselves and the “other.”

About the Author:

Venessa Vida Kelley is a Nuyorican writer, illustrator, sequential artist, and acclaimed author of When the Tides Held the Moon. Their work focuses on magical realism, fantasy, and romance in a culturally diverse world, and has been featured in Discovery Girls Magazine, Buzzfeed, and in board games and activism campaigns for Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, creator of the La Borinqueña comic series. They hold a BA and MA in English Literature with concentrations in film from the University of Delaware and George Washington University.​​ They live in Washington, DC with their spouse and two sons, and can be found online at VenessaKelley.com.

About the Book:

When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley is a beautifully illustrated, queer, cozy historical romantasy about a young Puerto Rican immigrant in turn-of-the-20 th -century New York, as he goes through a journey of love and self-discovery after capturing a merman for a Coney Island sideshow act.

*The Coney Island Museum is located on the second floor and is not wheelchair-accessible at this time