Author Visit & Book Discussion

Date: Thursday, November 20

Time: 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Intended Audience: 

3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - Faculty and staff only

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - All campus, students welcome!

Location: Alumni House, Valley Campus

Event Details: Join us for afternoon refreshments and conversation with the author! 

Faculty and Staff RSVP

Student RSVP

We're reading the novel Like Happiness by Ursula Villarreal-Moura. 

Like Happiness is a finalist for The Rudolfo Anaya Fiction Award, longlisted for The Crook’s Corner Book Prize, was selected as an Indie Next Pick, and named a Best Book of 2024 by NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, ELLE, and Them. Macmillan Publishing described it as "A searing debut about the complexities of gender, power, and fame, told through the story of a young woman’s destructive relationship with a legendary writer."

Access a copy through the Grand Valley libraries or your own local library. More information about library copies here. 

We hope you'll join us! 

About the Author

A native of San Antonio, Texas, Ursula Villarreal-Moura is the author of two works of fiction. Her debut novel Like Happiness is a finalist for The Rudolfo Anaya Fiction Award, longlisted for The Crook’s Corner Book Prize, was selected as an Indie Next Pick and named a Best Book of 2024 by NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, ELLE, and Them. Math for the Self-Crippling, her flash fiction story collection, was a small press bestseller and has been taught at numerous universities. Her stories, essays, and interviews can be found in Lit Hub, Electric Literature, Story, Alta Journal, and The Rumpus, among others. She is a longtime advocate of reading diversely and of Land Back. 

Here's how we're pacing our reading: 

9/4 - 9/25: Chapters 1-7

9/26 - 10/22: Chapters 8-15

10/23 - 11/6: Chapters 16-22

11/7 - 11/20: Chapters 23-30

Content Warning

Topics may include, but are not limited to: 

We encourage readers to engage with this content thoughtfully and to take care of their mental and emotional well-being.