Join Sydney Langford in celebration of their book, The Loudest Silence. Sydney will be in conversation with fellow young adult author Maya Prasad.

Note: There will be a sign language interpreter present during the event.

About the book

Two disabled, queer teens find belonging in this poignant platonic love story about singing, signing, and solidarity.

Casey Kowalski once dreamed of becoming a professional singer. Then the universe threw her a life-altering curveball—sudden, permanent, and profound hearing loss—just before her family’s move from Portland to Miami. Now, she’s learning to navigate the world as a Deaf-Hard of Hearing person while trying to conceal her hearing loss from her new schoolmates.

Hayden González-Rossi is also keeping secrets. Three generations of González men have risen to stardom on the soccer field, and Hayden knows his family expects him to follow in their footsteps, but he wants to quit soccer and pursue a career on Broadway. If only his Generalized Anxiety Disorder didn’t send him into a debilitating spiral over the thought of telling the truth.

Casey and Hayden are both determined to hide who they really are. But when they cross paths at school, they bond over their shared love of music and their mutual feeling that they don’t belong, and the secrets come spilling out. Their intimate friendship is the beating heart of this dual-POV story featuring thoughtful disability representation, nuanced queer identities, and a lovably quirky supporting cast.

Sydney Langford (they/them) is a queer, Deaf–Hard of Hearing, and physically disabled author living in Portland, Oregon. When not singing musical theater songs or playing with their dogs, they are passionate about writing stories that celebrate inclusivity and the diverse experiences of queer and disabled teens. The Loudest Silence is their debut novel. You can find Sydney on social media @slangwrites, or visit their website at slangwrites.com.

Maya Prasad (she/her) is a South Asian American author, a Caltech graduate, and a former software engineer. She currently resides in the Pacific Northwest, where she enjoys hiking, kayaking, and raising her budding bookworm kiddo. Her YA novels include Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things, a 2023 Children’s Book Council Young Adult and Librarian Favorite. Her STEM chapter book series starts with Sejal Sinha Battles Superstorms, an OWL Awards shortlist title and a NECBA Windows & Mirrors pick. She’s passionate about creating joyful representation for kids and teens across genres.