Join us for a reading and conversation with graphic novelist Emil Wilson, hosted by graphic novelist Sophie Yanow.
It’s the spring of 1985 and Lou Miller is weeks away from graduating high school when her father, Donald, invites his coworker, Jim, and his two dogs, Henny and Penny, to move into their home. Jim has been evicted from his apartment and fallen on hard times, but there is more to the situation than Lou or her mother, Annemarie, realize.
Jim’s arrival upends the lives of this small-town Oregon family. As Annemarie grows increasingly uneasy about sharing her home with a stranger, Lou finds herself drawn to Jim’s warmth, humor, and quiet resilience. Their unlikely bond carries Jim through the most difficult months of his life and gives Lou the courage to imagine a future beyond the bounds of her hometown.
Tender, surprising, and full of hope, The Nightingales is an unforgettable story about compassion, family, and the unexpected ways one person's life can alter another's.
Emil Wilson is a graphic novelist, cartoonist, illustrator, and designer whose debut graphic novel, The Nightingales, was published by Avid Reader Press in August 2026. His work has been recognized by the Ignatz Awards, the Graphic Medicine Conference, the Broken Pencil Awards, American Illustration, and Communication Arts. Before turning to comics, Wilson worked as an art director and designer. He is based in San Francisco.
Sophie Yanow is a California-based artist, writer and educator. She has been published by The New Yorker, The Guardian, The Paris Review and more. Her coming-of-age graphic novel The Contradictions (Drawn & Quarterly) was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Comics, longlisted for the Believer Book Award, and won the 2019 Eisner for Best Webcomic. Her work has also appeared on the Best American Comics 2015 & 2018 notable lists and she has been a MacDowell Fellow.