Meet Guyanese author Berkley Wendell Semple whose novel "Kipling Plass" is the heartbreaking story of family trauma, sexuality, friendship and growing up during 1980s Guyana. As the story unfolds, teenager Kipling Plass struggles to survive as he experiences feelings of abandonment after his mother’s breakdown, hardships in the midst of his country’s economic collapse and racial hostility. Berkley has published multiple collections of poetry: "Lamplight Teller, The Solo Flyer"; "The Central Station"; and "Flight and Other Poems," which won the 2023 Guyana Prize for Literature. His poetry and fiction have appeared in numerous publications, including "Callaloo," "The Hampden-Sydney Review," and "The Caribbean Writer" (for which he received a Daily News Prize for Poetry). Books will be available for sale and signing.