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Who am I now: A story told in 3 selves
July 23 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Who are we and how do we evolve over the decades? In this NOON Zoom, we talk to Jennifer Oko a novelist, journalist and filmmaker, about her new book Just Emilia, which explores life at different stages, how it affects and changes us as people.
In the popular book, the past, present and future collide in an elevator as 3 women get caught up in a gripping time-traveling tale of memory, emotion and unspoken truths about their shared history.
Weds 23 July 2025
6pm
via Zoom
About Just Emilia
When Emilia Fletcher finds herself trapped inside an elevator, getting out is the least of her problems. Sharing the confined space with her are Em, a troubled teenager plagued by suicidal thoughts, and Millie, an elderly woman yearning to mend ties with her estranged daughter.
As the hours drag on, hunger, exhaustion and panic set in, revealing an almost incomprehensible truth: They are the same person. Locked in an uncompromising match of memories, the three women excavate and attempt to reckon with the shared shame and suffering stemming from an unresolved trauma that has cast a profound shadow over their lives. Brimming with biting humour, compassion and quick-witted insight, Just Emilia is remarkable journey of self-discovery.
Come along to hear the insights Jennifer gained while writing the book and share your thoughts about what might come up if you met your younger and older selves in an elevator!
About Jennifer Oko
Her memoir Lying Together was a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice. She is also the author of two previous novels; Gloss, a satire of morning television which was a USA Today “Hot Summer Read, and Head Case, a comic mystery about psycho-pharmaceutical trafficking which she swears is not autobiographical in any way. Just Emilia is her third novel. She lives in Washington, DC with her family.
“Who hasn’t wished they could sit down with their teenage self and assure them it’ll all be okay—or ask their future self every burning question they have about what is to come? Emilia Fletcher gets to do exactly that in Just Emilia, a compelling tale of time travel and self discovery that will leave you re-examining your own life and memories.” —Erin Quinn-Kong, author of Hate Follow