Join author Marpheen Chann for a special evening to celebrate the launch of his debut book Moon in Full: A Modern Coming-of-Age Story with a book reading and signing.
This event is free and open to the public.
RSVP for the Moon in Full Book Launch!
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Moon in Full, a contemporary coming-of-age story, shines light on one young man’s search for truth and compassion in a complicated era as it unwinds the deep-seated challenges we all face finding our authentic voice and true identities. Author Marpheen Chann’s heart-warming journey weaves through housing projects and foster homes; into houses of worship and across college campuses; and playing out in working-class Maine where he struggles to find his place. Adopted into in a majority white community, Chann must reconcile his fears and secret longings as a young gay man with the devoutly religious beliefs of his new family. Chann, a second-generation Asian American, recounts what he has learned, what he has lost, and what he has found during his evolution from a hungry refugee’s son to religious youth to advocate for acceptance and equality.
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Marpheen Chann, a second generation Asian American, is a writer, speaker, and gay man. In 2014, Chann was the first of his biological and adoptive families to graduate college. He studied political science, philosophy, and economics at the University of Southern Maine, where he helped start the Queer Straight Alliance. He also graduated from USM School of Law and co-founded the Cambodian Community Association of Maine. Chann lives in Portland. Moon in Full is his first book.
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“Only Marpheen Chann could have written this spectacular debut memoir, which conveys everything the world and Americans need to know about identity and the struggles it brings to a young man with a heart full of love and meaning. Moon in Full tackles the urgent issues of the LGBT community, immigration and human rights. It is timely and it is a must-read for everyone.” —Abdi Iftin, author of Call Me American: A Memoir
“The attention to detail and rawness with which Chann writes is commendable and gives the memoir a quality of honesty that can be hard to find. He tackles difficult topics with grace and truth, never shying away from the hard parts.”—Lydia Simmons, USM Free Press
“But above all, Moon in Full is a story of hope. Chann’s wise narration carries the reader along through this contemporary coming-of-age story so that we emerge at the end convinced that, in some cases at least, significant trauma need not be the sole determinant of one’s life story.” —Kathreen Harrison, Amjambo Africa
"Chann, a politician and advocate for Asian and LGBTQIA+ rights, has written a powerful and moving memoir about growing up and learning to embrace his gay identity."—Leah K. Huey, Library Journal
“Moon in Full is a powerful story about the complex intersections of identity, the longing to belong, and the pursuit of what is true. Marpheen's story is on one hand incredibly unique—which makes this a truly compelling account to read—but also intersects, in some way or another with all of our stories."— Brandan Robertson, Author of Filled To Be Emptied: The Path of Liberation for Privileged People
