Teen Reading Ambassadors Present Bill Konigsberg

Worlds of Words Teen Reading Ambassadors invite you to meet Bill Konigsberg, author of Destination Unknown!

Photo by Gregg Edelman

From Scholastic Press: It’s 1987 in New York City, and Micah is at a dance club, trying to pretend he’s more out and outgoing than he really is. C.J. isn’t just out — he’s completely out there, and Micah can’t help but be both attracted to and afraid of someone who travels so loudly and proudly through the night.

As their lives become more and more entangled in the AIDS epidemic that’s laying waste to their community, and the AIDS activism that will ultimately bring a strong voice to their demands, whatever Micah and C.J. have between them will be tested, stretched, and strained — but it will also be a lifeline in a time of death, a bond that will determine the course of their futures.

Bill Konigsberg is the award-winning author of six young adult novels including The Porcupine of Truth, Openly Straight and The Music of What Happens. Prior to turning his attention to writing books for teens, Bill was a sports writer and editor for The Associated Press and ESPN.com. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with his husband, Chuck, and their Australian Labradoodles, Mabel and Buford.

U of A Campus Store will be on site with copies of Destination Unknown for sale.

This event includes a conversation between Kongisberg and the Reading Ambassadors followed by audience questions and a book signing. This event is free and open to the public.


Ticketed parking is available in the Second St. Garage and metered parking is available on the street/surface level through the Passport Mobile Parking app. Worlds of Words Center is also located just off of the 2nd St. Modern Streetcar stop.

To request disability-related accommodations that would ensure your full participation in this event, please email wow@arizona.edu or call 520.621.9340.

Event details may change. More information to follow.

Meet Bill Konigsberg

Teen Reading Ambassadors: The Porcupine of TruthJoin the Worlds of Words Teen Reading Ambassadors as we welcome Bill Konigsberg, author of The Porcupine of Truth. We are compelled by the search for and importance of belonging in this story of an epic road trip involving family history, gay history, the girlfriend our hero can’t have, the grandfather he never knew, and the Porcupine of Truth.

Carson Smith is resigned to spending his summer in Billings, Montana, helping his mom take care of his father, a dying alcoholic he doesn’t really know. Then he meets Aisha Stinson, a beautiful girl who has run away from her difficult family, and Pastor John Logan, who’s long held a secret regarding Carson’s grandfather, who disappeared without warning or explanation thirty years before. Together, Carson and Aisha embark on an epic road trip to find the answers that might save Carson’s dad, restore his fragmented family, and discover the “Porcupine of Truth” in all of their lives.

The University of Arizona Bookstore offers books for sale and autographing.

Event details may change, so check back for updates.