Talking with Alvina Chamberland about Love the World or Get Killed Trying

The Swedish-American writer Alvina Chamberland is a guest at The Lighthouse. She will be interviewed by Suzy Byczuk, one of the students of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance of The Hague University of Applied Sciences (GSA).

Through poetic prose, sharp social commentary and self-deprecating gallows humor her novel Love the World or Get Killed Trying dives into the mind of Alvina, a trans woman on the eve of turning 30. The reader follows her journey through the wilderness of Iceland and city boulevards of Berlin and Paris as she probes questions of eternity, sexuality, longing, death, love, and how hard it is to remain soft when you’re a ceaseless target of straight men’s secret lust and open disgust.

This event is organized in collaboration with Writers Unlimited.
The language of the event will be English.

Registration

As always, it's free for students and staff! Please register in advance:

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Alvina Chamberland

Alvina Chamberland (USA) is a Swedish-American author of predominantly literary autofiction novels, residing between Athens and Berlin. She has an MA in gender studies from Södertörns University Stockholm, with a thesis on trans feminine sisterhood and intersectionality in New York City. In 2015 she published in Sweden her co-authored book Allt som är Mitt: Våldtäkt, Stigmatisering och Upprättelse (English translation: All that is mine: Rape, Stigmatization and Reparation). In September 2018 her novel Utelåst – Uppväxt- nostalgi för freaks (Locked Out – A nostalgic account of growing up for freaks) a parody of the coming of age-genre, was published. Love the World or Get Killed Trying (2024) is her English language debut novel.

Suzy Byczuk

Suzy Byczuk (she/they) is a book lover, sport enthusiast, and final-year European Studies student. She co-heads the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) educational events and works in the Inclusion Office. She is passionate about making The Hague University of Applied Sciences more inclusive and building a student community where everyone feels welcome, valued, and has a sense of belonging.

Writers Unlimited Internationaal Literature Festival

More than 120 authors, poets, spoken word artists, and musicians will perform at the 30th Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival. From January 23 to 26, 2025, festival events will take place across The Hague in theaters, libraries, and schools.

Festival tip

During the grand festival event Saturday Night Unlimited, 25 January 2025 on five stages of Theater aan het Spui and Filmhuis Den Haag, Alvina Chamberland will perform in the subprogramme Trans, Writing, Joy, a celebration of gender, literature and creative energy with authors Alara Adilow and Zaire Krieger, and host Alejandra Ortiz. Trans authors from various parts of the world will read from their work and talk about in what way these concepts define their work and their lives. After the discussion the venue will be turned into a Room of Joy, with music, dance and celebration of everyone's uniqueness. Feel free to dance along!

English spoken. Tickets: up to 30 years €15, up from 31 years €35, see http://writersunlimited.nl.