“A grip­ping debut . . . Girls Girls Girls is a nos­tal­gic romp through the ​’90s San Fran­cis­co les­bian scene. . . . offer[ing] sen­si­tive por­tray­als of rela­tion­ships among women with moments that are joy­ful, uncom­fort­able, dif­fi­cult, hurt­ful, and resplen­dent in pro­por­tion­ate measures.” —Jewish Book Council

On Tuesday, May 12 at 6:00PM, San Mateo County Libraries is thrilled to welcome Bay Area author Shoshana von Blanckensee to the Foster City Library!

Shoshana will join us for a conversation about her acclaimed novel, Girls Girls Girls.

About Girls Girls Girls

It’s the summer of ’96 and secret girlfriends Hannah and Sam are driving across the country from Long Beach, New York, to the fabled queer paradise of San Francisco, finally free from the stifling demands of Hannah’s devout Orthodox Jewish mother. In San Francisco, they can be a real couple, out in the open, around other queer people.

But when the financial strains of West Coast living push the girls to start stripping at the Chez Paree, Hannah feels trapped. Until she meets Chris, an older butch lesbian, who is immediately taken with her. Desperate to stay in San Francisco and away from the leering men at the club, Hannah proposes an escort arrangement.

As Hannah falls deeper into Chris’s world, and Sam starts to meet new queer friends, a rift forms between them. Without Sam, who is Hannah? And what does San Francisco mean to Hannah alone? An achingly tender and resonant story of survival, first love, and growing up queer in the '90s, Girls Girls Girls is a piercing exploration of the choices we make in the thrilling and often confounding search for ourselves and home.

Meet Shoshana von Blanckensee

Shoshana von Blanckensee lives in Berkeley, California, with her partner and kids. She is an Oncology Nurse by day, and a writer by any available moment. Girls Girls Girls is her debut novel, and is a finalist for the 2026 LAMBDA Literary Award and 2025 CALIBA Golden Poppy Award.

Schedules

  • Occurs Tuesday, May 12th, 2026 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Venue

Contact

Foster City Library

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