Listen

In Listen Francesca tells us the story of May. May is a piano-genius college freshman who dreams of becoming a brilliant composer. In her school's practice rooms she meets Conner, an undeniably unattractive junior, and she is immediately captivated by his raw musicality on the piano. As May tries to navigate college life and fulfill her music dreams, Conner pulls her toward the natural world, toward her own wildness, and, ultimately, toward the wildness within her music as well.

Francesca G. Varela

Francesca G. Varela was raised in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Her dream of becoming an author began in third grade, and her writing career had an early start; she had a poem published in the 2002 edition of The Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans. Her debut novel, Call of the Sun Child, won the Bronze Medal in the 2014 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards for Best First Book and also was named a Finalist in the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the Young Adult category. She recently graduated from the University of Oregon with degrees in Environmental Studies and Creative Writing. When not writing, she spends her time practicing piano and violin, figure skating, walking her dog, Ginger, and exploring Oregon’s wild places.