Celebrating Black LGBTQIA+ Narratives with Pride Month 2025 Launch of YA Novel Star Fruit by Kamryn Kingsberry

Kamryn Kingsberry’s young adult novel Star Fruit releases in June 2025, spotlighting Black LGBTQIA+ resilience, allyship, and identity.

Los Angeles, CA, USA, March 7, 2025 — The novel tells the story of three teens producing a theater show that defies harmful stereotypes while facing pushback from those around them, showcasing underrepresented perspectives in young adult literature.

Author Photo Credit: Louise Sun (@syqstudios)

Highlighting Black LGBTQIA+ Stories in New YA Novel Star Fruit by Kamryn Kingsberry

Star Fruit, a groundbreaking young adult novel by Kamryn Kingsberry, will debut during Pride Month 2025. The novel provides an authentic look at the struggles and triumphs of Black LGBTQIA+ youth through the story of three high school friends staging a theater production amidst community resistance. Set in Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles, the novel celebrates the value of allyship, self-advocacy, and perseverance.

Told through the perspectives of protagonists Ari Scott, Atlas Diaz, and Ya Bayard, Star Fruit dives into topics of queer identity, allyship, and cultural representation in the arts. Through Ari’s creative vision and self-discovery as a writer, Atlas’s journey to self-acceptance as a young trans man, and Ya’s learning curve in allyship, Kingsberry offers readers an honest look at the challenges and rewards of embracing one’s identity and advocating for representation.

A New Approach to Representation and Allyship in YA Fiction

Kingsberry’s Star Fruit stands out as a story of friendship and resilience told through the perspective of characters with intersectional identities, resonating with a generation seeking inclusive and truthful narratives. The plot unfolds as high school seniors Ari, Atlas, and Ya face the rejection of Ari’s theater script by their school’s theater committee, who voice concerns that its “niche” themes around LGBTQIA+ and PGM (people of the global majority) characters are too divisive. Determined to bring Ari’s vision to life, the friends gain access to an unused auditorium but face the challenge of independently funding and managing the production.

Kingsberry explains, “I wanted to tell a story where diverse, overlapping identities come together, not as isolated themes but as part of each character’s unique experience. There’s power in young readers seeing themselves authentically represented, with all the complications, triumphs, and struggles that come with self-advocacy.”

An Exploration of the Realities Facing LGBTQIA+ Youth

As the characters navigate funding, cast selection, and community pushback, their personal relationships undergo strain. Unresolved feelings, budding romances, and jealousy rise to the surface as the pressures of staging the play increase. When a local parent organization rallies against the production, citing concerns over its queer and trans representation, the characters are also forced to confront hate speech and online harassment, creating even more friction within the trio. These challenges not only threaten their project but also test the limits of their friendship and commitment to the cause.

The characters’ experiences reveal the often-overlooked struggles facing many LGBTQIA+ youth and serve as a call to action, inspiring readers to support and advocate for inclusivity and allyship. “Especially at this time in history, stories like these remind us of the importance of representation,” Kingsberry says. “Books that remind us to keep advocating for ourselves while finding the joy in our individual experiences are crucial in the political climate we find ourselves in—especially for LGBTQIA+ youth.”

About Kamryn Kingsberry

Kamryn Kingsberry is a young adult fiction author passionate about elevating voices from underrepresented communities. A current student in Columbia University’s creative writing program, Kingsberry also produces the fiction podcast Inquizitive Kat Books and anticipates opening a boutique publishing company, Inquizitive Kat Books, that will focus on publishing and uplifting underrepresented narratives. Originally from Los Angeles, she now lives in New York City and continues to champion diverse voices in literature and media.

Star Fruit is available for pre-sale now on Amazon, with an official launch in June 2025.

Media Contact
Kamryn Kingsberry
Email: kamrynkingsberry@gmail.com
Website: www.inquizitivekatbooks.com
TikTok: @InquizitiveKatBooks
Instagram: @InquizitiveKatBooks

Contact Info:
Name: Kamryn Kingsberry
Email: Send Email
Organization: Inquizitive Kat Books
Website: http://www.inquizitivekatbooks.com

Release ID: 89154687

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