Always Never Knowing is a collection of stories following Jiavonna “Vonna” Cepeda through her adolescence in southern Guam. Each short story explores different moments in Vonna’s life when she must balance the expectations of her strict parents with her own desires and expectations for herself.   Always Never Knowing is a collection of stories following Jiavonna “Vonna” Cepeda as she navigates adolescence, from friendships and crushes to cultural identity and family dynamics. Each short story explores a different moment in Vonna’s life where she faces one question after another—about her home, her relationships, and herself. With both humor and wit, Always Never Knowing depicts the village girl coming of age in contemporary Guam.Each new experience seems to bring more questions than answers—about her home, her relationships, and her cultural identity. Vonna must decide whom she wants to become in a world that seems to be constantly shifting around her. With her humor, wit, and budding wisdom, she navigates family struggles with mental illness, changing friendships, and even first crushes.

Georgiana Quintanilla Tyquiengco

Softcover, 240 pp.