Afghan-Australian author Bobuq Sayed’s novel takes place more than a decade and 6,000 miles away from Tampa Bay, but the story will resonate with many who pick it up at Tombolo this weekend.
Sayed’s “wry, provocative” debut, “No God But Us,” follows two gay Afghan men leave their respective countries in the 2015 migrant crisis and end up meeting in Istanbul.
They’re embraced by “dissidents, sex workers, activists, poets, and heretics,” but still face the pressure of an increasingly authoritarian society like when police raid a Pride march. It’s a story of love, immigration and politics not unfamiliar in Florida.
Sayed will be in St. Pete on Sunday to discuss the book with Florida literary power couple Kristen Arnett and Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya.
No God But Us – An Evening with Bobuq Sayed
Time Sun., May 31, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Location Tombolo Books, 2153 1st Ave S., St. Petersburg
This article appears in May 07 – 13, 2026.