• ALT: A chest-up headshot of Sydney Langford—a white nonbinary person with greenish-blue eyes, and wavy, shoulder-length brown hair with the tips dyed blue. They are sitting in a patch of purple wildflowers with blurry trees in the background. They’re smiling and looking off-camera. They are wearing a black tank top and silver nose ring with rainbow jewels—tattoos of a rain cloud and a bunny with fairy wings are visible on their arms.


    Credit: Cameron Langford

  • Sydney Langford (they/them) is a Young Adult author and Pacific Northwesterner who is currently based out of rainy Portland, Oregon. When they aren’t working on writing their own novels, they can be found curled up with a book and cuddling their dogs, Rusty and Boss.

    As a Deaf-Hard of Hearing, queer, and physically disabled author, Sydney is most passionate about writing novels that feature diverse characters so that readers from marginalized communities, especially Disabled and/or queer readers, can see themselves represented on page. Their novels range from powerful contemporaries featuring queer-platonic relationships to swoony romantic comedies where disabled main characters get to experience a ‘happily ever after’—but no matter the genre, all of their novels celebrate diversity and inclusivity, and give readers a glimpse into perspectives they may have not had insight on before.

    They are the author of THE LOUDEST SILENCE (Holiday House, 7/30/24) and SOMEONE TO DAYDREAM ABOUT (FSG/Macmillan, 3/24/26)

  • Sydney Langford (they/them) is a queer, Deaf-Hard of Hearing, and physically disabled author who resides in Portland, Oregon. Their biggest passion in life is creating stories that reflect the diverse world we live in—whether that be rom-coms about quirky, disabled teens; or contemporaries that feature queer joy. They are the author of THE LOUDEST SILENCE (Holiday House, 7/30/24) and SOMEONE TO DAYDREAM ABOUT (FSG/Macmillan, 3/24/26)

  • ALT: A shoulders-up headshot of Sydney Langford, a pale person with blue-green eyes, and wavy, chin-length brown hair with the tips dyed hot pink; they’re wearing a black & white striped shirt and a silver nose ring. They're smiling at the camera. The background is a wood bookshelf with lots of multicoloured books.


    Credit: Connie Langford

StDA Press Releases (Portland, OR + Seattle, WA)

Book Covers

  • ALT (credit to Sydney Langford): Cover of THE LOUDEST SILENCE by Sydney Langford. Medium purple curtains flow down the sides & the background is ombré curtains: lavender to baby pink to light orange. At the bottom, a purple stage & dark purple audience, who raise hands for ASL clapping & form “I love you” signs.

    Main characters are onstage. Hayden on the left, on a lavender stool. He has brown curly hair, tan skin, hazel eyes, freckles, silver braces. He’s in a pink soccer jersey, khaki shorts, & white cleats. He’s playing a guitar with stickers: a green iguana, a heart with asexual pride colors, Cuban & Italian flags, a soccer ball, a palm tree.

    Casey’s standing on the right, singing into a mic. She has pale skin, wavy brown hair, & blue eyes. Shes in a white crop top, a navy blue button up with pink & purple ASL letters, jean shorts, brown boots.

    Above them ‘THE LOUDEST SILENCE’ is in plum purple letters. ‘The’ & ‘Silence’ are in a blocky font, ‘Loudest’ in a calligraphy font. Sydney Langford is in baby pink blocky font at the bottom.

  • Cover illustration: Jacqueline Li

    Cover design: Chelsea Hunter

  • ALT (credit to Sydney Langford): Cover for SOMEONE TO DAYDREAM ABOUT by Sydney Langford. Two teens stand on a rooftop in a tender moment. On the left is Felix, a dreamy Korean boy with long blond hair swept back. He wears a long tan trench coat over a lavender hoodie and plaid Burberry pants, gazing softly at the girl beside him. On the right is Natalie, a white girl with wavy pink hair, who wears a blue puffy sweater over a rainbow-striped shirt and yellow pants. She is mid-sign, holding up the ASL gesture for “I love you,” smiling at Felix softly.

    Behind them, the background is a cityscape of soft blue, with pinks and purples, and stars are dotted in the sky, the first hint of sunset. A plane soars through a starry sky above the title, which is written in a mix of bold white and handwritten white, purple, and pink script. The tagline at the top reads, “Can love survive the spotlight?”  Multicoloured Sticky notes float through the air around them. A large billboard in the background displays a silhouette of Felix’s boy band with a “SOLD OUT” banner in the corner of the billboard.

  • Cover illustration: Betsy Continuado/Betsy Cola

    Cover design: Julia Bianchi

  • ALT (credit to Sydney Langford): An illustrated book cover for The Nature of Love by Sydney Langford. Two teenagers stand hand-in-hand in the foreground of a sweeping mountain landscape, looking at one another with warm smiles. On the left is Leif, a white nonbinary teen with short curly ginger hair and freckles. They’re in a red short-sleeve shirt, khaki shorts, and a blue hiking backpack. Their left leg has a black ankle-foot orthosis brace. On the right is Zane, a white teen with shaggy brown curls. He wears an orange fleece shirt, black pants, hiking boots, and a yellow backpack slung on one shoulder.

    Behind them stretches a vibrant Oregon-inspired landscape. A snow-capped mountain towers above a blue lake, surrounded by dense evergreen forests. Rolling green meadows in the foreground are filled with colorful wildflowers in shades of purple, red, yellow, and white, creating a bright, summery scene.

    The title, The Nature of Love, appears across the blue sky in large red lettering at the top. In the upper right corner, the tagline reads, "Falling in love wasn't in the survival guide." Sydney Langford’s name is at the bottom in large white letters.

  • Cover illustration: Betsy Continuado/Betsy Cola

    Cover design: Aurora Parlagreco