Photo courtesy of Ava Chin
Join us as we celebrate the publication of Ava Chin’s new book, “Mott Street: A Chinese American Family's Story of Exclusion and Homecoming" with a special book reading and Q&A session! As a fifth generation Chinese American, Ava Chin’s family stories were shrouded in mystery. It was only until she stumbled upon a single apartment building in the heart of Chinatown, where both sides of her family had lived for generations, that she began to uncover the truth. “Mott Street” traces Ava’s quest, over decades of painstaking research, to uncover a legacy of exclusion and resilience that speaks to the American experience, past and present. Publishers Weekly called the book “stunning,” and Kirkus praised it as “elegantly written...a lively memoir that limns a long family history and helps us understand the troubled history of our nation.” Ava will be joined by best-selling author Qian Julie Wang (“Beautiful Country”) to celebrate the launch of “Mott Street” with Think!Chinatown, Yu & Me Books, and the Asian American Writers’ Workshop.
RSVP is required — suggestion donation of $5-15 is appreciated!
Ava Chin is the author of MOTT STREET and the award-winning EATING WILDLY. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Village Voice, and Spin among others. She is the recipient of grants and fellowships from the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center, the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, New York Foundation for the Arts, New York Institute for the Humanities, and the Asian American Writers’ Workshop. A graduate from the University of Southern California, Johns Hopkins, and Queens College, she is a professor of creative nonfiction at the City University of New York.
Qian Julie Wang is the bestselling author of Beautiful Country, a best book of 2021 by the New York Times, President Obama, NPR, Newsweek, Good Housekeeping, and more. A graduate of Yale Law School and Swarthmore College, Qian Julie is managing partner of Gottlieb & Wang LLP. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar, and she has appeared on the TODAY Show, ABC News, NBC, PBS, and NPR, among others.
***COVID-Prevention: For this particular event, we have guests attending who are at higher-risk. We ask everyone to please wear a mask. Keep our community safe by staying home if you are feeling unwell. We encourage you to take a rapid test prior to the event.***
All ticket proceeds will directly go back to our artists and T!C team who make these community events possible.
If you are unable to contribute financially, please don’t hesitate to reach out – we would still love to have you there! Ask us about options to volunteer with us.
Think!Chinatown is committed to hosting accessible events for our Chinatown neighbors. As we continue to present free, public events throughout the neighborhood, we invite you to support us with your contribution to grow our new home and community art space at 1 Pike.
Thank you to our drinks sponsors Sanzo and Brooklyn Brewery!
