Event Details
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is coming to Estes Park! You may remember her as the author of our 2022 One Book One Valley title, The Mountains Sing. This time she'll join us in person to discuss her latest novel, Dust Child, scheduled for release on March 14, 2023. She'll do a short reading from the book, perform her poetry in Vietnamese and English with the award-winning poet Jennifer Fossenbell, discuss her research and writing process with Estes Valley community member Heather Heinz, and take your questions.
We look forward to welcoming you to an event that promises to be fun, thought-provoking, and intimate. Quế Mai loves our community and is traveling a long way to be with us. She can't wait to see you, and to sign copies of her books for you!
Preorder the book from our partner, Macdonald Book Shop, and your copy will be waiting for you! We'll also have copies for sale at the event.
About Dust Child
From the internationally bestselling author of The Mountains Sing, a suspenseful and moving saga about family secrets, hidden trauma, and the overriding power of forgiveness. Told in the voices of two Vietnamese sisters, an American veteran, as well as the child of a Black American soldier and a Vietnamese woman, Dust Child tells an unforgettable and immersive story of how those who inherited tragedy can redefine their destinies through love, hard-earned wisdom, compassion, courage, and joy. (You can find a more detailed synopsis here.)
Praised by the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen as "Another triumph! Powerful and deeply empathetic" and by Library Journal as “achingly honest and ultimately hopeful; essential reading for U.S. audiences", Dust Child has been voted a best book of December by Library Journal and a most anticipated book of the year by many publications including BookPage, Salon Magazine, San Diego Union Tribune, Orange County Register, Zibby Magazine, Trenzle Magazine, She Reads, Beyond the Bookends and We Are Bookish.
Dust Child has been chosen as:
- An Indie Next List selection by the American Booksellers Association
- A Los Angeles Times must-read March title
- An Apple Books best book of March
More reviews:
- "Dust Child takes on the difficult subject of Amerasians left behind once the American military fled its own misadventures in Southeast Asia. Look for a reception akin to Min Jin Lee’s bestselling Pachinko." The Los Angeles Times
- "Achingly honest and ultimately hopeful; essential reading." Library Journal starred review
- "Nguyễn deftly wields her own polyglot talents to reclaim lives too long overlooked." Shelf Awareness
- "An insightful, engrossing novel." The California Review of Books
About Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
Born and raised in Việt Nam, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is the author of The Mountains Sing, runner-up for the 2021 Dayton Literary Peace Prize, winner of the 2020 BookBrowse Best Debut Award, the 2021 International Book Awards, the 2021 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award, and the 2020 Lannan Literary Award Fellowship for Fiction. She has published twelve books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction and has received some of the top literary prizes in Việt Nam. Her writing has been translated into twenty languages and has appeared in major publications, including the New York Times. She has a PhD in creative writing from Lancaster University. She is an advocate for the rights of disadvantaged groups in Việt Nam and has founded several scholarship programs, and she was named by Forbes Vietnam as one of twenty inspiring women of 2021. For more information, visit: http://www.nguyenphanquemai.com.
About the program
Brought to you in partnership with Macdonald Book Shop.
Event Type(s): Books & Authors
Age Group(s): Adult
Presenter: Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
Eric White
(970) 586-8116 ext. 832
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