On this episode, we sit down with author Kelly Loy Gilbert to talk about her latest novel, Everyone Wants to Know, a coming of age story following Honor Lo, the youngest daughter of a family who grew up under the spotlight of a popular reality TV show. We chat with Kelly about her inspirations behind the story as well as her journey as an author.

Follow Kelly on instagram at @kellyloygilbert and check out her novel, Everyone Wants to Know, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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On this episode we discuss our July 2023 book club pick The Imaginary Lives of James Poneke by Tina Makereti. A coming-of-age story of a Maori boy, armed with a British education and eager to see the world, who ventures to London to be a living exhibit for a British artist’s exhibition. It’s an epic tale written in the style of Victorian fiction, but told from the perspective of an indigenous youth growing up under colonization.

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On this episode, we welcome Thien Pham, the author and illustrator of Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam, his graphic memoir recounting his life growing up as a refugee in America, with each chapter centering around a specific food-related memory.

Follow Thien on instagram at @thiendog and check out his graphic memoir, Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

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On our mid-month check in for July 2023, we review the latest Asian American book and publishing announcements, while catching up on a pretty terrible few weeks for the Asian American literature community (and the literature industry in general).

Upcoming books mentioned in our publishing news:

• White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon Easton
• Suka’s Farm written by Ginger Park and Frances Park; illust by Tiffany Chen
• Kai Po Che: Mini’s Perfect Diamond written by Suhasini Gupta; illust by Devika Oza
• Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee
• Untitled YA novel by Sahar Jahani
• Cincinnati Lee and the Spear of Destiny by Heidi Heilig
• Hana’s Hajj written by Zainab Khan; illust by Anait Semirdzhyan
• You Are Loved by Sujean Rim
• Tiny Wonders and Nightsong by Sally Soweol Han
• A Place in the World written by Rina Singh; illust by Christopher Pouler
• Infinite Sky: The Story of Tsien Hsue-Shen, the Scientist Who Took Two Countries into Space by Celeste Pewter
• Another Word for Neighbor written by Angela Pham Krans; illustrated by Thai Phuong
• The Demon’s Prince by Remy Lai; illust by Lauren Dimaya
• Adoration by June Hur
• Eliza, from Scratch by Sophia Lee
• The Clock by Pam Fong
• Embroidered by Farida Zaman
• Pickling Time by Marzieh Abbas; illust by Darshika Verma

News stories covered on this episode:

• BTS’s book Beyond the Story becomes instant #1 NYT Bestseller
• Yu & Me Bookstore flooded from fire
• HarperCollins/Harlequin shuts down Inkyard Press
• Smithsonian abruptly cancels 2023 Asian American Literature Festival (AALF)
• AALF co-organizers’ open letter to the Smithsonian

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On this author chat, we welcome Thao Thai to talk about her debut novel Banyan Moon, a story about three generations of Vietnamese women, and the gothic southern mansion that ties them all together. We chat with Thao about her inspirations in writing a southern gothic inspired story about a Vietnamese American family, as well as learn about her journey to becoming an author.

Follow Thao on instagram at @thao_writes and check out her novel, Banyan Moon, available now on the Books & Boba bookshop!

*Support the podcast by supporting our new Patreon*