White Whale Books & Coffee will present "In Person Reading & Conversation: 'Dust Child' by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai (w/ Cameron Barnett)" on April 8.
We're BIG fans of award-winning Vietnamese poet and internationally bestselling novelist Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai—The Mountains Sing was one of our favorite books of 2020 (and one of our customers' faves, too!). And we're very excited to welcome her to Pittsburgh on her national tour for her latest novel, Dust Child (out 3/14). She'll be joined in conversation by Chatham University's Emerging Black Writer-In-Residence and local author Cameron Barnett (The Drowning Boy's Guide to Water, Autumn House Press). We're grateful to the Chatham University MFA in Creative Writing for co-sponsoring this event.
Quế Mai will do a short reading from the book, talk about her research and writing process and perform her poetry in Vietnamese and English. She will also take your questions. She can't wait to see you, and is happy to sign and personalize your books.
"Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai will win many more readers with her powerful and deeply empathetic second novel. From the horrors of war and its enduring afterlife for men and women, lovers and children, soldiers and civilians, she weaves a heartbreaking tale of lost ideals, human devotion, and hard-won redemption. Dust Child establishes Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai as one of our finest observers of the devastating consequences of war, and proves, once more, her ability to captivate readers and lure them into Viet Nam’s rich and poignant history."—Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Sympathizer and The Committed
"Dazzling. Sharply drawn and hauntingly beautiful."—Elif Shafak, author of The Island of Missing Trees
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.
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.
Born and raised in Việt Nam, Dr 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: www.nguyenphanquemai.com
Cameron Barnett is a Pittsburgh poet, teacher, and the Emerging Black Writer in Residence at Chatham University. He’s the author of The Drowning Boy’s Guide to Water and Murmur, forthcoming from Autumn House Press. His work explores the complexity of relationships, race, and place for Black people in America, more of which can be found at cameronbarnett.net.