MWRF 2022 : Events
Thank you to the partner organizations below that have planned events to help illuminate and complement themes found in Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen. Please keep checking back, as new events will continue to be added!
To learn about the hybrid event with Gish Jen on Oct. 6, please click HERE.
Bookworm's Evening Book Club: 'Thank You, Mr. Nixon'
Join the Bookworm's Evening Book Club to discuss our ONE Community Read, Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen! Hosted by librarian, Sarah! New members always welcome (ages 16+)! We are reading Thank You, Mr. Nixon as a participating library for the Metrowest Readers Fest! For more information, including registration, please click HERE.
‘Thank You, Mr. Nixon’ Book Discussion
** Please note that this is the rescheduled date from the Oct. 4 book discussion. **
Join the Wayland Free Public Library to discuss Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen, a collection of eleven linked short stories which "take measure of the fifty years since the opening of China and its unexpected effects on the lives of ordinary people." For more information, please click HERE.
MetroWest Readers Fest thanks the Wayland Free Public Library for providing programming to help illuminate and complement some of the themes in Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen.
MetroWest Reads ONE: An Evening with Gish Jen (Hybrid Event)
MetroWest Readers Fest, in partnership with Wayland Free Public Library and Goodnow Library (Sudbury), invites you to join author Gish Jen at Goodnow Library or via Zoom on Thursday, October 6 at 7 pm. This event is a part of ONE, a community-wide read organized by MWRF, with 20+ libraries participating. To register for the in-person event, please click HERE. To join via Zoom, please register HERE.
The title for this year’s initiative is Thank You, Mr. Nixon, a short story collection by the acclaimed writer Gish Jen. In this collection of 11 linked short stories, Jen “embarks on a fictional journey through U.S.-China relations, capturing the excitement of a world on the brink of tectonic change.” Thank You, Mr. Nixon was named the #1 Recommendation for AAPI Month by Oprah Daily, an Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Literature & Fiction, and was called “marvelous” by Claire Oshetsky in the New York Times. In July 2022, NPR included Thank You, Mr. Nixon in its biannual “Books We Love” feature. In addition to Thank You, Mr. Nixon, Jen is the author of eight other books and has had short stories selected for The Best American Short Stories five times, including The Best American Short Stories of the Century, edited by John Updike. Gish Jen is currently a Visiting Professor at Harvard.
Whether or not you’ve read Thank You, Mr. Nixon, we enthusiastically invite you to a lively evening and hear from Gish Jen, an observant chronicler of American life who the late John Updike named as his self-appointed “successor” in 1999. Attendees will have ample opportunity to ask questions, share thoughts, or just listen.
This an in-person event with the opportunity to tune in virtually. The Silver Unicorn Bookstore will be onsite to sell Ms. Jen’s books on the evening of October 6.
Chinese American Experience
Join us for an evening of storytelling and conversation with Chinese American Wellesley residents. For more information, please click HERE.
MetroWest Readers Fest thanks the Wellesley Free Library for providing programming to help illuminate and complement some of the themes in Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen.
‘Thank You, Mr. Nixon’ Book Discussion
*** Please note that this event has been postponed and rescheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 12. ***
Join us to discuss Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen, a collection of eleven linked short stories which "take measure of the fifty years since the opening of China and its unexpected effects on the lives of ordinary people." For more information, please click HERE.
MetroWest Readers Fest thanks the Wayland Free Public Library for providing programming to help illuminate and complement some of the themes in Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen.
Needham Connects... Building Empathy Through Books and Conversation ('Thank You, Mr. Nixon' Book Discussion)
Join Needham Connects... Building Empathy Through Books and Conversation to discuss our ONE Community Read, Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen! New members always welcome! We are reading Thank You, Mr. Nixon as a participating library for the Metrowest Readers Fest! For more information, including registration, please click HERE.
Mozart, Faure, and Bolcom
Violin and Piano Duo, Soli Duo, Eunmi Lee and Jinsun Yoo
Eunmi and Jinsun will perform music by Mozart, Faure, and Bolcom from most classical, neoclassical to modern/jazz pieces. They both have doctorate degrees in violin/piano performance, and they are moms of two lovely children. They are very excited to share this beautiful music to children and parents. For more information, including registration and a link to tune in virtually, please click HERE.
MetroWest Readers Fest thanks the Wellesley Free Library for providing programming to help illuminate and complement some of the themes in Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen.
The History of Chinese Americans in Massachusetts
Join us on Thursday, September 29, at 7PM for an in-person presentation on "The History of Chinese Americans in Massachusetts." (Registration is required HERE.)
Dr. Michael Liu, a lifelong activist and scholar of the Boston Chinatown community, will present a talk on the history of Chinese Americans in Massachusetts. The presentation will also cover its relationship to anti-Asian attitudes that continue into the present.
Dr. Michael Liu is the author of Forever Struggle: Activism, Identity, and Survival in Boston's Chinatown, 1880-2018 and the former senior research associate at the Institute for Asian American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Born in Chinatown to working-class parents, Liu returned to Boston after graduating from Swarthmore College in 1970, and helped create social justice groups such as the Asian American Resource Workshop, the Chinese Progressive Association, the Boston Rainbow Coalition, and the Asian American Political Agenda Coalition. Liu holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from UMass Boston.
MetroWest Readers Fest thanks the Goodnow Library for providing programming to help illuminate and complement some of the themes in Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen.
The Opening of China with Prof. Karen Teoh
Thank You, Mr. Nixon illuminates the experiences of generations of members of the Chinese diaspora since the opening up of China in the 1970s. Dr. Karen Teoh will provide a historical context to the themes in Jen's stories: the opening of China, the Cultural Revolution, emigration to the US and Hong Kong, American racism, and the political relationship between America and China. Click HERE for more information and to register for this hybrid event.
MetroWest Readers Fest thanks the Wayland Free Public Library for providing programming to help illuminate and complement some of the themes in Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen.
Book Mill Discussion ('Thank You, Mr. Nixon' Book Discussion)
The Maynard Public Library’s book discussion group will meet on Tues, September 27 at 7 pm to talk about Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen. The meeting is a hybrid format, with the group gathering in person at the library and online on Zoom. Register at tinyurl.com/BookMillGishJen to receive the Zoom link. Meetings last under an hour and a half, although at times they spill over enthusiastically. Any reader who enjoys reading with a questioning mind, entertaining diverse perspectives, and sharing their thoughts is welcome to join us for one or many Book Mill meetings. Books are available to borrow at the Circulation Desk.
The Boston-China Connection: A Personal Journey of Discovery
Registration is required for this event.
MetroWest Readers Fest thanks the Wellesley Free Library for providing programming to help illuminate and complement some of the themes in Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen.
'Thank You, Mr. Nixon' Book Discussion
Join us to discuss Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen, a collection of eleven linked short stories which "take measure of the fifty years since the opening of China and its unexpected effects on the lives of ordinary people." For more information, please click HERE.
MetroWest Readers Fest thanks the Wayland Free Public Library for providing programming to help illuminate and complement some of the themes in Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen.
'Thank You, Mr. Nixon' Book Discussion
Come discuss the ONE community-wide read selection for 2022, Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen.
A Community of Readers: A Public Art Project
Join the Sudbury Art Association and MetroWest Readers Fest in helping create a public art project celebrating home, community, and reading. Stop by the Goodnow Library Community Room anytime between 12:30PM and 3:30PM on Wednesday, September 21 to participate.
'Thank You, Mr. Nixon' Book Discussion
Join the Bedford Free Public Library to discuss Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen, a collection of 11 linked short stories that “embarks on a fictional journey through U.S.-China relations.” Copies of the book will be available at the Circulation Desk prior to the discussion. This event will take place in the Reference Room. For more information, please click HERE.
MetroWest Readers Fest thanks the Bedford Free Public Library for providing programming to help illuminate and complement some of the themes in Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen.
Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden with Zhuqing Li
Dr. Zhuqing Li will present a talk on her new book, Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden: Two Sisters Separated by China's Civil War. For more information about this event and Dr. Li, please visit the Wayland Free Public Library online.
MetroWest Readers Fest thanks the Wayland Free Public Library for providing programming to help illuminate and complement some of the themes in Thank You, Mr. Nixon by Gish Jen.
Books @ the Bar
We invite you to meet with friends, order beverages from The Old Bar, and browse a curated selection of best-sellers, current releases, and book-club-perfect titles. Find a cozy spot in the Longfellow Parlor, Washington Room, or The Old Bar to share your purchases! Hygge House Books uses profits to promote literacy and donate books to children in need.
This Pop-up Shop is a pre-event for MetroWest Readers Fest (MWRF), a multi-event slate of programming scheduled for October 2022. The mission of MWRF is to celebrate the joy of reading, to inspire lovers of literature, and to connect authors with the people who purchase, share, and engage with their work: Readers.
ONE Big Community Read: A Conversation With Jennifer De Leon
** Please note that registration is required for both the in-person event and the Zoom event. Read on for registration links.**
MetroWest Readers Fest invites you to join author Jennifer De Leon at the Goodnow Library in Sudbury on Thursday, Sept. 30 @ 7 pm. This event is a part of ONE, a community-wide read organized by MWRF.
Jenn, a Framingham native and currently a professor at Framingham State University, is the author of White Space: Essays on Culture, Race, & Writing, the recipient of the Juniper Prize for Creative Nonfiction. (She is also the author of the YA novel Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From, longlisted for a Massachusetts Book Award in the “Must Read Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature” category.)
Whether or not you’ve read White Space, we enthusiastically invite you to a lively evening. Come hear Jenn discuss her family and her upbringing, her writing life, and what “White Space” means. If you’d like a head start, feel free to check out the Resources section of the MetroWest Readers Fest website for discussion questions and articles about and by Jenn. Attendees will have ample opportunity to ask questions, share thoughts, or just listen.
The Silver Unicorn Bookstore will be onsite to sell Jenn’s books at this event. If you'd like to order a signed book from Jenn prior to the event, please visit this link.
** This an in-person event with the opportunity to tune in virtually. Masking is required, and we are limiting the number of in-person attendees to 50. To register for the in-person event, please visit tinyurl.com/mwrfINPERSON. To register for a Zoom link, please visit tinyurl.com/mwrfZOOM
MetroWest Readers Fest wishes to thank the Sudbury Foundation for generously sponsoring this event. We also thank Middlesex Bank Charitable Foundation for additional support.
Three Questions: An Evening with Jennifer De Leon
This is a hybrid event. To register to receive a Zoom link, please click HERE.
MetroWest Readers Fest – in partnership with Ashland Public Library and Ashland High School — invites you to join author Jennifer De Leon at AHS on Tuesday, Sept. 28 @ 7 pm. This event is a part of ONE, a community-wide read organized by MWRF.
Jenn, a Framingham native and currently a professor at Framingham State University, is the author of the YA novel Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From, longlisted for a Massachusetts Book Award in the “Must Read Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature” category. (She is also the author of White Space: Essays on Culture, Race, & Writing, the “signature title” of ONE.)
What does “three questions” refer to? Come join us on the 28th and find out! (Hint: You’ll understand if you read Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From, but reading is definitely not a pre-requisite!)
This is a HYBRID program. We hope you can come in person, but if for some reason you can't, please register to receive a Zoom link to join us virtually. You will be able to ask questions if you decide to join online. When you register, you will receive the link in the confirmation and reminder emails. Please check your spam folder if you don't see them in your inbox.
Masks will be required for the in-person event.
MetroWest Readers Fest wishes to thank Avidia Bank Charitable Foundation for its generous support of this event.
Books @ the Bar
In collaboration with the The Wayside Inn Foundation, MetroWest Readers Fest invites you to meet up with friends, order a beverage at The Inn’s Old Bar, and browse a curated selection of bestsellers, current releases, and book-club-perfect titles with Hygge House Books, a pop-up book shop.
Hygge is a Danish word pronounced “Hoo-gah” and its meaning refers to finding comfort, pleasure, and warmth in simple, soothing things such as a cozy atmosphere or the feeling of friendship. Let’s get into the spirit at The Wayside Inn! Find a spot to sit in the Longfellow Parlor or on The Inn’s front lawn, if the weather is nice, to discuss and share your book purchases with friends.
This event kicks off ONE: a region-wide community read organized by MetroWest Readers Fest. Our signature title is WHITE SPACE: ESSAYS ON CULTURE, RACE, & WRITING by Jennifer De Leon, who will be at the Goodnow Library on Sept. 30. This summer we will be offering resources & discussion questions for WHITE SPACE as well as for De Leon's YA novel DON'T ASK ME WHERE I'M FROM. Both titles will be available for purchase at this event.