An intimate event to meet and chat with author, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai , introduction by Tracey Nguyễn Mang host of the Vietnamese Boat People Podcast.

Tickets include a hardcover copy of Dust Child, book signing, food by Chef Helen Nguyễn of Saigon Social NYC and a VBP gift bag of curated products from Vietnamese-owned businesses Nguyen Coffee Supply, RedBoat Fish Sauce and Cham Dipping Sauce!

About the Author
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: www.nguyenphanquemai.com

Dust Child Reviews

* Voted a best book of 2023 by Reader's Digest and Cosmopolitan

* Voted a best book of the month/season by the Los Angeles Times, Amazon, Library Journal, the Chicago Review of Books, Ms. Magazine, BookPage, and Apple Books

* Chosen by independent booksellers in the United States as an Indie Next List Great Read

“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

A "sweeping, decades-spanning saga" - The New York Times

"Another triumph! Powerful and deeply empathetic. A heartbreaking tale of lost ideals, human devotion, and hard-won redemption."—Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sympathizer

"Quế Mai provides readers with wonderful linguistic play, and through her deft and illuminating descriptions of the intimate details of her characters’ personal lives and difficult choices, we end up caring deeply for them and hoping for their well-being." BookPage

"A family epic to remember."— Chicago Review of Books

“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

"Inherited trauma, intense secrets, and inside looks characterize this lyrical novel by a bold talent." Good Morning America

About VBP
Vietnamese Boat People is a nonprofit, tax exempt organization under IRS 501c3. We aim to educate and inspire listeners on the diaspora history of the Vietnamese community and connect people through stories of the human spirit. In addition to the podcast, our public programs empower people to preserve their own stories through storytelling workshops and events, story slams, community blogs, conversation kits and journey mapping. The work of VBP helps to lift up marginalized voices and shine a light on untold stories. Thank you for your consideration, visit www.VietnameseBoatPeople.org to learn more.