Kevin Kwan, writer of the international bestselling novel Crazy Rich Asians, will be the special guest author at Fort Bend County Libraries’ virtual Book Fest, which takes place on Saturday, November 14, from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. This event will be live-streamed through WebEx; it will NOT be in person.
Kwan is the creator of the trilogy of novels Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend, and Rich People Problems, which at one point simultaneously occupied #1, #2, and #3 on the New York Times bestseller list. His latest novel, Sex and Vanity, was released June 30, 2020.
His novel, Crazy Rich Asians, was made into a major motion film in 2018, and Kwan was named to Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people the same year.
During the “Ask Me Anything with Kevin Kwan” session from 2:00 to 3:00 pm, bestselling author Kevin Kwan will share his experiences from his early childhood in Singapore, to moving to Clear Lake as an adolescent, and finally to becoming a successful designer and bestselling author in New York City.
The Book Fest will also feature several programs designed to encourage aspiring writers of all genres, from prose and poetry to song lyrics. The workshops will be presented online throughout the day of the festival. Participants are invited to log on to the video-conference link as time permits. They may attend the whole day, or they can choose which individual session(s) they would like to attend.
The writers’ workshops will begin at 10:00 am, with an “Author Readings Hour: Wake Up and Smell the Writing!”. Writers of various genres and experience levels are invited to submit an excerpt of their work for consideration prior to the event. Submissions must be family-friendly. Those writers whose work has been selected will be invited to read or perform these excerpts of their work during this session. Guidelines for submissions will be emailed to all who register for this session.
From 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm, a panel of local published authors will present “How Do I Get Published?”. Hear about their experiences while they discuss the pros and cons of small-house printing, big-house printing, and independent printing. They will also talk about the obstacles they faced and how to cope with the challenges of being an author.
From 1:00 to 2:00 pm, enjoy a break for lunch while watching an “Introduction to FBCL Virtual Programs.” A sampling of youth, young adult, and adult virtual programs will be shown.
The Book Fest will wrap up with a “NaNoWriMo Writing Workshop” from 3:00 to 4:30 pm. November is National Novel-Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and fledgling writers — or anyone who has ever wanted to write a novel — are encouraged to join in this coast-to-coast annual writing challenge by committing to writing 50,000 words of a novel in the 30 days of November. This session will introduce exercises that are designed to get inspiration and creative juices flowing!