Bestselling Author Lisa See To Headline Libraries’ Virtual Book Fest

Lisa See

New York Times bestselling author Lisa See will be the special guest author at Fort Bend County Libraries’ virtual Book Fest, which takes place on Saturday, November 13, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. This online event will be live-streamed through Webex; it will NOT be in person.

During the “Ask Me Anything with Lisa See” session from 3:00 to 4:00 pm, See will talk about the experiences she faced throughout her writing career, from her early efforts at writing to becoming a New York Times bestselling author of ten novels as well as the critically acclaimed memoir On Gold Mountain.

Her historical novels feature themes that are reflective of her Asian-American cultural background. Some of her most famous books include Dreams of JoyShanghai GirlsPeony in Love, and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which was adapted into a movie.

Her most recent novel, The Island of Sea Women, was released in 2019. It became an instant New York Times bestseller. The novel is about the free-diving women of South Korea’s Jeju Island.

Her books have been published in 39 languages. She was the recipient of the Golden Spike Award from the Chinese Historical Association of Southern California and the History Maker’s Award from the Chinese American Museum. The Organization of Chinese American Women named her the 2001 National Woman of the Year.

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 schedule of virtual events is as follows:

  • 10:00 am-12:00 noon— “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. For information on guidelines and submissions, send an email to Programming@fortbend.lib.tx.us between October 13 and November 12.
  • 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm– “NaNoWriMo Writing Workshop” 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!
  • 1:00 to 2:00 pm– “Introduction to FBCL Virtual Programs” During the break for lunch, a sampling of youth, young adult, and adult virtual programs will be shown.
  • 2:00 to 3:00 pm – “H-Town Authors” Houston-based authors Kristi Jones and Liara Tamani will talk about their experiences on writing, getting published, and finding creative inspiration. They will also talk about the obstacles they faced and how to cope with the challenges of being an author.
  • 3:00-4:00 pm— “Ask Me Anything with Lisa See” Lisa See will talk about the experiences she faced throughout her writing career, from her early efforts at writing to becoming a New York Times bestselling author of ten novels as well as the critically acclaimed memoir On Gold Mountain. Her historical novels feature themes that are reflective of her Asian-American cultural background. Some of her most famous books include Dreams of JoyShanghai GirlsPeony in Love, and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which was adapted into a movie. Her most recent novel, The Island of Sea Women, was released in 2019. The Organization of Chinese American Women named her the 2001 National Woman of the Year.