In celebration of APA Heritage Month in May and the upcoming Pride Month, join us in the vibrant San Francisco's Chinatown for a book talk and pop-up activation featuring Curtis Chin, author of "Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant" hosted by the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco.

From filmmaker and co-founder of the Asian American Writers' Workshop, Chin's memoir about coming of age and coming out traces the author's journey through 1980's Detroit as he navigated rising xenophobia, the AIDS epidemic, and the Reagan Revolution to find his voice as a writer and activist — all set against the backdrop of his family's popular Chinese restaurant.

SFPL will be providing complimentary copies of Chin’s book,  along with other titles curated to align with the CCC's ongoing OUT | 出 | Museum exhibition. 

PROGRAM:

1PM - 2PM 

Book Talk with Curtis Chin + Free Book! 

CCC Auditorium 

2PM - 3PM 

SFPL Popup - APA Queer Reading List Giveaway

41 Ross's OUT | 出 | Museum

CCC Contemporaries and VIP Ticket Holders are invited to attend a special reception with Curtis at 12 PM - 1 PM.

Food and refreshments will be provided.

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ABOUT CHINESE CULTURE CENTER OF SAN FRANCISCO (CCC) is a non-profit arts organization established in 1965. CCC elevates underserved communities and gives voice to equality through education and contemporary art. Rooted in San Francisco’s Chinatown, CCC is a loud and creative voice to uplift social, cultural, and economic transformation. The CCC champions resiliency and healthy communities by supporting artists. In doing so, we shift dominant narratives, empower change, and reimagine our futures. 

CURTIS CHIN A co-founder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York City, Curtis Chin served as the non-profits’ first Executive Director. He went on to write for network and cable television before transitioning to social justice documentaries. Chin has screened his films at over 600 venues in sixteen countries. He has written for CNN, Bon Appetit, the Detroit Free Press, and the Emancipator/Boston Globe. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Chin has received awards from ABC/Disney Television, New York Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and more. His memoir, "Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant" was published by Little, Brown in Fall 2023. His essay in Bon Appetit was just selected for Best Food Writing in America 2023 and he just produced an episode of America's Test Kitchen's podcast, Proof.

Lead Partner: San Francisco Public Library

Sponsors: Tatwina Lee, Cynthia Tongson, & Wai-Ling Eng

Community Sponsors: Portsmouth Plaza Parking Corporation & Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

In-Kind Donors: LUNAR Hard Seltzer

41 Ross "Artist-in-Residence" activations are supported by: Community Challenge Grant General Support: Grants for the Arts, Walter and Elise Haas Fund, San Francisco Foundation, CCC Contemporaries