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Watch Gish Jen read
from Thank You, Mr Nixon
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Gish Jen
Tuesday, January 25, 2022,
from 5:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. EST
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This intimate virtual conversation
series highlights the timely and distinctive narrative of a Chinese
American icon and friend of MOCA. Through this conversation, MOCA
hopes to shed light on the distinctive yet universal American
journeys of these luminaries, touching upon key moments of personal
trial and stratospheric success, all within a casual, inviting, and
inspiring format.
MOCA Spotlight Series is
honored to present our next featured speaker,
the award-winning author Gish Jen and her new book, Thank You, Mr. Nixon.
Beginning with a cheery
letter penned by a Chinese girl in heaven to “poor Mr. Nixon” in
hell, Jen embarks on a fictional journey through U.S.-China
relations, capturing the excitement of a world on the brink of
tectonic change.
Opal Chen reunites with
her Chinese sisters after forty years; newly cosmopolitan Lulu Koo
wonders why Americans “like to walk around in the woods with the
mosquitoes”; Hong Kong parents go to extreme lengths to reestablish
contact with their “number-one daughter” in New York; and Betty
Koo, brought up on “no politics, just make money,” finds she must
reassess her mother’s philosophy.
With their profound
compassion and equally profound humor, these eleven linked stories
trace the intimate ways in which humans make and are made by history,
capturing an extraordinary era in an extraordinary way. Delightful,
provocative, and powerful, Thank You, Mr. Nixon furnishes
yet more proof of Jen’s eminent place among American storytellers.
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PRAISE AND
REVIEWS:
“Detective
Dog” in the New Yorker - read or listen now
Starred
Reviews in Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, and Publishers Weekly
An Oprah
Daily, Los Angeles Times, Esquire, and LitHub“Most Anticipated Book”
“Jen distills five decades
of cultural collision, confusion, and collaboration between the
U.S. and China into eleven gorgeously comedic and heartbreaking
stories . . . For all the pain and poignancy, Jen is wryly
hilarious, her plots spring-loaded, her dialogue ricocheting and
spiked with contrasts in languages and customs . . ..”—Starred Review, Booklist
"Masterly...With wry
humor, pathos, and punchy dialogue, Jen’s uncanny stories easily
standup to her hefty themes. This is a stellar addition to Jen’s
prolific body of work.”—Starred Review, Publishers Weekly
“Political and economic
relations between China and the US are major news, but Jen takes it
to the micro level in her vibrant short stories about character who
are varying degrees of Chinese and American… Jen’s crisp prose,
wonderful eye for detail, and wry humor make them a joy to read,
and there is wisdom here, too.” — Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews
“It is hard to do justice
to this wonderful collection of intricately inked stories.” —Ha Jin
“[This is] an art beyond
art. It is life itself.” —Cynthia Ozick
Watch for coverage in The
New York Times and on National Public Radio this week! Support
your local bookstore by pre-ordering Thank You, Mr. Nixon,
available on February 1.
Jen has a remarkable story
to tell and we cannot wait to share it with you. We look
forward to your participation, and to sharing this and many more
exemplary stories of the Chinese in America.
Stay up to date at MOCA’s
website www.mocanyc.org or sign up for
MOCA’s monthly e-newsletter.
Follow MOCA on Instagram,
Facebook, Twitter and TikTok at @mocanyc; and WeChat at
MOCANYC_USA.
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Gish Jen’s
much-anticipated collection of stories, THANK YOU, MR. NIXON,
follows close on the heels of her award-winning novel, THE RESISTERS. She is a fellow
of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a recipient of
fellowships from the Radcliffe Institute and the Guggenheim
Foundation as well as of a Lannan Literary Award for Fiction and of
a Mildred and Harold Strauss Living Award from the American Academy
of Arts and Letters. Her short work has appeared in the New
Yorker and other magazines and has been included in The Best
American Short Stories four times, including The Best
American Short Stories of the Century. She delivered the
William E. Massey Sr. Lectures in American Studies at Harvard
University, where she is currently a visiting professor.
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Discover more about the
Museum in our bilingual digital guide on Bloomberg Connects, the
free arts and culture app. Explore our permanent collection, get a
behind-the-scenes look at our Responses exhibition, and more with
exclusive audio content and commentary. Download the app here.
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MOCA has not skipped a
beat since its temporary closure in March 2020. We've been creating
new digital content through multiple platforms, always free of
charge—because history matters. We are facing tremendous financial
losses due to COVID-19. We hope you'll consider making a gift
to become part of a continuing lifeline for MOCA. No amount is too little, and we greatly appreciate your generosity. Your contribution
helps sustain our beloved institution and supports the creation of
new, online programming that will bring comfort and inspiration to
more communities.
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This program is
brought to you by MOCA friends and partners, including Bloomberg
Philanthropies.
This program is
also supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City
Department of Cultural Affairs  , in partnership with the City Council.
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