#thibui

Hi everyone, here are my public appearances for September and October! And then I’m going back into submarine mode for a bit.

Decatur Book Festival, Georgia, Saturday 9/2 - 11am panel: The Human Impact of the Vietnam War, with Paisley Rekdal, Thi Bui, and Bee Nguyen

Coffee and Conversation with Thi Bui, Sunday 9/3, 10:30am, AKQA Atlanta, GA (signing The Best We Could Do)

Marin Comics Fest, Wednesday 9/13, 6:00pm at San Rafael Library

In Conversation with Lauren Markham, author of The FARAWAY BROTHERS, launching that evening at Books Inc, Berkeley! Thursday 9/14, 7pm

Brooklyn Book Festival, NY Friday 9/15, 7pm at Powerhouse Arena - Mama Takes the Mic: Magic and Madness from Storytellers at MUTHA & HIP MAMA MAGAZINE, with Ariel Gore, Aya de Leon, Elisa Albert, Katherine Arnoldi, Thi Bui, and Samantha Barrow

Sunday 9/17, 12pm at Brooklyn Historical Auditorium - Mothers and Other Monster Myths, with Gabrielle Bell, Thi Bui, Julia Alekseyeva, and Ariel Gore

Monday 9/18, 4pm at Adelphi University, NY with Jonathan W. Gray

Wednesday 9/20, 7pm at Babson College, MA

Thursday 9/21, 7:30pm at Massachusetts College of Art

Sunday 9/24, 2pm at Eastwind Books, Berkeley, CA (signing The Best We Could Do and A Different Pond)

Saturday 9/30, 4:40pm at UC Berkeley Asian Pacific Islander Issues Conference

Friday 10/6, 10am on KQED Forum with Mina Kim

Wednesday 10/11 7pm, Litquake reading in Oakland with Tomas Moniz, Innosanto Nagara, Miriam Stahl and Robert Liu-Trujillo

Saturday 10/14, 12:30pm at Life is Living Festival, Oakland, CA with Laurin Mayeno, Melissa Reyes, Grace Carroll, Robert Liu-Trujillo and more. (I’ll be reading from and signing A Different Pond.)

Saturday 10/14 5pm, Litquake reading in San Francisco with Viet diasporic collective, She Who Has No Master(s): Angie Chau, Aimee Phan, Isabelle Thuy Pelaud, and Julie Thi Underhill

Capstone Young Readers, 2017

Engaging portrait of father, his son and one fishing trip on a crisp autumn morning. Told through the eyes of the author as a young boy, Bao Phi is brought to the United States with his family fleeing Vietnam in 1975. Now residing in Minnesota, one morning they both set out to go fishing for dinner. Bao helps with the making a small fire, eating homemade sandwiches that his dad made early in the morning. While fishing, Bao’s father tells his son that he used to fish by a pond with his brother like this in his homeland Vietnam although he rarely talks about his homeland. Soon, they catch a fish and leave as the sun is about to rise. When they arrive home, mom is reassuring as they give her the bucket of fish they caught. His dad changes clothes to go to work; Bao helps his mom clean the fish and they she goes off to work while Bao stays home with his older siblings. Later that evening, everyone is at home eating dinner that Bao and his dad caught at the pond. They laugh, share stories and enjoy each other’s company. As Bao rests his head on his pillow later that evening, he will dream of fish in a different pond like the one his father fished for in Vietnam.

Feathery with vivid colored panels double-page spreads, quiet and compelling strength fit together perfectly crafted father and son fishing trip. Confident and vivid ink black brushstrokes stand out of the dark and light backdrops. The illustration colors are vibrant imposing the emotions and slightly three dimensional balance. One read will make you  understand why this book won the 2018 Caldecott Honor Award.