Texas-bound, Again... For A Literary Death Match? [#22]
Someone came up with a smackdown involving authors reading passages of their books aloud to each other, and I'm shocked this isn't an NPR program.
I'm really looking forward to returning to Austin this weekend for the Texas Book Fest and all its events, including the Literary Death Match. There is a sizzle reel of this wild live show, naturally:
Austin crew, I haven't seen some of y'all IN A MINUTE so if you are looking for free (and possibly edifying) activities, please come on out.
The sked, with thanks to publicist Katie who organized it in a way that I (hopefully) can’t screw up and be at the wrong places at the wrong times:
SATURDAY, November 11
7:00-8:30 PM Lit Crawl: Literary Death Match (where I'm competing by reading aloud)
Gin Bar
1813 E 6th St
Here’s the link to the show. LDM is @literarydeathmatch on Instagram.
Note: Lit Crawl is a literary-focused bar crawl (free and open to the public) that will take place across a series of downtown venues. Each venue will feature a different fun session or literary-themed game. No RSVPs necessary.
SUNDAY, November 12
12:15 PM-1:00 PM The Dark Side of the Beauty & Wellness Industry
Capitol Auditorium
Authors: Ling Ling Huang (Natural Beauty) & Elise Hu (Flawless)
Moderator: Pooja Lakshmin (Real Self Care)
Note: First 30 minutes will be moderated conversation, last 15 minutes for audience Q&A.
1:15 PM Book Signing
Main signing tent (outside of capitol building)
Panel Description: Self-improvement may be a worthwhile aspiration, but seeking flawlessness — especially when Western beauty standards are touted as the aspirational ideal — has resounding flaws. Join Ling Ling Huang and Elise Hu for discussions of toxic wellness and self-improvement practices in both dystopian horror and the real world. Natural Beauty pulls the reader into a wellness company gone wrong as the narrator begins working for Holistik and sees her body morphing into something unfamiliar. Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capitol invites readers into the very real cult of Westernized beauty that grips Korean women, the commodification of the female body, and the prioritization of perfection over self-expression within the beauty industry.
More Events (that aren’t in Texas)
Flawless’s life continues!
LA, November 19, 12:00pm PT: I’m signing at the new Barnes and Noble in Marina del Rey next weekend. If you haven’t gotten your copy signed yet or just want to get books for the holidays, this is a great time to come on out to the new store.
Hong Kong, December 23: Our first international in person event! Hong Kong’s Foreign Correspondents Club and Women in Publishing HK have offered to host a lunch talk for the book while I’m back out in Asia for the holiday break, so if you are going to be in HK around December 23 please let me know so we can send you an invite.
I have fun developments to share in the world of TV and film extensions of Flawless, but can’t say much beyond that because the producers want to control the flow of information there. Sorry to be an annoying tease. More to come…
Thanks and hope to see you in Austin!
Hugs,
Hu