Vanessa Hua is a journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle and best-selling novelist. Her latest novel, FORBIDDEN CITY, tells the story of a teenage girl from a small village who is selected to serve the Communist Party and Chairman Mao at the start of the Cultural Revolution in China. Vanessa and I met nine years ago when we were both Steinbeck Fellows at San Jose State University, and she is a true champion of other writers. It has been such a thrill to watch her soar. Discussed in this episode: Her new novel Forbidden City How she got into writing How the topic of her new novel was born and her writing and research process Her evolution as an writer About Vanessa: Vanessa Hua is an award-winning, best-selling author and columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. Her novel, A River of Stars, was named to the Washington Post and NPR’s Best Books of 2018 lists, and has been called a "marvel" by O, The Oprah Magazine, and "delightful" by The Economist. Her short story collection, Deceit and Other Possibilities, a New York Times Editors' Choice, received an Asian/Pacific American Award in Literature and was a finalist for a California Book Award, and a New American Voices Award. Her latest novel, Forbidden City, was called “magnificent” by Publisher’s Weekly, and was published on May 10, 2022.

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