Third Place Books is delighted to welcome author Minh Lê and illustrator Chan Chau to our Seward Park store! They will be discussing their new graphic novel, Enlighten Me. They will be joined in conversation by local children's book author Lily LaMotte. This event is free and open to the public.
For important updates, registration is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book!
UPDATE 9/18: Due to illness, Chan Chau will no longer be participating in this event. Minh Lê will still be joined in conversation by Lily LaMotte.
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for this in-person event
When Bình fights back against a bully who makes fun of his Vietnamese heritage, he expects to be cheered as the hero. He defeated the bad guy, right?
Instead, it gets him a stern warning from his vice principal and worried parents. Now he’s stuck on a family trip to a silent meditation retreat. That means no talking—and no video games!—for a whole weekend. Could things possibly get any worse?
However, when a nun gathers all the kids to tell them the Jataka tales—the stories of the Buddha’s many past lives—Bình takes a fantastical dive into his imagination and starts to see himself in these stories. Will he retreat further into himself, or will he emerge from the weekend open to change
With any luck, these next few days will prove more enlightening than he thought.
"Both readers who are unfamiliar with the religion and those who practice it will enjoy this refreshing, modern Buddhist primer."
—The Horn Book, starred review
Minh Lê is the author of The Blur, the Eisner-nominated Lift, Drawn Together (winner of the 2019 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature), Green Lantern: Legacy, and more. He is also on the faculty of the Hamline University MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, serves on the board of We Need Diverse Books, and has written for a number of national publications, including NPR, HuffPost, and the New York Times. Minh does not meditate as much as he should, but he does savor every moment of life with his wonderful wife and children at their home in San Diego.
Chan Chau is a graduate of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. They are the artist of New York Times bestselling Baby-Sitter's Club graphic novel adaptations of Kristy and the Snobs and Jessi's Secret Language. Before this, they worked in animation and were featured in multiple award-winning anthologies. In their free time, they love to play video games, read manga, and spend quality time with their found family. They currently reside in Washington state.
Lily LaMotte is the debut author of the middle grade graphic novel Measuring Up from HarperCollins/HarperAlley and her debut picture book Chloe’s Lunar New Year. Her next middle grade graphic novel Unhappy Camper is forthcoming from HarperAlley. When she isn’t writing, she cooks up new recipes, and explores new crafts. She also loves to load up the campervan for a writers retreat camping trip with her husband and her dog. She is a graduate of Hamline’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. She’s passionate about libraries and served on the King County Library System Foundation board. She also supported writers through her many roles on the SCBWI Western WA Advisory Board. Lily is repped by Laura Rennert of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency for books and by Mary Pender at UTA for Film and Television.
Want a signed edition of the featured book, but can't make it to the event? Order through our website or over the phone, and write your request for a signature or personalization in the comments field at checkout. Please call the hosting store if you're placing your order within 24 hours of the event.
Third Place Books Events Code of Conduct: Third Place Books is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of event attendees and guest authors, during both online and in-store events. By registering for this event, you are agreeing to refrain from engaging in inappropriate behavior and harassment of any kind throughout the course of this event (i.e. racial slurs, profanity, hate speech, spam comments, etc.). Please note that any participants who engage in inappropriate behavior or harassment of any kind will be immediately ejected from the event.
For media inquiries, access inquiries, or questions about our Covid-19 policies, please email events@thirdplacebooks.com or call our Lake Forest Park store at (206) 366-3311.
