Am in Denver to speak the local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalist (a four star chapter at that). I just saw the invite for the talk and dinner. It’s adorable.

Did some library events earlier this week, and I love seeing the signs they put up with the name of the book in that piecemeal lettering. I love local libraries. That is how I grew up learning to read.

The signs remind me of traveling through Iowa and Ohio and places like that. (though these were both in New Jersey).

I might be going to speak at an American Library Association conference in Denver next January (yes, Denver in January) on my use of the historical newspaper archives offered by ProQuest. I love ProQuest and even thank them in my acknowledgments. Basically their historical archives were perfect for something like my book — searching for early terms that may or may not show up in sporadic locations. So this helped me trace the history of fortune cookies, chop suey, General Tso’s chicken and Chinese restaurants. This is how I found the 1883 NYT article that asked, “Do the Chinese eat rats.”

It also made me really proud to work for the New York Times, because our content has been so good from day one. And the New York Times was as obsessed with Chinese food then as it was now.

I thought this invite, sent out for my Phoenix event this Sunday, was adorable.

Speaking on a panel at the LATimes book fair called Eat This Book with Fred Kaufman and Raj Patel at 1 p.m. Sunday in Moore 100. The moderator is Barry Glassner.

It is gargantuan book fair, basically taking over the entire UCLA campus.

Last week I got to speak in the Dining Hall of the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum in Chicago (at the invitation of Lisa Yun Lee). This was a room that W.E.B  Dubois, Ida B. Wells, Upton Sinclair, Gertrude Stein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Carl Sandburg have all spoken in. Very historic. So it was a real honor.

Just confirmed this new talk: I’ll be presenting the The Fortune Cookie Chronicles for 20-25 minutes as part of the Madison Square Reads outdoor program in Madison Square Park (5^th Avenue and 23^rd Street in Manhattan) on Thursday, July 17, at 6:30 p.m. The program, which will last 60 minutes, features two authors of books about food. Laura Schenone will read on the same evening.A question-and-answer session may be part of the program.Books will available for sale by Borders.

I’m speaking at the Asia Society tomorrow with Fuchsia Dunlop, a great Chinese cuisine chef, on Chinese food.:6:30 p.m., April 16, at the Asia Society at 70th and Park. So afterwards there is a dim sum tasting catered by the trendy Chinatown Brasserie.

Since I am a speaker I have complimentary tickets (normally $15 for members and $30 for non-members), which I will have a few extra even after I invite friends and family. So I’m throwing open some invites to blog readers. (Thanks for being loyal). Admittedly, I have been a slacker in getting invites out to friends because of other book stuff. (I have four talks this week, two in Chicago)

So if you want to go, email me jenny8lee at fortunecookiechronicles.com. It’s first come first served.

Here is the event info: http://www.asiasociety.org/events/calendar.pl?rm=detail&eventid=17206. It starts at 6:30 pm. (but show up early) 725 Park Avenue @ 70th Street.

Today I am doing an insane tour by phone set up via Newman Communications, a PR firm that specializes in (among other things) literary radio and satellite television tours. They essentially hook you up with radio programs  (mostly live, some pre-taped) coast to coast on a very tight schedule. It has to be done over a landline, and I don’t have a landline, so I had to crash at my friend’s place to use the phone. Same place where I watched the Super Tuesday returns as I do not have a television either.

Here is the schedule for today.

• 4/7 7:40 am WMJI-FM/Cleveland OH 10 min live w/Lanigan & Malone, 50,000 watt FM
  4/7 8:30 am KCBS-AM/San Francisco CA 10 min live w/Morning Show, 50,000 watt AM
  4/7 9:10 am Cable Radio Network - CRN National National 10 min live w/ Jack Roberts
  4/7 9:20 am WKZL-FM Greensboro NC 10 minute live w/ Murphy in the Morning
  4/7 10:00 am WMHX-FM/Harrisburg PA 20 min live w/Diane Grey, top-rated FM
  4/7 10:30 am 30 min taped with WGTD-FM Milwaukee WI w/ Greg Berg for Morning Show
  4/7 11:05 am *KCMN-AM/Colorado Springs CO 10 min live w/Tron Simpson, top-rated AM
  4/7 11:40 am KZOK-FM/Seattle WA 10 min live w/Bob Rivers, 50,000 watt FM
  4/7 12:20 pm Lifestyle Radio Network – national 20 min live w/Frankie Boyer, nationally syndicated
  4/7 5:30 pm WINA-AM/Charlottesville VA 30 min live w/Coy Barefoot, top-rated AM
  4/7 10:00 PM *WLW-AM/Cincinnati OH 30 min live w/Scott Sloan, 50,000 watt AM

The New York Chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association is holding a panel tomorrow, called “So you want to publish a book? A panel for your book publishing fantasies to come true.”

We will cover:
 
·         What do you need to get started?
·         How much research is required?
·         Common mistakes writers make.
·         What comes first, the publisher or the book?
·         How do you find a publisher for a book?
 
And other questions.

Panelists so far:

• Geeta Anand, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer with The Wall Street Journal, Author of ‘The Cure’
• Jennifer 8. Lee, New York Times writer for Metro Section, Author of ‘The Fortune Cookie Chronicles’
• Kevin Kwan, book packager and creative consultant, Author of ‘Luck: The Essential Guide”

Location and exact time still to be announced.

Start:	Aug 13, '08
Location:	Beard on Books at the James Beard Foundation, 167 West 12th Street, New York, NY.

An hour of reading, discussion, and Q&A.

Start:	May 8, '08 6:00p
Location:	Denver Press Club, 1330 Glenarm Place, Denver, CO 80204

Hosted by the local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Cocktail hour until 7 p.m., followed by a talk about the book.

Start:

Mar 30, '08 6:30p

Cooks and Books Dinner at some restaurant OnePot, (To be coordinated with Kim Ricketts)

Start:	Apr 25, '08
End:	Apr 27, '08
Location:	Los Angeles Festival of Books, UCLA

I'll be on a panel during the festival.