Crying in H Mart: An Evening with Michelle Zauner

Few writers have traced the sensuous connection between food and memory as powerfully as Michelle Zauner has done in her runaway hit memoir, Crying in H Mart. Legions of readers have kept the book on the bestseller list for more than 60 weeks, and for good reason. With breathtaking prose, Zauner delves into the experience of food—our primal nourishment—and her biracial identity as a way of processing the painful loss of her mother. The New York Times calls Zauner’s memoir “an artistic triumph—artfully observed and emotionally rich.”

Zauner, who is also a phenomenally successful indie musician performing under the band name Japanese Breakfast, is no stranger to touring, but the publication of her memoir early in the pandemic meant that she’s made almost no in-person appearances for her book—until now.

In celebration of the paperback release of Crying in H Mart, the Bay Area Book Festival is honored to host Zauner’s only Bay Area book tour appearance this spring. Join us at Oakland’s gorgeous California Ballroom in what promises to be a wide-ranging discussion of love, loss, cultural identity, the art of memoir writing, and, of course, food.

Tickets, which support the nonprofit Bay Area Book Festival, are $30, or $45 with a signed paperback copy of Crying in H Mart. All tickets include 2 complimentary beverages (must be 21+ to drink alcohol). Eastwind Books of Berkeley will also be on site to sell additional copies of the book. Michelle will sign/personalize books and take photos with her fans. Please join us for what just might be the biggest book party of the spring—and the perfect kickoff to a month of BABF Prologue events leading up to the festival on May 6 & 7 in Berkeley.

About Michelle Zauner: Zauner is best known as a singer and guitarist who creates dreamy, shoegaze-inspired indie pop under the name Japanese Breakfast. Her most recent album, Jubilee (2021), earned two Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album. She has won acclaim from major music outlets around the world for earlier releases like Psychopomp (2016) and Soft Sounds from Another Planet (2017). Her first book, Crying in H Mart, is a New York Times bestseller. She’s currently adapting the memoir for the screen for MGM’s Orion Pictures.