Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
(215) 567-7710
FAX (215) 567-7850
Contact: Communications and Development
Announcing the 2023 One Book, One Philadelphia Selection: Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
PHILADELPHIA, February 15, 2023—The Free Library of Philadelphia and the Office of the Mayor today announced that Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu has been chosen as the 2023 One Book, One Philadelphia featured reading selection, marking the 21st year of the program.
In Interior Chinatown, Charles Yu uses a screenplay format and his wry humor to explore how culture and family history shape us. Yu builds tension with high drama and breaks it with hilarious absurdity. While most of the book's characters are working-class residents of a Chinatown—which feels meaningful for Philadelphia in particular right now—Interior Chinatown is for anyone who's ever had big dreams, hard times, or the hope that their children will be freer than they are.
Free Library President and Director Kelly Richards said of Interior Chinatown “One Book, One Philadelphia offers numerous opportunities for learning about different cultures, peoples, and perspectives, which helps us to better our understanding of the world around us, and of each other. This year is no different. With its creativity and humor, Interior Chinatown is as inviting as it is enlightening.”
One Book, One Philadelphia is an acclaimed literacy and civic dialogue initiative that encourages the entire greater Philadelphia region to come together through reading and discussing the same book. The announcement marks the beginning of the reading period, during which Philadelphians are invited to delve into the featured selection before the official program period, which will take place virtually and in person this season, commences in April.
Young readers will join the conversation with discussions and programs inspired by the youth companion titles American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang and Drawn Together by Minh Lê.
Running from April 20 to June 22, 2023, One Book, One Philadelphia’s innovative and wide-ranging programs will include dozens of events for all ages inspired by the featured selection, created in collaboration with community partners from across the city. Programs will explore themes from Interior Chinatown and the youth companion titles including migration, home, and belonging; the entanglements of freedom with class and race; lineages of activism in Philadelphia’s Chinatown; representations of Asian Americans in film; food and other inherited culture; the power of telling your own story; and more. Programs will range from book discussions to panel events, cooking programs, and film screenings, plus workshops in graphic novel writing and qi gong movement, as well as crafts for children and families. These can be found on freelibrary.org/onebook.
On April 20 at 6:00 p.m., the One Book program season will kick off at the Parkway Central Library with a community fair featuring activities, food, and performances, culminating in a 7:30 p.m. hybrid event featuring a conversation between the author Charles Yu, dialing in remotely, and Terence Washington, the Free Library’s Manager of Civic Engagement and Programs.
Charles Yu is the author of four books, including Interior Chinatown (the winner of the 2020 National Book Award for fiction), and the novel How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe (a New York Times Notable Book and a Time magazine best book of the year). He received the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 Award and was nominated for two Writers Guild of America Awards for his work on the HBO series, Westworld. He has also written for shows on FX, AMC, and HBO. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired, among other publications. Together with TaiwaneseAmerican.org, he established the Betty L. Yu and Jin C. Yu Writing Prizes, in honor of his parents.
Founded in 2003 by the Free Library and the Office of the Mayor, One Book, One Philadelphia motivates tens of thousands of people annually to read a featured selection and participate in programming that encourages empathy, understanding, and dialogue among Philadelphia’s many communities.
The 2023 One Book program is endowed by the Joseph and Marie Field Fund and supported by Joseph and Marie Field. One Book, One Philadelphia is made possible through generous support from PECO. Additional funding is provided by The Sylvia W. and Randle M. Kauders Foundation. Media sponsors include WHYY, Keystone Outdoor Advertising, WURD, and Harmelin Media.
In addition, donations made through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program enable thousands of School District of Philadelphia students and teachers to participate in the One Book, One Philadelphia program each year by providing free copies of the selected books and accompanying curricula. The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation extends its gratitude to the corporations that have made this important initiative possible through their EITC gifts.
All Free Library locations will have copies of Interior Chinatown and the youth companion titles for customers to borrow with a Free Library card, as well as ebook copies and downloadable audiobooks available for check-out from freelibrary.org.
02/15/2023
Department of External Affairs, Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
(215) 567-7710, FAX (215) 567-7850