Kellogg Community College will host award-winning author Curtis Chin as part of a free Great Michigan Read author visit on campus in April.
Chin’s memoir, “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant,” chronicles his experiences growing up as a gay Chinese American kid in 1980s Detroit, coming out in his working-class immigrant community and being a first-generation college student at the University of Michigan.
The KCC event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 9, at the Binda Performing Arts Center, on campus at 450 North Ave. in Battle Creek.
Chin’s book is this year’s selection for the Great Michigan Read, the signature program of Michigan Humanities that brings communities across the state together to read a single Michigan-centered book.
KCC Director of Library Services Jenn Washburn said KCC is Chin’s first stop on his Great Michigan Read tour across the state this spring. Several copies of the book are available for checkout at KCC’s Morris Library, as well as from area public libraries.
“It’s a witty and funny and accessible book to read and we’re excited to bring it not just to our students but to the whole community,” Washburn said.
Community members who’d like to check out the book and who reside in the College’s service area in Barry, Branch or Calhoun County can register for a free community borrower’s card at the library’s checkout desk. For more information, contact the library at 269-965-4122.
This program is made possible in part by a grant from Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Learn more at michiganhumanities.org/great-michigan-read.
About the Author: Curtis Chin
Curtis Chin is the author of the award-winning memoir, “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant.” A cofounder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York City, Chin served as the nonprofit’s first executive director. He went on to write comedy for network and cable television before transitioning to social justice documentaries. Chin has screened his films at more than 600 venues in 20 countries. He has written for CNN, Bon Appétit, the Detroit Free Press and the Emancipator/Boston Globe.
A graduate of the University of Michigan, Chin has received awards from ABC/Disney Television, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and more. His essay in Bon Appétit was selected for “The Best American Food Writing 2023” collection and his short documentary, “Dear Corky,” premiered on American Masters (PBS).
For more information about Curtis Chin, visit his website at curtisfromdetroit.com.
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