Talks
Book talks with Claire are never boring!
Download the Book Club discussion guide here
“I am so impressed by Claire’s ability to combine warmth and love for her family history within the context of Chinese history, especially art history. It is fascinating that Princeton’s art collection and her thesis topic brought to light a significant part of her grandfather’s art collection. Claire is such an engaging speaker.”
Mo Chen, Princeton University alumna, following Claire’s 2018 book talk at the Princeton University Art Museum
“Claire’s enthusiasm, flair and conversational style made this one of the Metropolitan Club’s best presentations. It was so well-done and well-received.”
Sharon Litsky, Activities Committee, the Metropolitan Club of San Francisco
“We started off our year with such a dynamic speaker, Claire Chao. There were many compliments on her talk, saying this has been the best speaker we have ever had.”
Roberta Wong Leung, President, Organization of Chinese American Women, Hawaii Chapter
“Our book club to discuss Remembering Shanghai was such fun. I think every single person enjoyed the book! We talked about Shanghai and Hong Kong, mother-daughter relationships, China’s history, your journey to uncover family history, structure …”
Barb M., Portland
“Walk + Talk”: Historic Shanghai Book Club, Shanghai (2018) and via zoom (2020)
Claire delights in presenting Remembering Shanghai to audiences large and small, be it a literary festival, a walking tour, an intimate book club or livestreaming to over 3,000 viewers. She is available to join you on Zoom to chat about Remembering Shanghai. Please email your request to hello@rememberingshanghai.com. Include your desired date and time, and time zone.
Depending on your group’s format, Claire’s talks are typically one hour and include:
- A slideshow of about 200 vintage photos and illustrations (many not included in the book) set to 1930s Shanghai music—20 minutes
- A Powerpoint presentation offering a behind-the-scenes look at Isabel and Claire’s journey—15 minutes
- The Remembering Shanghai book trailer—4 minutes
- Q&A—15 minutes
In-store book talks: Nohea Gallery and da Shop, Honolulu
Club gatherings: Country Club and American Club, Hong Kong
A few notes to help things run smoothly.
We ask that your group comprise at least 12 participants. Please designate a moderator/facilitator who is familiar with the technicalities of running a zoom meeting.
We will be relying on you to:
- Set up zoom invitations to your guests and allow them into the meeting
- Mute all guests before the start of Claire’s presentation
- “Share screen” to enable Claire to show the various elements of her presentation
- Moderate the Q&A: we suggest that participants type their questions into Zoom Chat, and the moderator read them out
- Remind each member of your group to post a review
Lunar New Year celebrations, Honolulu
Reviews are authors’ lifeblood, and are important drivers of
how our story reaches new readers. Should Claire meet with
your book club, all we ask is that each member leave a review—
a star rating will suffice—on Goodreads, the bookseller where
you purchased your book, your own social media or by writing us.
Princeton University Art Museum, NJ—Claire’s Princeton University 35th reunion
Post a review of Remembering Shanghai, email us a screenshot and we’ll mail you a beautiful bookmark and a signed bookplate!
(US readers only)
Lit fests and cultural organizations: Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA), New York and Singapore Writers Festival
Download the Book Club discussion guide here
In-home book clubs: Bronxville, NY and Honolulu, HI
