Purchase a Premier Admission ticket for Gail Tsukiyama on June 27, and receive free General Admission for Lisa See on June 26! Details below.
Anna May Wong is having a moment. She’s the first Asian American woman to be honored on American currency—a 2022 US quarter. A new collection of three of her most notable films has just hit the market. And in a rare honor, Mattel has released a new Anna May Wong Barbie doll.
Born to Chinese immigrant parents in 1905 Los Angeles, Wong Liu Tsong rechristened herself at just sixteen years old and headed for Tinseltown. Asians were mostly portrayed by white actors in yellowface, and only a very few Asian or Asian American performers nabbed those roles—all of them male. Wong faced even more hurdles as a woman. Nonetheless, from an uncredited 1919 silent film role, she rose to third billing in the pre-Code classic Shanghai Express. But even her talent and drive couldn’t trounce the industry’s entrenched racism.
This warm, touching telling of Wong’s story in memoir form honors everything that went into such a hard-won immortality. Join Gail Tsukiyama—author of The Color of Air and winner of the American Academy of Poets and PEN/Oakland Awards—and Kepler’s own Angie Coiro as they discuss this shining cinema star, and the art of retelling history as fiction.
Masks are required for everyone over the age of 2 years old and must be worn at all times in the venue, and throughout the duration of the event.
Details for free General Admission ticket offer for Lisa See(Monday, June 26): When you purchase a Premier Admission ticket for our event with Gail Tsukiyama, you will receive a promo code IN THE PDF OF YOUR E-TICKET that unlocks one free General Admission ticket for our event with Lisa See. Simply go to the ticketing page (linked above) and enter your code into the field labeled "Promo Code" and then click "Apply" to reveal your ticket, and then complete your order on the next page. Questions? Email events@keplers.org.