Celebrating the selection of Interior Chinatown, written by National Book Award for Fiction-winning author Charles Yu, for the 2023 One Book, One Philadelphia program

WHEREAS, Since its founding in 1891, the Free Library of Philadelphia has worked to build an enlightened community devoted to lifelong learning; and

WHEREAS, Now, on its 21st annual season, the Free Library of Philadelphia’s One Book, One Philadelphia is a signature project of the Free Library of Philadelphia. It promotes literacy, library usage, and civic dialogue by encouraging the entire greater Philadelphia area to come together through the sharing of ideas and the joy of reading; and

WHEREAS, This year’s One Book, One Philadelphia selection is a story of an Asian-American actor trying to become a star and navigating the world of being an immigrant entitled

Interior Chinatown

, written by National Book Award for Fiction-winning author Charles Yu; and

WHEREAS, Yu is the author of four books and recipient of the National Book Award for Fiction, the National Book Foundation’s 5 under 35 Award, and nominations for two Writers Guild of America awards for his work on the HBO series

Westworld

. Yu has also written for FX, AMC, Facebook Watch, and Adult Swim. His fiction and non-fiction have appeared in a number of publications including

The New Yorker

,

The New York Times Magazine

,

The Atlantic

,

Wired

,

Time

, and

Ploughshares

; and

WHEREAS, The official One Book, One Philadelphia public reading period lasts from April to June 2023. Programming begins on Thursday, April 20 with a Kickoff Celebration with Charles Yu

and

Terence Washington, the Free Library

of Philadelphia Foundation’s

Manager of Civic Engagement and Programs

.

The event will be held at the Parkway Central Library; and

WHEREAS, The nine-week programming season features dozens of free-to-the-public events, discussions, and creative workshops centering on Charles Yu's novel,

Interior Chinatown

, and the youth companion titles

American Born Chinese

by Gene Yuan Lang and

Drawn Together

, written by Dan Santat and illustrated by Minh Lê; and

WHEREAS, Along with presenting two youth companion titles to enrich discussions with younger readers across the city, One Book, One Philadelphia offers curricula, discussion guides, and a list of recommended reading for all ages that celebrates literature and connects with the themes in the featured book; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby celebrate the selection of Charles Yu’s

Interior Chinatown

for the 2023 One Book, One Philadelphia program.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed Copy of this resolution be presented to Charles Yu, evidencing the sincere respect of this legislative body.

End