Odd Mondays "Exotic Locales: China, Australia & the American Midwest"

Setting is a device used in writing fiction. A particular setting can be exotic to one reader and prosaic to another. Odd Mondays has asked three authors of recent novels to read excerpts describing setting at "Exotic Locales," Monday, October 1, 7pm to 8pm, at Folio Books San Francisco, 3957 24th St. in Noe Valley. After the readings, the authors will discuss why they chose that setting and what function it serves in their novel. Former Noe Valley resident Kirstin Chen set her novel BURY WHAT WE CANNOT TAKE in Mao-era China and Hong Kong. Current Noe Valley resident Rebecca Winterer's novel THE SINGING SHIP takes place in Queensland, Australia. TWISTER, by Genanne Walsh, is set in the American Midwest, which is clearly exotic to San Franciscans, expats or not. Admission is free and so are the refreshments!MORE ABOUT THE AUTHORS:Kirstin Chen's new novel, BURY WHAT WE CANNOT TAKE, was named a Most Anticipated Upcoming Book by Electric Literature, The Millions, The Rumpus, Harper's Bazaar, and InStyle, among others. She is also the author of SOY SAUCE FOR BEGINNERS. She was the fall 2017 NTU-NAC National Writer in Residence in Singapore and has received awards from the Steinbeck Fellows Program, Sewanee, Hedgebrook, and the Napa Valley Writers' Conference. Born and raised in Singapore, she currently resides in San Francisco.Genanne Walsh is the author of TWISTER, which was awarded the Big Moose Prize for the Novel from Black Lawrence Press. Twister was also shortlisted for the Brighthorse Prize, the Housatonic Book Award in Fiction, and the Sarton Women’s Book Award. She lives in San Francisco with her wife and dogs.Rebecca Winterer's THE SINGING SHIP was awarded the Del Sol Press 2016 First Novel Prize and selected as a finalist for the Black Lawrence Press 2016 Big Moose Prize. She’s received fellowships at the Millay Colony, the Vermont Studio Center, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, and Yaddo and has had a story published by Puerto del Sol. She holds an MFA from Warren Wilson College. Raised in Queensland, Australia, she now lives in Noe Valley with her husband.