Crying in H Mart: An Evening with Michelle Zauner and Soleil Ho

Few writers have traced the sensuous connection between food and memory as powerfully as Michelle Zauner has done in her runaway hit memoir, Crying in H Mart. Legions of readers have kept the book on the bestseller list for more than 60 weeks, and for good reason. With breathtaking prose, Zauner delves into the experience of food—our primal nourishment—and her biracial identity as a way of processing the painful loss of her mother. The New York Times calls Zauner’s memoir “an artistic triumph—artfully observed and emotionally rich.”

Zauner, who is also a phenomenally successful indie musician performing under the band name Japanese Breakfast, is no stranger to touring, but the publication of her memoir early in the pandemic meant that she’s made almost no in-person appearances for her book—until now.

In celebration of the paperback release of Crying in H Mart, the Bay Area Book Festival is honored to host Zauner’s only Bay Area book tour appearance this spring. She’ll be in conversation with San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic Soleil Ho at Oakland’s gorgeous California Ballroom in what promises to be a wide-ranging discussion of love, loss, cultural identity, the art of memoir writing, and, of course, food.