Dear friends, I’m excited (but also, because I’m me, utterly panicked) to announce that we are four days from the official Focal Point release date, and I’ve got lots of updates coming your way, including how to enter the preorder giveaway, signing up for my newly launched newsletter, the Focal Point fall tour schedule, and a peek at early reviews & features.
Preorder giveaway
I partnered with the wonderful Miller Press to create broadsides of my poem “Postcards From the Living.” All who have preordered can enter the giveaway by filling out this form. All you need is proof of purchase! If you haven’t preordered yet, you can still do so at The Booksmith, Bookshop, Indie Bound, Amazon, or your local indie bookstore.
Newsletter
I started a Mailchimp newsletter and will use that to send (very occasional) event updates directly to your inbox. Here’s the first one as well as an option to subscribe if you’re interested!
Upcoming events
Here are my 2021 fall events! All are virtual unless otherwise noted; there are two in-person events in San Francisco. They are subject to change, so please check my events page and follow me on Instagram for the latest updates and links to sign up for the events.
Below, I am including links to register for my first few October events, including two in-person events in San Francisco at Yerba Buena Gardens (10/17) and Green Apple Books on the Park (10/22):
- 10/13 (6PM PT): FOCAL POINT LAUNCH at The Booksmith
- 10/14 (6:30PM PT): Voz sin Tinta
- 10/17 (12PM PT): Litquake: Debut Poetry in COVID (IN-PERSON)
- 10/22 (7PM PT): Green Apple Books on the Park (IN-PERSON)
ICYMI, here’s a link to watch my very fun reading and conversation with Susan Nguyen and Roy Guzmán in celebration of Susan’s book Dear Diaspora, which was released September 1st. Huge shoutout to Susan for your support and for being such an inspiration as you’ve navigated your book launch.
Features & early reviews
- Frontier Poetry featured Postcards from the Living” in their August roundup of Exceptional Poetry
- Focal Point was featured by the bookstagram account @asianauthorsbookclub, who described it as “a debut poetry collection that will dazzle your mind and twist your heart.”
- Novelist A.H. Kim featured Focal Point in her delightful Little Free Libraries Instagram project
- In Mochi Mag, written by Tria Chang, a side by side interview with Kat Chow, author of Seeing Ghosts, a memoir that is also about losing her mother as a young person
- A thoughtful review by Rooted & Written alumna Rebecca Samuelson, who took a poetry workshop I led: “Jenny Qi tackles [grief] with a ferocious grace in her new collection…. Focal Point provides a starting point to a journey that will never end but will inevitably change the trajectory of your life.”
That’s all for now! Hope to see you at one of my upcoming events this month!
Jenny Qi, Ph.D. 