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The Princeton High School alum discusses "Flux," his acclaimed debut novel, with Laura Spence-Ash, in this Friends and Foundation fundraising event. Every book, program, database, the items in our Library of Things are all made possible through philanthropy. We truly couldn’t do it without you, so thank you for your support and for making our work possible.

From the Publisher: 
A blazingly original and stylish debut novel about a young man whose reality unravels when he suspects his employers have inadvertently discovered time travel and are covering up a string of violent crimes.

Four days before Christmas, 8-year-old Bo loses his mother in a tragic accident, 28-year-old Brandon loses his job after a hostile takeover of his big-media employer, and 48-year-old Blue, a key witness in a criminal trial against an infamous now-defunct tech startup, struggles to reconnect with his family.

So begins Jinwoo Chong’s dazzling, time-bending and surreal literary debut that blends elements of neo-noir and speculative fiction as the lives of the lives of Bo, Brandon and Blue begin to intersect, uncovering a vast network of secrets and an experimental technology that threatens to upend life itself. Intertwined with them is the saga of an iconic 80s detective show, Raider, whose star actor has imploded spectacularly after revelations of long-term, concealed abuse.

"Flux" is a haunting and sometimes shocking exploration of the cyclical nature of grief, of moving past trauma, and of the pervasive nature of whiteness within the development of Asian identity in America.


About the Author: 
Jinwoo Chong is the author of the novel "Flux," a New York Times Editor’s Choice that was named a best book of 2023 by Esquire, Apple Books, HuffPost, GQ, Cosmopolitan, and Goodreads, Debutiful and optioned for television by Sony Pictures Television.

His short stories and other work have appeared or are forthcoming in Guernica, The Southern Review, The Rumpus, LitHub, Chicago Quarterly Review, and Electric Literature.

His second novel, I Leave It Up To You, is forthcoming spring 2025 in the US from Ballantine and the UK & Commonwealth from Scribe.


About Laura Spence-Ash: 
Laura Spence-Ash’s debut novel, ”Beyond That, the Sea,” was published by Celadon Books in March 2023. The novel has garnered praise from Meg Wolitzer, Ann Napolitano, and Claire Messud, among others. The New York Times said,  "The plot of Laura Spence-Ash’s Beyond That, the Sea is rooted in the home-front upheavals of World War II, but it’s also a timeless exploration of what it means to create a family, of how dreams can die and be reborn in surprising ways." Laura was named one of the 10 Writers to Watch in Spring 2023 by Publishers Weekly. The novel was chosen as a GMA Buzz Pick, an Indie Next Pick for April 2023, and it received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Laura’s short fiction has appeared in One Story, New England Review, Crazyhorse, and elsewhere. She was the founding editor of CRAFT, an online literary journal, and she has taught for Rutgers University, the Princeton Adult School, and One Story. She has received fellowships and support from the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center, and Sewanee Writers’ Conference. In December 2023, she will be a fellow at MacDowell in Peterborough, NH. She earned her MFA in Fiction from Rutgers-Newark, where she received the Presidential Fellowship, and she lives in New Jersey.
Author: Jinwoo Chong in Conversation w/Laura Spence-Ash

The Princeton High School alum discusses "Flux," his acclaimed debut novel, with Laura Spence-Ash, in this Friends and Foundation fundraising event. Every book, program, database, the items in our Library of Things are all made possible through philanthropy. We truly couldn’t do it without you, so thank you for your support and for making our work possible.

From the Publisher:
A blazingly original and stylish debut novel about a young man whose reality unravels when he suspects his employers have inadvertently discovered time travel and are covering up a string of violent crimes.

Four days before Christmas, 8-year-old Bo loses his mother in a tragic accident, 28-year-old Brandon loses his job after a hostile takeover of his big-media employer, and 48-year-old Blue, a key witness in a criminal trial against an infamous now-defunct tech startup, struggles to reconnect with his family.

So begins Jinwoo Chong’s dazzling, time-bending and surreal literary debut that blends elements of neo-noir and speculative fiction as the lives of the lives of Bo, Brandon and Blue begin to intersect, uncovering a vast network of secrets and an experimental technology that threatens to upend life itself. Intertwined with them is the saga of an iconic 80s detective show, Raider, whose star actor has imploded spectacularly after revelations of long-term, concealed abuse.

"Flux" is a haunting and sometimes shocking exploration of the cyclical nature of grief, of moving past trauma, and of the pervasive nature of whiteness within the development of Asian identity in America.


About the Author:
Jinwoo Chong is the author of the novel "Flux," a New York Times Editor’s Choice that was named a best book of 2023 by Esquire, Apple Books, HuffPost, GQ, Cosmopolitan, and Goodreads, Debutiful and optioned for television by Sony Pictures Television.

His short stories and other work have appeared or are forthcoming in Guernica, The Southern Review, The Rumpus, LitHub, Chicago Quarterly Review, and Electric Literature.

His second novel, I Leave It Up To You, is forthcoming spring 2025 in the US from Ballantine and the UK & Commonwealth from Scribe.


About Laura Spence-Ash:
Laura Spence-Ash’s debut novel, ”Beyond That, the Sea,” was published by Celadon Books in March 2023. The novel has garnered praise from Meg Wolitzer, Ann Napolitano, and Claire Messud, among others. The New York Times said, "The plot of Laura Spence-Ash’s Beyond That, the Sea is rooted in the home-front upheavals of World War II, but it’s also a timeless exploration of what it means to create a family, of how dreams can die and be reborn in surprising ways." Laura was named one of the 10 Writers to Watch in Spring 2023 by Publishers Weekly. The novel was chosen as a GMA Buzz Pick, an Indie Next Pick for April 2023, and it received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Laura’s short fiction has appeared in One Story, New England Review, Crazyhorse, and elsewhere. She was the founding editor of CRAFT, an online literary journal, and she has taught for Rutgers University, the Princeton Adult School, and One Story. She has received fellowships and support from the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center, and Sewanee Writers’ Conference. In December 2023, she will be a fellow at MacDowell in Peterborough, NH. She earned her MFA in Fiction from Rutgers-Newark, where she received the Presidential Fellowship, and she lives in New Jersey.

YouTube Video VVVlV0dscXlEUW04OVoyenhrM2ZaRjRnLmp4M1pXc1J4YlFr
This recording is presented in partnership by Princeton Public Library and High Meadows Environmental Institute.

The author, an American University professor, discusses her new book "Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action" with Princeton University's Miguel Centeno.

From the Publisher: 
We've known for decades that climate change is an existential crisis. For just as long, we've seen the complete failure of our institutions to rise to the challenge. Governments have struggled to meet even modest goals. Fossil fuel interests maintain a stranglehold on political and economic power. Even though we have seen growing concern from everyday people, civil society has succeeded only in pressuring decision makers to adopt watered-down policies. All the while, the climate crisis worsens. Is there any hope of achieving the systemic change we need?

Dana R. Fisher argues that there is a realistic path forward for climate action — but only through mass mobilization that responds to the growing severity and frequency of disastrous events. She assesses the current state of affairs and shows why public policy and private-sector efforts have been ineffective. Spurred by this lack of progress, climate activism has become increasingly confrontational. Fisher examines the radical flank of the climate movement: its emergence and growth, its use of direct action, and how it might evolve as the climate crisis worsens. She considers when and how activism is most successful, identifying the importance of creating community, capitalizing on shocking moments, and cultivating resilience. Clear-eyed yet optimistic, "Saving Ourselves" offers timely insights on how social movements can take power back from deeply entrenched interests and open windows of opportunity for transformative climate action.

About the Speakers:
Dana R. Fisher is the director of the Center for Environment, Community, and Equity and a professor in the School of International Service at American University. Her books include "Activism Inc.: How the Outsourcing of Grassroots Campaigns Is Strangling Progressive Politics in America" (2006) and "American Resistance: From the Women's March to the Blue Wave" (Columbia, 2019).

Miguel Centeno is Musgrave Professor of Sociology and Executive Vice-Dean of the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). He has published many articles, chapters and books. Some of his latest publications are "War and Society" (Polity 2016), "Global Capitalism" (Polity 2010), and "States in the Developing World" (Cambridge UP, 2017). He is also finishing a new book project on the sociology of discipline. In 2000, he founded the Princeton University Preparatory Program, which provides intensive supplemental training for lower income students in local high schools. From 2003 to 2007, he served as the founding Director of the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies.  From 1997-2004 he also served as Head of Wilson College at Princeton. From 2012 to 2017 he served as Chair of the Sociology Department.

This event was recorded on February 15, 2024.
Author: Dana R Fisher in Conversation with Miguel Centeno

This recording is presented in partnership by Princeton Public Library and High Meadows Environmental Institute.

The author, an American University professor, discusses her new book "Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action" with Princeton University's Miguel Centeno.

From the Publisher:
We've known for decades that climate change is an existential crisis. For just as long, we've seen the complete failure of our institutions to rise to the challenge. Governments have struggled to meet even modest goals. Fossil fuel interests maintain a stranglehold on political and economic power. Even though we have seen growing concern from everyday people, civil society has succeeded only in pressuring decision makers to adopt watered-down policies. All the while, the climate crisis worsens. Is there any hope of achieving the systemic change we need?

Dana R. Fisher argues that there is a realistic path forward for climate action — but only through mass mobilization that responds to the growing severity and frequency of disastrous events. She assesses the current state of affairs and shows why public policy and private-sector efforts have been ineffective. Spurred by this lack of progress, climate activism has become increasingly confrontational. Fisher examines the radical flank of the climate movement: its emergence and growth, its use of direct action, and how it might evolve as the climate crisis worsens. She considers when and how activism is most successful, identifying the importance of creating community, capitalizing on shocking moments, and cultivating resilience. Clear-eyed yet optimistic, "Saving Ourselves" offers timely insights on how social movements can take power back from deeply entrenched interests and open windows of opportunity for transformative climate action.

About the Speakers:
Dana R. Fisher is the director of the Center for Environment, Community, and Equity and a professor in the School of International Service at American University. Her books include "Activism Inc.: How the Outsourcing of Grassroots Campaigns Is Strangling Progressive Politics in America" (2006) and "American Resistance: From the Women's March to the Blue Wave" (Columbia, 2019).

Miguel Centeno is Musgrave Professor of Sociology and Executive Vice-Dean of the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). He has published many articles, chapters and books. Some of his latest publications are "War and Society" (Polity 2016), "Global Capitalism" (Polity 2010), and "States in the Developing World" (Cambridge UP, 2017). He is also finishing a new book project on the sociology of discipline. In 2000, he founded the Princeton University Preparatory Program, which provides intensive supplemental training for lower income students in local high schools. From 2003 to 2007, he served as the founding Director of the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies. From 1997-2004 he also served as Head of Wilson College at Princeton. From 2012 to 2017 he served as Chair of the Sociology Department.

This event was recorded on February 15, 2024.

YouTube Video VVVlV0dscXlEUW04OVoyenhrM2ZaRjRnLmJuZ2JONFpSY0RJ
This recording is presented by Princeton Public Library in partnership with Labyrinth Books.

The author and Princeton University professor of genomics and molecular biology is joined by her Princeton colleague Sam Wang to discuss her recent book "How We Age: The Science of Longevity."

From the Publisher:  All of us would like to live longer, or to slow the debilitating effects of age. In "How We Age," Coleen Murphy shows how recent research on longevity and aging may be bringing us closer to this goal. Murphy, a leading scholar of aging, explains that the study of model systems, particularly simple invertebrate animals, combined with breakthroughs in genomic methods, have allowed scientists to probe the molecular mechanisms of longevity and aging. Understanding the fundamental biological rules that govern aging in model systems provides clues about how we might slow human aging, which could lead in turn to new therapeutics and treatments for age-related disease.

Coleen T. Murphy is professor of genomics and molecular biology at Princeton University. She is director of Princeton’s Glenn Foundation for Research on Aging and director of the Simons Collaboration on Plasticity in the Aging Brain. Her research lab is focused on the process of aging, which remains one of the fundamental mysteries of biology.

Sam Wang is professor of molecular biology and neuroscience at Princeton University. His laboratory research focuses on learning from birth to adulthood, at levels ranging from single synapses to the whole brain. He is the author of two books about the brain: "Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys But Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life" and "Welcome to Your Child’s Brain: How the Mind Grows from Conception to College."

This event was recorded on February 1, 2024.
Author: Coleen T. Murphy in Conversation with Sam Wang

This recording is presented by Princeton Public Library in partnership with Labyrinth Books.

The author and Princeton University professor of genomics and molecular biology is joined by her Princeton colleague Sam Wang to discuss her recent book "How We Age: The Science of Longevity."

From the Publisher: All of us would like to live longer, or to slow the debilitating effects of age. In "How We Age," Coleen Murphy shows how recent research on longevity and aging may be bringing us closer to this goal. Murphy, a leading scholar of aging, explains that the study of model systems, particularly simple invertebrate animals, combined with breakthroughs in genomic methods, have allowed scientists to probe the molecular mechanisms of longevity and aging. Understanding the fundamental biological rules that govern aging in model systems provides clues about how we might slow human aging, which could lead in turn to new therapeutics and treatments for age-related disease.

Coleen T. Murphy is professor of genomics and molecular biology at Princeton University. She is director of Princeton’s Glenn Foundation for Research on Aging and director of the Simons Collaboration on Plasticity in the Aging Brain. Her research lab is focused on the process of aging, which remains one of the fundamental mysteries of biology.

Sam Wang is professor of molecular biology and neuroscience at Princeton University. His laboratory research focuses on learning from birth to adulthood, at levels ranging from single synapses to the whole brain. He is the author of two books about the brain: "Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys But Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life" and "Welcome to Your Child’s Brain: How the Mind Grows from Conception to College."

This event was recorded on February 1, 2024.

YouTube Video VVVlV0dscXlEUW04OVoyenhrM2ZaRjRnLmFycUpSVm9wM1Nv
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