I'm going on a book tour!

To Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle, and New York City ❗❗❗

Sometimes I look in the mirror and do not recognize who I have become. My hair has thinned, my cheeks are sullen. I have permanent eye bags. I always look tired because I am.

As a mom of two under two, I’ve been either pregnant or postpartum for the last three years and with the exception of short business trips—virtually inseparable from my babies.

And so it’s a really, really big deal that I’m packing a bag and leaving my babies for 12 days in September for a book tour (fret not, they will be with my very capable husband, who is far better at handling the kids alone than I am).

My book that’s coming out this September is on postpartum cuisine, based on the traditional Chinese concept of “sitting the month,” or zuo yue zi.

* My recipe collaborator and herbalist Stella Wang will be joining for these events!

Los Angeles
September 15 at 7:00 PM @ Now Serving LA
Book talk with Tejal Rao with bites from Chiyo and HEYDOH soy sauce sampling.
Buy tickets here.

Sacramento
September 17 at 6:00 PM @ Superette Market
Book talk with Erin Alderson with bites from Chiyo and HEYDOH soy sauce sampling.
Buy tickets here.

San Francisco
September 18 at 5:00 PM @ Konbini SF
Meet and greet. Limited edition sesame oil chicken onigiris available for purchase and HEYDOH soy sauce sampling.
RSVP here.

Foster City*
September 19 at 1:00 PM @ Foster City Library
Book talk with Sandra Wu
No need to RSVP; just drop in!

San Francisco*
September 19 at 5:30 PM @ On Waverly
Book talk with Kristina Cho with bites from Chiyo and HEYDOH soy sauce sampling.
RSVP here.

Seattle*
September 20 at 4:30 PM @ Book Larder
Book talk with Kat Lieu with bites from Chiyo.
Buy tickets here.

New York*
September 23 at 6:30 PM @ Museum of Chinese in America
Book talk with Genevieve Yam with bites from Chiyo.
Buy tickets here.

When I was pregnant with my first, I was so frustrated at the lack of resources out there on what to eat during postpartum recovery. Even in Taiwan, the advice was: check into a postpartum hotel or pay for a postpartum meal delivery service. The Chinese-language cookbooks on confinement cuisine that I found were vague, and I felt overwhelmed by all the herbs, their uses, and what they were actually supposed to do.

So being able to untangle this industry, clarify the traditions, and create something approachable was relieving. And with my second child, I simply followed the recipes in my own cookbook.

While it’s industry knowledge that book tours don’t actually move the needle all that much for book sales, I do think it’s still important to show up and engage with the people who support me and my work. I didn’t get to do a proper book tour for “Made In Taiwan” (I gave birth to my son the same week my book came out lol), so this will be my first ever.

And while book tours can feel a bit like a vanity trip, they do create buzz. Marketing is, unfortunately, an enormous part of being an author: getting a deal and writing the book is only half the equation. Actually selling the book and earning back one’s advance is the other half, and perhaps the most critical.

Gratefully, I’m already earning a very modest stream of royalties from Made in Taiwan. This next book (Sitting The Month: Postpartum Recipes for Rest and Recovery), I predict, will be more of a slow burn considering it’s a very specific topic geared towards a very specific period of a woman’s life.

I’m curious and nervous to how it will be received. Though I like to tell myself that irregardless of the outcome, writing it was selfishly a therapeutic exercise and helped me with my own recovery the second time around.

I know a lot of first time parents can also relate to that anxiety of not knowing what to eat after giving birth. And I can’t wait to hear what you all think—whether or not parenthood is in your immediate future.

If you live or are stopping by any of the above cities, please come and say hi. My friends at Chiyo will be providing light bites inspired by recipes in the book. My recipe collaborator and herbalist Stella Wang will be making an appearance at select stops. And to kill two birds with one stone, I’ll also be sampling and selling HEYDOH soy sauce with my co-founder at some of the events.

Can’t wait to meet you all.

Gratefully,
Clarissa