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Author Talk: The Red Sandals By Jing Li

Sunday, 5/5/2024
1:30 - 3:00
Chinese Center Exhibit Space - 3rd Fl
Main Library

100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States

415-557-4400

Meet Jing Li, a San Francisco local author of The Red Sandals: A Memoir (2022), which won The Montaigne Medal Finalist/Eric Hoffer Book Award (2023) for the “most thought provoking”, and for “Overcoming Adversity/Tragedy” as the Finalist/Indie Book Awards (2023-2024). Prior to her book, her short memoir stories were selected into half dozen Anthologies and won series of awards from California writing contests, including the Grand Prize from San Francisco Writers’ Conference (2017). She’s currently working on her next book, America through My Chinese Eyes/Counting My Blessings.

The Red Sandals: A Memoir is about Jing Li’s triumphant true grit surviving life journey in both China and America. It has captured readers’ hearts and minds. Her life began (1956) in northern China’s pine forest mountains, a born-unwanted peasant girl into the masses of illiteracy and famine. She didn’t know what a full stomach felt like until in her 20’s. How miraculous that, with her brain intact, she fought her way up to China’s scholastic top!

A lifelong passionate classroom teacher, Jing Li had taught ten years of English in Taiyuan city’s best college-prep high school before earning her master’s degree (Ed.) in America. However, her American dream didn’t come as rosy – twenty years of teaching high school Mandarin Chinese/ESL in SFUSD was as traumatic as her enduring five years alone separated from her 8-year-old daughter while trying to create a bright future for her family.

Please come meet Jing Li and find out how she defied all odds beating life’s curveballs to survive, thrive and achieve writing an award-winning book in English, her second language, with no ghost writer! Her resiliency is truly motivational and inspiring.

*The first twenty attendees will get a free copy of Jing Li’s memoir, The Red Sandals.

Chinese American Interest

Connect to engaging discussions and performances related to the Chinese American community.

AANHPI Interest

Weaving Stories: Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Interest
Connect with AANHPI heritage with programs and workshops, book recommendations and more.

Weaving Stories is the Library's celebration of the many diverse histories and cultures from Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities.

Women's Interest

Programs spotlighting women's history, rights and current issues.

HERstory is SFPL's celebration of Women's History Month, spotlighting authors, thinkers, visionaries and artists during the month of March. Program offerings are for all ages. 
sfpl.org/herstory

This program is sponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Attending Programs

For questions about the program or help registering, contact sfplcpp@sfpl.org. All programs are drop-in (no registration necessary) unless otherwise noted. All SFPL locations are wheelchair accessible. For accommodations (such as ASL or language interpretation), call (415) 557-4557 or contact accessibility@sfpl.org. Requesting at least 3 business days in advance will help ensure availability.

Notice: This event may be filmed or photographed. By participating in this event, you consent to have your likeness used for the Library’s archival purposes and promotional materials. If you do not want to be photographed, please inform a staff person or the photographer. A sticker will be provided to help identify you so that we can avoid capturing your image.

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The views and opinions expressed in programs presented by groups unaffiliated with SFPL do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SFPL or the City.