Spokane Is Reading is thrilled to announce author Kim Fu and her short story collection, Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, for the 22nd annual community reading event.

Spokane Is Reading will host two appearances with Kim Fu on Thursday, October 26th, 2023. The first appearance is at the Spokane Valley Library (22 North Herald Road, Spokane) at 1pm, and the second is at the Central Library (906 W. Main, Downtown Spokane) at 7pm. Both events are open to the public with free admission.

This year’s Spokane Is Reading selection, Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, is Kim Fu’s fourth book and first collection of short stories, and is a TIME Magazine Top 10 Fiction Book of the Year, an NPR Best Book of the Year, and a 2023 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award Winner. An article in The New York Times Book Review, written by Danielle Trussoni, calls this essay collection “strange and wonderful…where the line between fantasy and reality fades in and out, elusive and beckoning as shadows flitting on a screen.” A starred review in Booklist describes the collection as “a dozen sly, provocative, fabulous short stories sure to delight and shock. From doll parts to winged ankles to stockpiled gold bars, Fu flaunts an inimitable imagination…irrefutably fantastic fiction.” And NPR Books declares, “There’s something for everyone in this outstanding collection, which cements Fu as one of the most exciting short story writers in contemporary fiction.” Stories in this collection appear in Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy and Best of the Net, are featured on Levar Burton Reads and Selected Shorts, and have been optioned for television and film.

Kim Fu’s first novel, For Today I Am a Boy, won the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction and the Canadian Authors Association Emerging Writing Award, and was a finalist for numerous other prizes. Fu’s second novel, The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore, was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. Fu’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, Granta, The Atlantic, BOMB, and elsewhere. Born in Canada and of Chinese descent, Fu (they/he/she) currently lives in Seattle, WA.

Spokane Is Reading is one of the longest-running community reads in the state of Washington and has been designed to encourage reading among adults. Over the years, the program has celebrated such authors as Madeline Miller, Amy Stewart, Jess Walter, Kate Lebo, Kent Haruf, and Maria Semple. Generous support for Spokane Is Reading comes from the Friends of the Library groups in Spokane County and the City of Spokane, a Humanities Washington grant, and readers throughout Spokane County. Spokane Is Reading is the collaborative effort of Spokane Public Library, Spokane County Library District, and Auntie’s Bookstore.

For more information, visit www.spokaneisreading.org.