Da
Chen grew up in the deep south of China, running barefoot in muddy fields
and riding the backs of water buffaloes. In his tiny Fujian village, water was
fetched from an ancient well swimming with snakes, and the only lights that burned
in most households were hissing kerosene lanterns. As the grandson of a disgraced
landowner, he was a victim of poverty and communist political persecution during
the Cultural Revolution. His family was beaten, his father thrown in reform camp,
and at the age of nine, Da himself was threatened with imprisonment. Unfailing
family love helped him survive in a dysfunctional society and he found unexpected
love and friendship with four other hoodlum outcasts, but dreams made him soar
above the poverty and persecution. His first encounter with a Christian woman,
a Baptist professor, was life changing. She taught him English and opened the
possibility of another world. He excelled in college at Beijing Languages and
Culture University, and stayed on as a professor of English after graduating top
in his class. Da came to America at the age of 23 with $30 in his pocket. He went
on to attend Columbia University School of Law on a full scholarship, after which
he worked for the Wall Street investment banking firm of Rothschilds, Inc.
Colors
of the Mountain, Da’s first memoir, was compared to Angela’s Ashes
and was the object of an intense bidding war among five top New York publishing
houses. It went on to become a New York Times bestseller, was published
in six other languages, and was adapted as a children’s book, China’s Son.
Da’s first fiction for young readers, Wandering Warrior (Random House Children’s
Books) was described by USA Today as “China’s answer to Harry Potter.”
His first adult fiction, Brothers, was published in September 2006. Da’s
books are used as textbooks in Yale, Vassar, Wellesley, in the New York State
University system, and in high schools and middle schools throughout the country.
He lives in upstate New York with his wife, Sunny, and their two young children.
Padma Venkatraman was born in Chennai, India. She has a doctorate in oceanography from the College of William and Mary and was a researcher and teacher for many years before she wrote her debut novel, Climbing the Stairs, which was released in May 2008 by Penguin. Padma has written over 100 articles for magazines, including Highlights for Children, Cricket, and Spider, and is the winner of the 2008 Magazine Merit Award for nonfiction, awarded by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and a storytelling world honor for her book The Cleverest Thief. Climbing the Stairs has received several honors, including a Book Sense Notable citation, a Booklist Editor’s choice and starred reviews in VOYA, Publishers Weekly and Booklist. It was also just named a Booklist Editor’s Book of the Year pick. Padma became an American citizen last spring and now lives with her family in Rhode Island.
All readings include a question & answer period and a reception with books by the author(s) for sale.
Suggested
Donation: $5 ($3 for HVWC members and those under age 18)
Programs and events at The Hudson Valley Writers’ Center are made possible, in part, by grants from the Bydale Foundation, David G. Taft Foundation, Orchard Foundation, William E. Robinson Foundation, and Thendara Foundation; with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts; and by the Basic Program Support Grant of the Westchester Arts Council with funds from Westchester County Government.