Hi there....it's a different Pietrzyk here. Specifically, Susan Pietrzyk (Leslie's sister) wanting to put my two cents out there. Most of the time, Leslie is the literary genius in the family, but every once in a blue moon, I, too, speak up on “all things literary.”
I want to recommend a beautiful novel — Teahouse Fire (Riverhead Books) by Ellis Avery. Set in the decades during which Japan opened up its borders and culture to the “modern” West, this is a story with characters of immense depth. It’s a novel inspired by history and cultural transitions, with stunning writing nothing short of artful lush detail.
AND the author is giving a reading in the Washington, DC area this month…AND there’s a tea ceremony.
You can’t go wrong. Make the trip to Borders and you’ll find yourself immersed in 19th century Japan and mesmerized by the powerful story of two women who live, love, and change the course of tea ceremony in Japan.
Here are the details about the reading:
Friday January 18, 2008
7:00 PM -- A Reading and Tea Ceremony
Borders -- Crossroads Center
5871 Crossroads Center Way
Baileys Crossroads
Falls Church, VA 22041
Phone: 703.998.0404
Directions and more info
~~Susan Pietrzyk
(Editor’s bragging note: Susan [Fulbright Scholar!] is headed back to Africa, to Zimbabwe, in the next few days to continue her research for her PhD dissertation in anthropology. She’s a brave and remarkable woman…and a fabulous sister!)
