Authors at the Library - Thao Thai

Thao Thai will be at the Columbus Metropolitan Main Library on Sunday, November 15, for a conversation about her novel The Seekers of Deer Creek. She'll be joined by Christopher Purdy of WOSU, who'll moderate the talk. The event runs from 2 PM to 4 PM in the library's auditorium at 96 S. Grant Ave.

The Seekers of Deer Creek is an art-mystery family saga centered on two sisters, Vivi and Calla Nguyễn, who reunite after their father's death to search for a lost painting by Vietnamese artist K.P. Lý. It's the kind of story that pulls together family history and a missing piece of art, and since Thai lives right here in central Ohio, it's a good chance to hear her talk through it in person.

If you haven't come across her work yet, Thai is the author of Banyan Moon, which was the July 2023 Read with Jenna title and a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick. That book was also a Book of the Month selection, an IndieNext pick, and longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize. In 2024, she received the Ohio Arts Council's Individual Excellence Award, and her writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, WIRED, Elle, and Lit Hub. She lives in central Ohio with her husband and daughter.

The talk is part of Authors at the Library, the visiting author series run by the Columbus Metropolitan Library. The series has grown from about six writers to more than 30 authors across the system's branches, with more scheduled through 2027. CML has been open to all since 1873 and serves nearly a million people in Franklin County through its Main Library and 22 branches. The event is free to the public, though registration is requested because seating is limited.