Author Talk & Book Signing • Virginia Loo in Conversation with Martha Cheng

What does it mean to be a woman and mother in this modern age? Author Virginia Loo shares her journey of such exploration and identity--as a single mother no less--in her debut memoir How to B. In conversation with writer Martha Cheng, Loo shares thoughts about motherhood and personal choices within the complicated context of societal, cultural, and family expectations. This unique talk story is a perfect way to kick off Women's History Month! Booksigning to follow reading, conversation, and Q&A.

About the Book:

How to B tells the adventure of a single woman with a very mobile job, deciding to have a baby on her own, and the (good and bad) unraveling of self in reconciling what it means to take up the mantle of being a single mom. It shares a candid and often absurd look at how women wrestle with expectations put upon themselves, about what it means to be a good mother, and how to be a mother in the "right" way. This tale starts in Burma, sweeps across Asia into Afghanistan, Pakistan, stops through Hilo, and finally settles into the heart of Aiea. It's here where it really starts to get real when the author tries quasi-co-parenting with her own Chinese mom.

About Virginia Loo:

VIrginia Loo spent 20 years working across Asia and Africa in international public health, collecting data and life experience to write about. She grew up in Central Oahu and now lives in "town" with her family. Her writing has been included in the Hawai'i Review, Bamboo Ridge, and Honolulu Magazine. She is a fourth generation member of the pake police.

About Martha Cheng:

Martha Cheng is a writer and editor based in Honolulu and has been writing about Hawai'i for almost two decades. She was previously the food and culture editor at Honolulu Magazine and her freelance work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetit, and other publications.

Host or Publisher da Shop: books + curiosities