Community Events & Talks
Book Feast
Book Feast was a collaborative book reading and potluck gathering hosted at Book Suey, an esteemed and beloved bookstore cooperative located in the diverse neighborhood of Hamtramck, Michigan. The event brought together participants from the Kitchen Table book, but also hosted an open mic inviting the audience to share a reading/poetry around food and memories. The evening was a beautiful culmination of heartfelt stories, creative writing and memories paired along with delectable home-style dishes prepared by participants.
Book Talk with Anna Ansari
Iranian-American cook and writer Anna Ansari was on her debut cookbook tour in the US of her book Silk Roads, a rich and delicious cookbook that takes one on a culinary, historical, and personal odyssey across the Silk Roads. Weaving together essays, family photography and 90 recipes, Ansari brings life to the flavors of the Silk Roads — from the walnut groves of her father's Iranian childhood, across Central Asian markets brimming with fragrant melons and thronged with fat-tailed sheep, and into the neighborhoods of modern-day Chinese cities.
Vesper Books and Wine hosted her talk in Detroit in October 2025, and I was having a conversation with Anna about her journey through the book, topics of food systems and immigrant life, and her memory of her family's time in Detroit.
