NW Authors Series: Annelise Heinz

When

March 25, 2023    
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Where

Cannon Beach Library
131 N. Hemlock, Cannon Beach, Oregon, 97110

Event Type

Author to Discuss History of Mahjong
The Cannon Beach Library welcomes author and historian Annelise Heinz at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 25. Heinz will discuss her nonfiction novel, “Mahjong: A Chinese Game and the Making of Modern American Culture.” This free presentation is part of the library’s NW Authors Series.
This is a hybrid event; attend the talk at the library on the day of the event or watch the livestream at www.cannonbeachlibrary.org. Come early for the best seats.
In her talk, Heinz explores the American history of the Chinese parlor game mahjong. She charts a complex cultural journey as the game’s history connects American expatriates in Shanghai, Jazz Age white Americans, urban Chinese Americans in the 1930s, Jewish American suburban mothers, and Air Force officers’ wives in the postwar era.
Her talk follows the history of one game to think about how, in their daily lives, individuals create and experience cultural change. Her work has been featured by National Public Radio, The Wall Street Journal, TIME.com, and South China Morning Post, among others. Mahjong won the Pacific Coast Branch Award for the best first book in any historical subject and was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award in Nonfiction.

Annelise Heinz is a historian at the University of Oregon. She has lived and played mahjong in the United States and Southwestern China.