UNBOUND

A book talk with John Shors, in discussion with Jeremiah Jenne

Wednesday, March 14, 1 pm | 50 RMB 

John Shors has written seven historical fiction novels that span the globe and have been translated into twenty-six languages. He is described by Amy Tan as a “master storyteller”, and he says his goal as a novelist is “to vividly bring distant cultures and places to life. My passion for such settings is the catalyst for how I write, and what I write about.” In his latest historical fiction novel Unbound, John recreates an ancient and celebrated Chinese legend about a pair of young lovers separated by war and the Great Wall in 1548. As two armies gather at the Great Wall, the fates of the lovers collide with a Mongol horseman seeking redemption, a Chinese concubine fighting injustice, and a ruthless general determined to destroy them all. Come join him as he discusses his latest book Unbound and his writing career.

After graduating from Colorado College, John Shors lived for several years in Kyoto, Japan, where he taught English. On a shoestring budget, he later trekked across Asia, visiting ten countries and climbing the Himalayas. After returning to the United States, he became a newspaper reporter in his hometown, Des Moines, Iowa, winning several statewide awards in journalism. John then moved to Boulder, Colorado, and helped launch GroundFloor Media, now one of the state’s largest public relations firms. John’s first six novels, Beneath a Marble Sky, Beside a Burning Sea, Dragon House, The Wishing Trees, Cross Currents, and Temple of a Thousand Faces have won multiple awards, and have been translated into twenty-six languages. His latest novel is Unbound, a work of historical fiction set in 1548, and the Chinese Empire faces an imminent Mongol invasion. Now a full-time novelist, John spends his days writing and going on family outings with his wife, Allison, and their two young children, Sophie and Jack.