Episode 158

#158 - Author Chat w/ Xiran Jay Zhao

On this episode, we chat with debut author Xiran Jay Zhao about their debut novel Iron Widow, a Sci-Fi/Fantasy re-imagining of Chinese Empress Wu Zetian's rise to power in an Asian inspired world with giant monsters and fantastical mechas. Pitched as Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale, Iron WIdow tells the story of how a driven and rage-filled girl from the sticks rises through the ranks as a giant robot pilot and takes on the space patriarchy. We chat with Xiran about their journey to becoming a published author, their inspirations for writing Iron Widow, and what is up with that cow onesie?

Follow Xiran on twitter at @xiranjayzhao and check out their book Iron Widow on sale now!

*Buy the book & support the podcast at our bookshop *

---

Books and Boba Merch is on sale not! Check out our official apparel & tote bags at: https://www.bonfire.com/store/booksandboba/

Pre-orders for this first run close on October 21.

---

Follow our hosts:

Follow us:

The Books & Boba October 2021 pick is The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo

This podcast is part of Potluck: An Asian American Podcast Collective

Mentioned in this episode:

Imagine what our democracy could be in this new hit history podcast from More Equitable Democracy and Larj Media

American Democracy sucks right now! More specifically, the United States' electoral system is outdated and needs reform to better represent its diverse population. George Cheung and Colin Cole from More Equitable Democracy probe what the U.S. can learn from Northern Ireland's adoption of proportional representation to overcome political divisions and achieve fairer representation. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts!

Listen to The Future of our Former Democracy now!

About the Podcast

Show artwork for Books and Boba
Books and Boba
A book club podcast for books by Asian Diaspora authors