Council Literary Series: Kevin Kwan in conversation with Laurel Braitman
At the author’s request, during the event we’ll raise funds for the LAPL Palisades Branch Recovery Fund to support the community through this challenging time. This fund provides critical assistance – including emergency relief, free tech access, and essential outreach services – for those affected by the fires.
11am | Reception
11:30am | Author Program
12:30pm | Lunch and Book Signing
The Maybourne Beverly Hills (225 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210)
Parking Information
Please note that parking will not be hosted. Guests have the following options:
- Valet Parking at The Maybourne – $23 for the first 3 hours, then $3 per additional half-hour.
- Self-Parking at Beverly Canon Gardens (242 N Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210) – Free for the first 2 hours, then $3 per additional half-hour. A $5 flat rate applies for vehicles entering after 6 PM. Daily maximum: $22.
If you have any questions, please email The Council office at thecouncil@lfla.org or call 213.228.7506.
Lies and Weddings
From the iconic internationally bestselling author of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy: A forbidden affair erupts volcanically amid a decadent tropical wedding in Kevin Kwan’s next outrageous comedy of manners, Lies and Weddings.
“Another beach-ready confection starring pampered people in designer clothing behaving badly — this time at a decadent Hawaiian wedding where secrets erupt with the force and heat of lava.”—The New York Times [Read More]
“If you loved Crazy Rich Asians, Kevin Kwan’s latest won’t disappoint. . . Alliances are made and unmade. Fortunes are won and lost. Rich people, trying to get richer, outwit themselves. Poor girls, armed with only their stubborn integrity, stake a claim on happiness. And the laugh lines arrive punctually. . . Kwan has a gimlet eye.”—The Washington Post [Read More]
Our Guest Author:
Kevin Kwan
Kevin Kwan is of course the iconic author of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy, which has sold over 4 million copies in the US alone and has been translated into over 30 languages. The 2018 adaptation of the first book became Hollywood’s highest grossing romantic comedy in over a decade, starred Michelle Yeoh, Constance Wu, and Gemma Chan, and made a star of Henry Golding. The team behind the film is hard at work on both the China Rich Girlfriend sequel and a spinoff solo vehicle for Gemma Chan, and it was recently announced that Crazy Rich Asians will become a Broadway musical directed by the film’s director Jon M. Chu. Kevin is one of only three authors (alongside EL James and Colleen Hoover) to occupy the #1, #2, and #3 slots on the New York Times bestseller list at once, with Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend, and Rich People Problems all hitting at the time of the film’s launch. In 2018, TIME Magazine named him one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. His most recent novel, Lies and Weddings—the first in the non-Crazy Rich Asians universe—was a huge bestseller in Summer 2020, GMA Book Club pick, and is being adapted into a film by Sony Pictures.
Laurel Braitman
Laurel Braitman PhD is a bestselling writer and professor. She is the author of the memoir What Looks Like Bravery: An Epic Journey Through Loss to Love (Simon & Schuster 2023) and the NYT bestselling book Animal Madness: Inside Their Minds. She received her doctorate in History and Anthropology of Science from MIT and is the director of Writing and Storytelling at the Stanford School of Medicine’s Medical Humanities and the Arts Program where she helps clinical students, staff and physicians communicate more clearly and vulnerably for their own benefit and that of their patients. Laurel is also the founder of Writing Medicine, the global community of writing healthcare professionals. Since March 2020 she has helped over 10,000 healthcare workers share their personal stories. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The Guardian, Wired, California Sunday, National Geographic, Radiolab, National Public Radio, and many other places. She lives on the ranch where she grew up, in Southern California.
