On Thurs. Dec. 5, The Junction Kitchen & Provisions is hosting a book signing, reading, and three-course dinner with author Cinelle Barnes in celebration of her most recent novel, Malaya: Essays on Freedom.
Barnes will begin signing copies at 6 p.m., and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $80 each and include a copy of the book, a three-course meal, and drink pairings.
Malaya features a collection of essays about Barnes’ struggle for freedom in America. Born in the Philippines, Barnes began her journey in America as an undocumented teenager in New York City. After holding many odd jobs and constantly looking over her shoulder, Barnes married into a Southern white family and found herself navigating the thin line between assimilation and self-identity.
When we talked to Barnes about Malaya earlier this year, she spoke of the importance of telling the stories of people who aren’t from here.
“Charleston is changing, so the stories we tell about it should change as well,” Barnes said. “There is a growing immigrant community here, including a large Filipino community in Goose Creek. We should be telling these stories, demand these stories — not just the packaged pretty stories we are told about Charleston, but these layered ones. We need to take these loose ends and braid them in our storytelling.”
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