PRESS RELEASE FROM WATSON-GUPTILL PUBLICATIONS:

DEEP IN THE MOUNTAINS is the first book in Watson-Guptill’s Art Encounters series focused on the life of an Asian painter, and it seems only appropriate that Master Zhu Qizhan (1892-1996), one of China’s most beloved contemporary painters, be the subject.

We are also fortunate to have China 2000 Fine Art Gallery hosting the event. The gallery is owned and operated by Leon and Karen Wender. Dating back to the early 1980’s, the Wenders were good friends with Master Zhu, and to this day they curate and represent his work. At the May 19 event, some of Master Zhu’s finest paintings will be on display.

DEEP IN THE MOUNTAINS is the second novel by Terrence Cheng, whose debut, Sons of Heaven received a Barnes & Noble Discover Award honorable mention in 2002, and was widely reviewed and critically acclaimed. Publishers Weekly called it “a rare find...not the first novel to center around [the] Tiananmen [Square Massacre], but it may be the best.” Like Cheng’s first novel, DEEP IN THE MOUNTAINS weaves a world that seamlessly blends realism, fact, history, and fiction into a lively, enjoyable, and deeply moving story. Cheng was a Michener Fellow at the University of Miami, Florida, where he received his MFA in Fiction. In 2005, he was awarded a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Cheng is currently Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Lehman College, part of the City University of New York. His website is: www.tcheng.net.

In attendance on May 19th will also be seventh grade students from the University Settlement on the Lower East Side, with whom Cheng is currently working as a part of the National Book Foundation’s pilot reading program, BookUpNYC, sponsored by Bloomberg. This afterschool program encourages middle school age students to read quality literature for pleasure outside of the classroom, as well as introducing them to literary culture through monthly field trips to libraries, bookstores, and literary organizations in New York City. Students from the various BookUpNYC program sites, as well as members of the University Settlement and the National Book Foundation, will be on hand.

Finally, this book’s publication takes place in May, which is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. We feel it is a perfect time to celebrate, reflect upon, and appreciate Asian and Asian American culture with a book such as DEEP IN THE MOUNTAINS. We hope you will be able to join us.

With review or interview questions or to RSVP, please contact: Nicole Miller, Senior Publicist Watson-Guptill Publications T: 646.654.5454 nmiller@watsonguptill.com

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