Emily Grandy

media release: A Room of One's Own is thrilled to welcome Emily Grandy for a reading and conversation on her new book Michikusa House. Join us to celebrate and to learn more about this excellent novel from a Milwaukee author!

This is an in person event at A Room of One's Own.

About the book

After enduring a complicated recovery from eating disorders, Winona Heeley is struggling to return to normal life. Her mother recommends a change in scenery and arranges for Winona to stay with friends in rural Japan, at Michikusa House.

The centuries' old farmhouse hosts residents who want to learn about growing their own food and cooking with the seasons. Jun Nakashima, an aspiring kaiseki chef, is one such resident. Like Winona, Jun is a recovering addict and college dropout. While the two bond over culinary rituals, they change each other's lives by reconstructing long-held beliefs about shame, identity, and renewal.

But after Winona returns to her Midwest hometown, and despite her best efforts to keep in touch, Jun vanishes.

Two years pass, and Win is about to drop out of university for a second time, a decision that irreparably fractures her relationship with her partner of nearly a decade. Refusing to accept permanent failure and disappointment, Winona once again seeks revival through gardening. Much to the chagrin of her parents, she accepts a job as a groundskeeper at a local cemetery and begins searching for Jun Nakashima once more.

Emily Grandy is an award-winning novelist and editor based in the Midwest. Before she became an author and scientific editor, Emily worked as a biomedical engineer and clinical research specialist. Her debut novel, Michikusa House, was awarded the Landmark Prize and her second novel (forthcoming) was a finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for socially engaged fiction. Her other writing has appeared in both scientific and literary publications and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She currently calls Milwaukee, Wisconsin home.