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Local Author Book Talk: Ken Liu

Register 48 Seats Remaining

Local Author Book Talk

Ken Liu

2026-02-04 18:30:00 2026-02-04 19:30:00 America/New_York Local Author Book Talk Join local author Ken Liu as he discusses his novel, All that We See or Seem. Main Library - Piano Space

Wednesday, February 04
6:30pm - 7:30pm

Add to Calendar 2026-02-04 18:30:00 2026-02-04 19:30:00 America/New_York Local Author Book Talk Join local author Ken Liu as he discusses his novel, All that We See or Seem. Main Library - Piano Space

Main Library

Piano Space

Join local author Ken Liu as he discusses his novel, All that We See or Seem.

Julia Z, a young woman who gained notoriety at fourteen as the “orphan hacker,” is trying to live a life of digital obscurity in a quiet Boston suburb.

But when a lawyer named Piers—whose famous artist wife, Elli, has been kidnapped by dangerous criminals—barges into her life, Julia decides to put the solitary life she has painstakingly created at risk as she can’t walk away from helping Piers and Elli, nor step away from the challenge of this digital puzzle. Elli is an oneirofex, a dream artist, who can weave the dreams of an audience together through a shared virtual landscape, live, in a concert-like experience by tapping into each attendee’s memories and providing an emotionally resonant narrative experience. While these collective dreams are anonymous, Julia discovers that Elli was also dreaming one-on-one with the head of an international criminal enterprise, and he’s demanding the return of his dreams in exchange for Elli.

Unraveling the real and unreal leads Julia on an adventure that takes her across the country and deep into the shadows of her psyche. - Publisher

For adults. Registration required. Contact Ari at apappas@minlib.net with any questions.

About Ken:

Ken Liu (http://kenliu.name) is an American author of speculative fiction. A winner of the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy awards for his fiction, he has also won top genre honors abroad in Japan, Spain, and France.

Liu’s most characteristic work is the four-volume epic fantasy series, The Dandelion Dynasty, in which engineers, not wizards, are the heroes of a silkpunk world on the verge of modernity. His debut collection of short fiction, The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, has been published in more than a dozen languages. A second collection, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories, followed. He also penned the Star Wars novel, The Legends of Luke Skywalker. His latest book is All That We See or Seem, a techno-thriller starring an AI-whispering hacker who saves the world.

He’s often involved in media adaptations of his work. Recent projects include “The Regular,” under development as a TV series; “Good Hunting,” adapted as an episode in season one of Netflix’s breakout adult animated series Love, Death + Robots; and AMC’s Pantheon, with Craig Silverstein as executive producer, adapted from an interconnected series of Liu’s short stories. 

Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Liu worked as a software engineer, corporate lawyer, and litigation consultant. He frequently speaks at conferences and universities on a variety of topics, including futurism, machine-augmented creativity, history of technology, bookmaking, and the mathematics of origami.

In addition to his original fiction, Liu also occasionally publishes literary translations. His most recent work of translation is a new rendition of Laozi’s Dao De Jing.

Liu lives with his family near Boston, Massachusetts.

AGE GROUP: | Senior (55+) | Adult (18+) |

EVENT TYPE: | Books & Authors |

Main Library

Phone: 781-751-9284

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About the branch

The Main Library is located on Church Street in Dedham Square. In addition to traditional library material, the Main Library also houses town archives, the Dedham Collection.

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Fri, Jan 23, 11:00am - 11:30am
Main Library - Children's Room
Join us for a morning of stories, music, and movement!

Mon, Jan 26, 9:30am - 10:00am
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Mon, Jan 26, 10:30am - 11:00am
Endicott Branch - Back Lawn
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Mon, Jan 26, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Main Library - Piano Space
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Mon, Jan 26, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
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Tue, Jan 27, 9:30am - 10:00am
Main Library - Children's Room
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Tue, Jan 27, 10:30am - 11:00am
Main Library - Children's Room
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Tue, Jan 27, 5:45pm - 6:15pm
Main Library - Children's Room
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Join us for a night of stories, songs, and crafts for children ages 3 and up!

Tue, Jan 27, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Main Library - Rotunda Space
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Wed, Jan 28, 9:30am - 10:00am
Endicott Branch - Children's Area
Enjoy stories, songs, and fingerplays for our very... more
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Wed, Jan 28, 10:30am - 11:00am
Endicott Branch - Children's Area
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Join Miss Lisa and friends as we sing, dance, shake, and move, adding in a story or two!

Wed, Jan 28, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Endicott Branch - Children's Area
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Wed, Jan 28, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Main Library - Media Tables
Create abstract, organic art by (carefully)... more
Create abstract, organic art by (carefully) spilling paint. It might get messy.

Wed, Jan 28, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Virtual Author Talk
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We are thrilled to welcome Liz Moore to discuss her latest work, The God of the Woods, an instant New York Times bestseller and one of NPR’s 2024 “Books We Love” highlights.
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Thu, Jan 29, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
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Create abstract, organic art by (carefully) spilling paint. It might get messy.

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Thu, Jan 29, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
New date Thursday, March 05, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
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Thu, Jan 29, 7:15pm - 7:45pm
Endicott Branch - Back Lawn
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Fri, Jan 30, 11:00am - 11:30am
Main Library - Children's Room
Join us for a morning of stories, music, and movement!

Sat, Jan 31, All day
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Sun, Feb 01, All day
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Busy yourself with some biomes this winter during our Winter 2026 Reading Challenge!

Mon, Feb 02, 9:30am - 10:00am
Endicott Branch - Children's Area
Join us every Monday for live music and singing... more
Join us every Monday for live music and singing with Jonah, one of our children’s librarians. This registration is for the 9:30 am program, please only register for one music program per day.

Mon, Feb 02, 10:30am - 11:00am
Endicott Branch - Back Lawn
Join us every Monday for live music and singing... more
Join us every Monday for live music and singing with Jonah, one of our children’s librarians. This registration is for the 10:30 am program, please only register for one music program per day.

Mon, Feb 02, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Endicott Branch - Study/Gaming Area
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Get free copies of each book we read! Meet up with friends and talk about these awesome graphic novels in our Tween Graphic Novel Book Club!

Mon, Feb 02, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
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Tue, Feb 03, 9:30am - 10:00am
Main Library - Children's Room
You're never too young for the Library!

Tue, Feb 03, 10:30am - 11:00am
Main Library - Children's Room
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Join us for stories, songs and crafts for children ages 3 and up with a caregiver!

Tue, Feb 03, 5:00pm - 5:45pm
Main Library - Children's Room
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Come join us to make 3D Valentine’s Day cards and practice your cursive! Beginners are welcome.

Tue, Feb 03, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Endicott Branch - Children's Area
Come join us for a discussion of both fiction and... more
Come join us for a discussion of both fiction and nonfiction books the first Tuesday of every month at 6:30 pm.

Wed, Feb 04, 9:30am - 11:30am
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Wed, Feb 04, 9:30am - 10:00am
Endicott Branch - Children's Area
Enjoy stories, songs, and fingerplays for our very... more
Enjoy stories, songs, and fingerplays for our very youngest friends and their caregivers!

Wed, Feb 04, 10:30am - 11:00am
Endicott Branch - Children's Area
Join Miss Lisa and friends as we sing, dance,... more
Join Miss Lisa and friends as we sing, dance, shake, and move, adding in a story or two!

Wed, Feb 04, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Main Library - Media Tables
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Wed, Feb 04, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Main Library - Piano Space
Join local author Ken Liu as he discusses his... more
Join local author Ken Liu as he discusses his novel, All that We See or Seem.

Thu, Feb 05, 10:30am - 11:00am
Main Library - Children's Room
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Join Friend of the Library, Dick Pierce, for 30 minutes of your favorite family-friendly songs.

Thu, Feb 05, 5:30pm - 5:45pm
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Reading is more fun with a four-legged friend!

Thu, Feb 05, 5:45pm - 6:00pm
Main Library - Media Tables
Reading is more fun with a four-legged friend!

Thu, Feb 05, 6:00pm - 6:15pm
Main Library - Media Tables
Reading is more fun with a four-legged friend!

Thu, Feb 05, 6:15pm - 6:30pm
Main Library - Media Tables
Reading is more fun with a four-legged friend!

Thu, Feb 05, 7:15pm - 7:45pm
Endicott Branch - Back Lawn
Uncover the magic of the night sky at the... more
Uncover the magic of the night sky at the library’s stargazing night—peer through our telescope, spot distant stars, and let your curiosity lead the way.

Fri, Feb 06, 11:00am - 11:30am
Main Library - Children's Room
Join us for a morning of stories, music, and movement!

Mon, Feb 09, 9:30am - 10:00am
Endicott Branch - Children's Area
Join us every Monday for live music and singing... more
Join us every Monday for live music and singing with Jonah, one of our children’s librarians. This registration is for the 9:30 am program, please only register for one music program per day.

Mon, Feb 09, 10:30am - 11:00am
Endicott Branch - Back Lawn
Join us every Monday for live music and singing... more
Join us every Monday for live music and singing with Jonah, one of our children’s librarians. This registration is for the 10:30 am program, please only register for one music program per day.

Mon, Feb 09, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Main Library - Media Tables
We read a variety of books from nonfiction, to... more
We read a variety of books from nonfiction, to newer bestsellers, soon to be movies/series, and anything else we would love to read and discuss!

Tue, Feb 10, 9:30am - 10:00am
Main Library - Children's Room
You're never too young for the Library!

Tue, Feb 10, 10:30am - 11:00am
Main Library - Children's Room
Join us for stories, songs and crafts for children... more
Join us for stories, songs and crafts for children ages 3 and up with a caregiver!

Tue, Feb 10, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Main Library - Piano Space
Make a piece of jewelry for yourself or someone... more
Make a piece of jewelry for yourself or someone special!

Wed, Feb 11, 9:30am - 10:00am
Endicott Branch - Children's Area
Enjoy stories, songs, and fingerplays for our very... more
Enjoy stories, songs, and fingerplays for our very youngest friends and their caregivers!

Wed, Feb 11, 10:30am - 11:00am
Endicott Branch - Children's Area
Join Miss Lisa and friends as we sing, dance,... more
Join Miss Lisa and friends as we sing, dance, shake, and move, adding in a story or two!

Wed, Feb 11, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Endicott Branch - Study/Gaming Area
Join us as we discuss a variety of books!

Wed, Feb 11, 3:30pm - 4:00pm
Endicott Branch - Children's Area
Children in grades 2-5 are welcome to join us for a... more
Children in grades 2-5 are welcome to join us for a casual book group!

Wed, Feb 11, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Main Library - Media Tables
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Thu, Feb 12, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
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Thu, Feb 12, 7:15pm - 7:45pm
Endicott Branch - Back Lawn
Uncover the magic of the night sky at the... more
Uncover the magic of the night sky at the library’s stargazing night—peer through our telescope, spot distant stars, and let your curiosity lead the way.

Fri, Feb 13, 11:00am - 11:30am
Main Library - Children's Room
Join us for a morning of stories, music, and movement!

Sat, Feb 14, 10:30am - 11:30am
Main Library - Media Tables
Discover a new way of learning the world’s... more
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Mon, Feb 16, All day
Main Library
In observance of Washington's Birthday, the Library... more
In observance of Washington's Birthday, the Library will be closed.

Cancelled
Mon, Feb 16, 10:30am - 11:00am
Endicott Branch
Join us every Monday for live music and singing... more
Join us every Monday for live music and singing with Jonah, one of our children’s librarians. This registration is for the 10:30 am program, please only register for one music program per day.

Wed, Feb 18, 9:30am - 11:30am
Virtual
Join a professional forum for networking with peers... more
Join a professional forum for networking with peers in a safe, comfortable environment conducive to developing new relationships, skills and strategies to help in your career transition.
Register

Wed, Feb 18, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Endicott Branch - Children's Area
Reading is more fun with a four-legged friend!

Wed, Feb 18, 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Main Library - Media Tables
It's time to get hooked. Learn Crochet!

Wed, Feb 18, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Main Library - Rotunda Space
Main Library Book Group caters to fans of fiction... more
Main Library Book Group caters to fans of fiction and nonfiction; the titles read are chosen by members of the group.

Thu, Feb 19, 10:30am - 11:30am
Main Library - Children's Room
Tot Time Sing 'n Learn is a monthly playgroup... more
Tot Time Sing 'n Learn is a monthly playgroup designed for children ages 9 months to 3 years old and their caregivers.
This event is full

Thu, Feb 19, 7:00pm - 7:45pm
Main Library - Rotunda Space
Join us at the Main Library for our LGBTQ+ Book... more
Join us at the Main Library for our LGBTQ+ Book Group! Each month we will read a title featuring characters/people, themes, or subjects that fall under the broader LGBTQ+ umbrella.

Thu, Feb 19, 7:15pm - 7:45pm
Endicott Branch - Back Lawn
Uncover the magic of the night sky at the... more
Uncover the magic of the night sky at the library’s stargazing night—peer through our telescope, spot distant stars, and let your curiosity lead the way.