Kirstin Chen

2024–25 Scholar of Note

Kirstin Chen is the New York Times best-selling author of three novels. Her latest, Counterfeit, is a Reese Witherspoon book club pick, a Roxane Gay book club pick, and a New York Times Editors’ Choice. It has been translated into eight languages and is being adapted for the screen by Sony Pictures. Her previous novels are Bury What We Cannot Take and Soy Sauce for Beginners. Her next novel, Tech Wives, an exploration of the myth of genius tech founders—and the women who support them, is forthcoming. Born and raised in Singapore, she currently lives in New York City.

At the Library, Chen will be working on her novel Tech Wives, an exploration of the myth of genius tech founders—and the women who support them.

In response to the high number of outstanding candidates for the Library’s annual Visiting Fellowship program, the Selection Committee has created the Scholar of Note distinction to acknowledge particularly exceptional applicants. The distinction was founded in 2022.

The Scholar of Note program is made possible through the generous support of The de Groot Foundation.