Storytime at Adventure

This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant

Chicken of the sea

With Viet Thanh Nguyen & Thi Bui
December 6, 2020

A band of intrepid chickens leave behind the boredom of farm life, joining the crew of the pirate ship Pitiless to seek fortune and glory on the high seas. Led by a grizzled captain into the territory of the Dog Knights, they soon learn what it means to be courageous, merciful, and not seasick quite so much of the time.

A whimsical and unexpected adventure tale, Chicken of the Sea originated in the five-year-old mind of Ellison Nguyen, son of Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen; father and son committed the story to the page, then enlisted the artistic talents of Caldecott Honor winner Thi Bui and her thirteen-year-old son, Hien Bui-Stafford, to illustrate it. This unique collaboration between two generations of artists and storytellers invites you aboard for adventure, even if you’re chicken. Maybe especially if you’re chicken.

Tune in!

Meet the Author & Illustrator

Viet Thanh Nguyen

Viet Thanh Nguyen is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of The SympathizerHis other books are Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War (a finalist for the National Book Award in nonfiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award in General Nonfiction) and Race and Resistance: Literature and Politics in Asian America. He is also the author of the bestselling short story collection, The Refugees

Most recently he has been the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim and MacArthur Foundations, and le Prix du meilleur livre étranger (Best Foreign Book in France), for The Sympathizer. He is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times and the editor of The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives. His most recent publication is Chicken of the Sea, a children’s book written in collaboration with his six-year-old son, Ellison. His next book is The Committed, the sequel to The Sympathizer, coming out in March 2021.

Meet the Illustrator

Thi Bui

Thi Bui was born in Vietnam and came to the United States in 1978 as part of the “boat people” wave of refugees fleeing Southeast Asia at the end of the Vietnam War. Her debut graphic memoir, The Best We Could Do (Abrams ComicArts, 2017) has been selected for an American Book Award, a Common Book for UCLA and other colleges and universities, an all-city read by Seattle and San Francisco public libraries, a National Book Critics Circle finalist in autobiography, and an Eisner Award finalist in reality-based comics. It made over thirty best of 2017 book lists, including Bill Gates’ top five picks. 

She illustrated the picture book, A Different Pond, written by the poet Bao Phi (Capstone, 2017), for which she won a Caldecott Honor. With her son, Hien, she co-illustrated the children’s book, Chicken of the Sea (McSweeney’s, 2019), written by Pulitzer-winner Viet Thanh Nguyen and his son, Ellison. Her short comics can be found online at The Nib, PEN America, and BOOM California. She is currently researching and drawing a work of graphic nonfiction about immigrant detention and deportation, to be published by One World, Random House.

ENJOYING THIS SERIES? CHECK OUT OUR OTHER available digital productions!

Our entire collection of Sunday digital presentations are available online, either on our website or on Facebook to view at your convenience. Tune in at any time!

Professional Shows

Our 2019-2020 season features an amazing team of female directors who are illustrating beautiful works that have never been seen on ATMTC’s stages. We are so excited to bring our perspective and energy to these productions based on familiar and beloved stories. We hope you are too! 

FlexPass

Save an average of $72 on tickets and fees! A Flexpass is a book of 10 pre-purchased discount tickets to see any production on any date you choose.

Accessible Shows

Get information about our accessible seating options and sensory-friendly and ASL interpreted public performances.

See a Student Show

See the power of educational theatre as our students take center stage in our student shows.