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Chinese Historical Society of America

Chinese Historical Society Launches 2012 Second Saturday Series with Talk by Ben Fong-Torres

Chinese Historical Society of America

MEDIA ADVISORY: Request for onsite coverage – Saturday, 2/11: 1pm

Chinese Historical Society Launches 2012 Second Saturday Series with Talk by Ben Fong-Torres

Saturday, February 11 at 1pm

www.chsa.org
WHAT:
The Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) launches the 2012 Second Saturday Series with “Musings of a Pop Cultural Icon: A Talk with Ben Fong-Torres”
WHO:
Author and rock icon Ben Fong-Torres will speak about his illustrious history with the rise of rock n’ roll.
WHEN:
Saturday, February 11 at 1pm
WHERE:
Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA), 965 Clay Street, San Francisco CA 94108
HOW MUCH:
FREE with Museum admission (Adults $5; College students (with ID) and Seniors $3; Children 6-17 $2; Free for CHSA members and children 5 and under). Reservations are suggested.
INFO:
To RSVP, please call (415) 391-1188 x101 or email info@chsa.org

Ben Fong-Torres was born in Alameda, California, in 1945, and raised in Oakland’s Chinatown, where his parents owned a restaurant. He attended San Francisco State College from 1962-66, majored in Radio-TV-Film and served as a reporter and editor of the campus daily.

Fong-Torres began writing for Rolling Stone magazine in 1968, in only its eighth issue. Prior to that, he had a full-time job at another publication: Pacific Telephone’s employee magazine and by night, he was a volunteer editor at East West, a bilingual Chinatown newspaper. In May 1969, Ben joined Rolling Stone as news editor. His interview subjects included Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, the Jackson 5, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Diamond, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, the Grateful Dead, and Ike & Tina Turner. Ben left Rolling Stone in 1981 and has since written for dozens of magazines, including Esquire, GQ, Parade, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, Travel & Leisure, American Film, TV Guide, and Harper’s Bazaar.

He hosted KQED-FM’s live weekly arts show, Fog City Radio, and has co-anchored KTVU-TV’s coverage of the Chinese New Year Parade since 1997, for which he and co-anchor Julie Haener have won three Emmys. In 1983, Fong-Torres joined the San Francisco Chronicle, where he was a feature writer and radio columnist and where he continues to write the Radio Waves column on Sunday. He is also a prolific published author, including his memoirs The Rice Room: From Number Two Son to Rock and Roll (1994), Not Fade Away: A Backstage Pass to 20 Years of Rock & Roll (1999), followed by a second collection, Becoming Almost Famous, in 2006. He wrote The Doors by the Doors (2007), Grateful Dead Scrapbook (2009), and Eagles: Taking It to the Limit (2011). He contributes articles to AsianConnections.com and writes a regular music blog at Wolfgang’s Vault’s site. He is a real-life character in Almost Famous, the 2000 film by Cameron Crowe.

About the Chinese Historical Society of America: Founded in 1963, the Chinese Historical Society of America is the oldest and largest organization in the country dedicated to the documentation, study, and presentation of Chinese American history. Through exhibitions, publications, and educational, public programming, CHSA promotes the contributions and legacy of Chinese America. In 2001, the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum opened in the 1932 landmark Julia Morgan-designed Chinatown YWCA building at 965 Clay Street. For more information visit www.chsa.org