PGHwrites: Jade Song’s “I Love You Don’t Die” (Book Launch)

Photo Courtesy of Jade Song

Though many of us are still reeling from her explosive debut novel, Chlorine, a force like Jade Song cannot be stopped. We are thrilled to welcome Pittsburgh-native Jade back to City of Asylum for the launch of her sophomore novel, I Love You Don’t Die, a coming-of-age for a new generation, in the vein of Sally Rooney and Ottessa Moshfegh.

Jade’s new work introduces us to a macabre young woman named Vicky. For as far back as she can remember, Vicky has been fascinated and obsessed with death as the only inevitable thing in life. From living above a Chinatown funeral parlor to working at a celebrity start-up for bespoke urns, she has surrounded herself with death—in her home, in her work, and in her ever-growing collection of zhizha, paper creations meant to be burned for the dead. When it comes to life and the living, however, she struggles to have meaningful connections—or find any meaning at all.

That changes when a dating app leads her into a throuple with an artist and a labor organizer, who offer exactly the kind of love she needs. For some time, it’s perfect, but no one understands better than Vicky that all things must end. With everything beginning to feel hollow and temporary, Vicky must decide how to keep moving forward. To try and hold on to what she has, or to once again do what she does best: destroy.

Please join Jade and program moderator Marina Fang after the reading for a public reception celebrating this hometown writing phenom!

You can purchase a copy of Jade’s book, I Love You Don’t Die, at City of Asylum Bookstore.

About the Author:

Jade Song is a writer, filmmaker, and artist whose first novel, Chlorine, was lauded as “visionary and disturbing,” selected as a New York Times Editor’s Choice, awarded the Alex Award and the Writer’s Center First Novel Prize, and translated into multiple languages. Jade’s short story collection, Ox Ghost Snake Demon, is forthcoming in early 2027. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Jade has taught writing at organizations like Tin House, Morbid Anatomy, and Lighthouse Writers Workshop; she has received support from the Vermont Studio Center and the Black List, which selected her adapted screenplay of Chlorine for its annual Writers Lab.

About the Moderator:

Marina Fang (she/her) is a journalist, writer, and editor with over a decade of experience covering politics, culture, and their intersection. For 10 years, she was a reporter and editor at HuffPost, most recently as a senior culture reporter, reporting and writing features and criticism, and developing several acclaimed editorial projects at the intersection of culture and identity. Prior to that, she was a breaking news and national politics reporter, which included managing much of HuffPost‘s evening and weekend coverage of the 2016 election. She has been a fellow at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Critics Institute and the Poynter Institute’s Power of Diverse Voices writing program. She has also taught culture reporting and criticism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York, and she frequently mentors students and early-career writers. Raised in the suburbs of Pittsburgh and a graduate of the University of Chicago, Marina lives in Brooklyn, NY.

About Your Visit: 

The in-house restaurant, Cucina Alfabeto, is closed on Mondays, but a cash wine bar will be available.