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Qian Julie Wang

EXCLUSIVE
  • New York Times Bestselling Author, 'Beautiful Country: A Memoir'
  • Civil Rights Litigator & Managing Partner, Gottlieb & Wang LLP
  • Advocate for Marginalized Communities' Education and Discrimination Rights

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Civil rights litigator and New York Times bestselling author Qian Julie Wang uses her unique gift for storytelling to transcend the business, legal, political, and literary worlds and focus on the humanity at the heart of these issues.

Qian Julie’s debut Beautiful Country: A Memoir became an instant New York Times bestseller, and was heralded as “an incandescent debut from an astonishing new talent.” Lauded as an “essential book for our times” and named one of the New York Times Book Review’s “Notable Books of 2021,” Beautiful Country is a poignant and heartrending literary memoir that intimately retraces Qian Julie’s childhood footsteps where at age seven, she moved from China to Brooklyn, New York with her parents, and overnight went from being the daughter of professors to being deemed “illegal.” As a litigator, Qian Julie has been praised by clients as "exceptionally talented" and "exemplary.” For a decade, she has represented Fortune 500 corporations, governmental entities, and individuals in complex civil litigation. Qian Julie is now a managing partner at Gottlieb & Wang LLP and is dedicated to advocating for marginalized communities' education and discrimination rights.

Qian Julie’s writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Cut, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and she has appeared on PBS Newshour, ABC News, NPR, BBC World Outlook, C-SPAN, The TODAY Show, among many others. A highly sought-after keynote speaker, Qian Julie is in demand for events with groups like the Association of Small and Rural Libraries, Datadog, the Nantucket and Savannah Book Festivals, Sentara Healthcare, and Central Synagogue, to name a few. For her open heart and strong passion for advocacy and bringing awareness to marginalized communities, she regularly receives rave reviews, such as: “Thanks to Qian Julie for a tremendous program last night. She gave such a beautifully crafted, powerful talk that had the audience alternatively chuckling, nodding, wiping their eyes, and occasionally even startled… Qian Julie is a supremely talented writer and thinker, and I am sure she will continue to challenge the world with her sharp and nuanced insights. And she couldn’t have been nicer and more gracious to staff and guests and trustees alike." (Museum of the City of New York)

 


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Past Hosts Include:
  • Chicago Humanities Festival
  • Nantucket Book Festival
  • Association of Small and Rural Libraries Conference
  • CUNY Lehman College
  • Chicago Public Library
  • Washington State Community Action Partnership
  • Squire Patton Boggs LLP
  • Tenement Museum NYC
  • Temple Emanu-El Synagogue
  • Miami Beach JCC
Rave Reviews About Qian Julie Wang
“
We were honored to have Qian Julie Wang as the keynote speaker at our annual forum for litigation finance, attended by an exclusive group of high-powered investors, litigators, and brokers. This is not a group that is easily influenced, so imagine our surprise when we read all the rave reviews in our feedback survey! Impressive, inspiring, thought provoking, and deeply moving — these were just some of the words our attendees used to describe Qian Julie’s keynote. She clearly has an important message, a way with words, and a special ability to connect with the audience. As someone who has been organizing events for over 20 years, I have no reservations about recommending Qian Julie. She took the time to learn about our audience and even agreed to an interview and book signing after her speech. She was an absolute pleasure to work with, and I hope to invite her back for another keynote soon.

”
More rave reviews

"ARSL is in your debt, not only for raising our awareness of your incredible memoir so we can share it with our communities, but for such strong validation of the important work happening in our libraries every day. It can be difficult for librarians to understand the long-term effects of their daily work and you made it so very clear. I think this evaluation quote puts it perfectly, "We really need to hear stories like this to empathize with our patrons and remember each one has their own unique story." We're already seeing LOTS of people naming your presentation specifically as their favorite conference program this year. I am not surprised. You'll remember how I (tearfully) said that you spoke right to our hearts and refilled some very shallow wells in that banquet hall."

-Association of Small and Rural Libraries Conference

"We are still taking in all the incredible points Qian Julie made during our talk today! I know I personally will carry so much of it with me going forward. She is absolutely amazing and we are so glad she agreed to speak with us."

-Datadog

"Thank you for your truly inspiring and transformative contributions to the Nantucket Book Festival. I do not think there is a person who saw and heard you Friday night or Saturday who could have failed to benefit from being in your presence. It is not often that I can say that an author I loved reading intensified so greatly my appreciation and inspiration through in person presentation. You are truly one of those authors who makes that happen. Many thanks for being with us, for being part of the Opening Night Celebration, which you elevated to a level we will be hard pressed to ever equal, and for your moving presentation on Saturday. You moved the audience to tears. I saw it."

-Nantucket Book Festival

"It was a WONDERFUL event, and I’m receiving such beautiful notes from attendees, such as: 'Last night’s interview with Qian Julie Wang was amazing. She is even MORE INCREDIBLE in person than in her book! How is that even possible?' and 'My wife and I were both riveted and in tears at various points. With determination, caring and sharp criticism she lays out just how broken our immigration system is, and how scarring it is for those trying to become citizens. WOW!'"

-Northeastern University School of Law

"Please share our deepest thanks to Qian Julie for a tremendous program last night. She gave such a beautifully crafted, powerful talk that had the audience alternatively chuckling, nodding, wiping their eyes, and occasionally even startled… Qian Julie is a supremely talented writer and thinker, and I am sure she will continue to challenge the world with her sharp and nuanced insights. And she couldn’t have been nicer and more gracious to staff and guests and trustees alike."

-Museum of the City of New York

"That was one of the most powerful hours I have ever witnessed. She has such an incredible clarity, wisdom, and power to fight injustice. I am blown away. The combination of vulnerability, rage, healing, and ability to challenge trauma and violence is exceptional."

-CUNY Lehman College
Collapse rave reviews

Qian Julie Wang - So that we might one day spit in the face of patriarchy | Girls Leadership - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Qian Julie Wang
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Author Talk: Beautiful Country

Civil rights litigator and New York Times bestselling author QIAN JULIE WANG offers this riveting talk inspired by her debut memoir Beautiful Country, which The New York Times called, “an incandescent debut from an astonishing new talent.” Qian Julie balances her powerful personal narrative with aut ...

Civil rights litigator and New York Times bestselling author QIAN JULIE WANG offers this riveting talk inspired by her debut memoir Beautiful Country, which The New York Times called, “an incandescent debut from an astonishing new talent.” Qian Julie balances her powerful personal narrative with authenticity and humor and leaves a lasting impact on audiences of all kinds.

DEI in Corporate and Educational Spaces

Civil rights litigator and New York Times bestselling author QIAN JULIE WANG uses her unique gift for storytelling to transcend the business, legal, political, and literary worlds and focus on the humanity at the heart of these issues. Qian Julie shares both her personal experience as well as action ...

Civil rights litigator and New York Times bestselling author QIAN JULIE WANG uses her unique gift for storytelling to transcend the business, legal, political, and literary worlds and focus on the humanity at the heart of these issues. Qian Julie shares both her personal experience as well as actionable strategies in this compelling talk.

Finding a Home for Immigrants

Civil rights litigator and bestselling memoirist QIAN JULIE WANG shares insights from her personal experience as a young person immigrating to the U.S., as well as her career advocating for marginalized communities. Qian Julie offers this riveting talk about the power of finding ‘home’. ...

Civil rights litigator and bestselling memoirist QIAN JULIE WANG shares insights from her personal experience as a young person immigrating to the U.S., as well as her career advocating for marginalized communities. Qian Julie offers this riveting talk about the power of finding ‘home’.

The Power of Lifelong Literacy and Storytelling

Civil rights litigator and bestselling memoirist QIAN JULIE WANG offers insights about the power of literacy and storytelling throughout childhood and adulthood in this meaningful talk for audiences of all kinds. ...

Civil rights litigator and bestselling memoirist QIAN JULIE WANG offers insights about the power of literacy and storytelling throughout childhood and adulthood in this meaningful talk for audiences of all kinds.

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Speaker News

Qian Julie Wang knows stories are power – and there’s no story more powerful than the one you’re scared to tell

Through her impactful speaking engagements, QIAN JULIE WANG offers poignant insights about the power of storytelling. When she gave a spellbinding keynote for BookFest Opening Night Celebration at the Nantucket Book Festival, Qian Julie brought authenticity and humor. A profound speaker, the New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Country: A Memoir delivers talks resonate across divisions and experiences. Whether she is touching on her childhood experience as an immigrant, her advocacy work through the law, or the role literature plays in our lives, Qian Julie offers unmatched insights about how the act of sharing stories – especially the ones we are scared to tell – creates connections that transform our world.

At the Nantucket Book Festival, Qian Julie received thunderous applause for what the organizers are calling “the best speech they’ve had in all 10 years of the festival.” In all her events, Qian Julie creates a memorable talk tailored to the audience, consistently receiving rave reviews.

Watch Qian Julie Wang’s keynote at the Nantucket Book Festival >>

Bestselling author Qian Julie Wang leverages business acumen and legal expertise in her advocacy work as a civil rights litigator

Bestselling author and civil rights litigator QIAN JULIE WANG brings a unique and uplifting perspective to conversations about advocacy work and building a mission-driven business. Through her experience as a young person immigrating to the U.S., which she detailed in her New York Times bestselling memoir Beautiful Country, Wang fell in love with the law by reading books about Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Thurgood Marshall. Their stories showed her that she did not need to be white or a man to succeed, and she began to dream about fighting her way into the law to tell the stories of her community, too.

As a litigator, she has been praised as “exceptionally talented” and “exemplary,” representing Fortune 500 companies, government entities, and individuals in complex litigation. She is a Founder and Managing Partner at Gottlieb & Wang LLP – a legal practice dedicated to advocating for marginalized communities’ education and discrimination rights. In compelling talks, she shares both her legal expertise as well as her experience in business building a company that is about more than just doing a job.

Qian Julie has offered riveting talks for the Washington State Community Action Partnership, Squire Patton Boggs LLP, Sentara Healthcare, Datadog, Goodwin LLP, among many others.

‘Beautiful Country’ author Qian Julie Wang moves audiences with her spellbinding storytelling in powerful keynotes

When civil rights litigator and celebrated author QIAN JULIE WANG spoke with the Harry Walker team last month, we experienced what audiences have been raving about for countless events. The New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Country shared with our captivated audience how her memoir came to be. Written on the subway, on her phone, commute after commute, Qian Julie unearthed her childhood wounds and illuminated experiences shared by so many undocumented children in their families’ pursuit of the American Dream. In rediscovering her childhood self, she began a healing process made possible by the exploration of her past. In spellbinding keynote speeches, Qian Julie humanizes experiences that may not be personal to the audience, building a bridge through storytelling to greater understanding and a sense of community.

As a child, she was inspired by condensed biographies of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Thurgood Marshall, eventually becoming a renowned civil rights litigator with her own practice with her husband. Beyond her impactful work, which focuses on education and discrimination rights for marginalized communities, Qian Julie shares a powerful message of strength, passion, and patriotism with audiences of all kinds. She left our team at HWA with one of her universal beliefs: healing yourself is the best thing you can do for the world. We aren’t the only ones stunned by her inspiring keynotes, Qian Julie regularly receives glowing praise, such as this review from the Museum of the City of New York: “Thanks to Qian Julie for a tremendous program last night. She gave such a beautifully crafted, powerful talk that had the audience alternatively chuckling, nodding, wiping their eyes, and occasionally even startled… Qian Julie is a supremely talented writer and thinker, and I am sure she will continue to challenge the world with her sharp and nuanced insights. And she couldn’t have been nicer and more gracious to staff and guests and trustees alike.”

Watch Qian Julie Wang’s event with the Museum of the City of New York >>

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Books by Qian Julie Wang
Beautiful Country: A Memoir

Beautiful Country: A Memoir

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Press & Media
Anti-Asian Racism Isn’t New - The New York Times
Hunger - Jewish Book Council
Qian Julie Wang on her undocumented childhood, the salvation of reading and her powerful new memoir - Marie Claire
This Rosh Hashanah, Let’s Remember the Most Vulnerable Among Us - Hey Alma
Memoirist Qian Julie Wang Finally Found a Home With Her Fellow Jews of Color - Haaretz
The Thread That Led Me Back - Elle
Read With Jenna author Qian Julie Wang on worry, her mother's talisman of love - TODAY
When I Feared My Father - The Cut
Qian Julie Wang Details A Life In 'Hei' In Memoir 'Beautiful Country' - NPR
What the Country Needs, on DACA and So Much More - The New York Times
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Ideas for the Meeting Planner
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Biography

Qian Julie Wang is a litigator and the author of Beautiful Country. Beautiful Country was released in 2021 and became an instant New York Times bestseller. Lauded as an “essential book for our times” and named one of the New York Times Book Review’s Notable Books of 2021, Beautiful Country is a poignant and heartrending literary memoir that intimately retraces Qian Julie’s childhood footsteps where at age seven, she moved from China to Brooklyn, New York with her parents, and overnight went from being the daughter of professors to being deemed “illegal.” With an open heart and a strong passion for advocacy and bringing awareness to marginalized communities, she uses her unique gift for storytelling to transcend the business, legal, political, and literary worlds and focus on the humanity at the heart of these issues.

As a litigator, Qian Julie has been praised by clients as "exceptionally talented" and "exemplary.” For a decade, she has represented Fortune 500 corporations, governmental entities, and individuals in complex civil litigation. Qian Julie is now a managing partner at Gottlieb & Wang LLP and is dedicated to advocating for marginalized communities' education and discrimination rights.

Qian Julie is a graduate of Yale Law School and Swarthmore Colleges. Her short pieces have appeared in major publications, including The New York Times and The Washington Post. Qian Julie currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their two rescue dogs, Salty and Peppers.

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