Event Details:

Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM ET
Location: Online

This is a pay-what-you-can fundraiser hosted by Firefly Creative Writing; tickets are here.

April marks one year since Rachel Phan published her bestselling memoir, Restaurant Kid: A Memoir of Family and Belonging.

On the surface, this looks like a dream publishing success story, beginning with an essay accepted by CBC and leading quickly to an agent, a book deal, a manuscript, and bestseller status within a week of publication.

But there’s always more to a story than what we see on the surface.

Behind the scenes, Rachel was navigating self-doubt, isolation, and deep anxiety—during the writing process, through publication, and beyond. By staying true to the work and leaning into community, she learned some hard-won lessons:

• How to believe in herself even when it felt impossible.

• How to throw out most of what she'd been taught and write this book on her own terms.

• How to accept help instead of trying to do it alone.

To celebrate Restaurant Kid's first bookiversary, we're inviting you to an intimate evening exploring the fine art of believing in ourselves. Rachel will be in conversation with Firefly coach Kim Abrahamse—who was her writing coach for much of this journey—about the joys and struggles of the book-writing process, the parts no one talks about, and the essential role of community in creative work.

Always honest, generous, and willing to be vulnerable, Rachel will mark this milestone with our community, inspiring us to loosen our grip on how we think we "should" write—and to trust ourselves as our own guides.