Syracuse University continues its tradition of recognizing the contributions of Asian and
Asian Pacific Americans with Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Events will take place
through April 25. Highlight of the month's events is the commemorative lecture by
renowned author and University of Washington professor Shawn Hsu Wong, Friday, April
10, at 5 p.m. in Maxwell Auditorium. He will speak about the "Secret Life of An Asian
American Writer."
In 1969, at the age of 19, Wong, then a student at the University of California, Berkeley,
decided to become a novelist instead of a doctor. At the time, he could not name a single
Asian American author and realized that no high school teacher or college professor had
ever assigned or even mentioned a book written by an Asian American. Wong found a
whole neglected area of American literature without the benefit of classes or teachers.
Wong's lecture will detail his search for this literature outside of academia and share his
thoughts on current struggles to form or support Asian American studies programs at
universities and colleges. He will also discuss and screen scenes from "Americanese," a film
adapted from his novel, "American Knees" (Simon & Schuster, 1995). The film received
critical acclaim at the 2006 South by Southwest Festival and is slated for national release this
spring.
"As a pioneer academic and activist for Asian America, Wong has forged his way through
the wilderness of exclusion, ignorance, institutionalized racism and the alienation of being
'Other' in one's native land," says SU instructor Nancy Kang. "Through his writing, he
testifies to the heroics and the struggles of a diverse, living people, a minority in number
only. Wong's vitality of vision, keen intellect, and sensitivity to irony make him a hero to
anyone interested in an enriched understanding of American life."
In preparation for Wong's presentation, APA Orange, the Asian American faculty and staff
affinity group at SU, coordinated a book club on campus and at Nottingham High School
to discuss his novels, "Homebase" (University of Washington Press, 2008) and "American
Knees."
This event is free and open to the public. It is funded by the Kaleidoscope Project, a diversity
initiative sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs. For more information, call 443-9676
or visit http://multicultural.syr.edu.
