Hear MacArthur Genius Yiyun Li read her work at the Library of Congress (Oct 30)
Photo: University of Iowa | Thumbnail photo: The Guardian
When Yiyun Li immigrated from China to the United States in 1996, she hadn’t written any works in either Chinese or English. Yet, over the course of the past two decades, she earned an MFA at the University of Iowa – one of the nation’s most respected writing programs, published four novels, began teaching writing at the University of California, Davis, and was awarded a MacArthur “Genius” grant.
While much of her writing is informed by her Chinese American immigrant experience, the versatility of her writing goes far beyond her suggested category. Her latest novel, Kinder Than Solitude (2014), takes place amidst the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, yet was described by The New York Times as “a murder mystery, properly executed.”
On Thursday, October 30, the Library of Congress Poetry and Literature Center will join the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, the Asian American Literary Review and the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Maryland in presenting Ms. Li for a reading, book signing and discussion on Asian American literature. Join us for an afternoon with the writer who Bridget Hughes, editor of The Paris Review, describes as “an individual not defined by society, history or even her native language.”
Asian American Literature Today
with Yiyun Li
Thursday October 30, 4:00pm
Library of Congress, James Madison Building
Mumford Room, 6th Floor
101 Independence Ave, SE
Washington, D.C.
Map & directions | Facebook RSVP
Free & open to the public (Book sale & signing available)
Contact: poetry@loc.gov or 202-707-5394
Discussion