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In this week's episodes of Pages 'n Pages, we talk about the movies that are coming out or have come out in 2024 that are based on movies. Let us know what movies you've seen based on books and if they were good adaptations! What We've Read and What We Are Reading: System Collapse (The Murderbot Diaries #7) by Martha Wells and narrated by Kevin R. Free Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun Disoriendation by Elaine Hsieh Chou and narrated by Jennifer Kim A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (Monk & Robot #2) by Becky Chambers and narrated by Em Grosland Additional Book Mentions: Dune by Frank Herbert It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover Wicked by Gregory Maguire Turtles All the Way Down by John Green Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (Bridgertons #4) by Julia Quinn The Lord of the Rings Series by J.R.R. Tolkien The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand Heartstopper by Alice Oseman Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
In this week's episode of Pages n' Pages, we talk about movies that came out in 2023 that were based on books we might know and love. Let us know if you've watched these movies and what you think about them! What We've Read and What We Are Reading: Disoriendation by Elaine Hsieh Chou and narrated by Jennifer Kim Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig and narrated by Lisa Cordileone Additional Book Mentions: Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin Poor Things by Alasdair Gray The Color Purple by Alice Walker Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume Elivs and Me by Priscilla Presley and Sandra Harmon The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown Nimona by ND Stevenson Halloween Party by Agatha Christie Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul G. Tremblay The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuistonSociety of the Snow by Pablo Vierci
On this episode, Jennifer discusses DISORIENTATION, a novel written by Elaine Hsieh Chou, a finalist for the 2023 New York Public Library's Young Lions Fiction Award. DISORIENTATION follows the story of Ingrid Chou who, while procrastinating writing her thesis, stumbles upon a peculiar note that changes the course of her research and life. Jennifer and Elaine discuss how she was able to tackle important yet heavy subjects while keeping the audience constantly engaged with never-ending laughs, twists and turns. Can we ever break free from the story structure of beginning-middle-end? Or are all our lives just the shape of a curve whether you're surviving a war, writing an award-winning novel, or just a snail in a diorama? The Bookshelf with Jenifer Morrison is brought to you by Apartment 3C Productions, and our amazing sponsors. Use the code JENSBOOKSHELF at the links below for special discounts offered exclusively for our listeners. AMIGO Coffee Roasters: Get 15% off your purchase Link: www.amigoroasters.com BEAM: Get 35% off a subscription -or- 15% off your purchase Link: shopbeam.com/jensbookshelf SEED: Get 25% off your first order Link: https://seed.com/ FREDA: Get 15% off a one-time purchase - *exclusions include Brooke x Sam Wennerstrom collab boot Link: https://fredasalvador.com/en-ca
It's a bonus live episode of Being Biracial. We interviewed each other and chatted about: - Maria's complicated return to Aotearoa - Biracial baby names - The Woman Life Freedom movement - Kate's exhibition Zendegi at Arts Gen - Whether the conversation about race has moved on? - Cultural diversity training Mixed Media: Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang, Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou and the musical A Strange Loop. Hosted by: Maria Birch-Morunga and Kate Robinson Guest: Maria Birch-Morunga and Kate Robinson Music by: Green Twins Edited by: Kate Robinson Special thanks: Maribyrnong City Council and Bluestone Church Arts Space Footscray. This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the eastern Kulin Nations. If you have any questions or feedback you can find us on Instagram @beingbiracialpodcast or send us an email at beingbiracialpodcast@gmail.com
In Elaine Hsieh Chou's 2022 debut novel, Disorientation, a Taiwanese-American graduate student named Ingrid Yang discovers that the subject of her dissertation is a fraud: Xiao-Wen Chou is not a Chinese-American poet, but is in fact a white man who built his career on stereotypes and yellowface. This discovery launches her own awakening to the racism she has faced her entire life and the many ways she's built her identity around what white people expect of her. In our conversation, we talk about the real-life inspirations for Disorientation and the strangeness of the label "absurd" to describe a novel about these very real experiences. We also talk about the value of anger in writing and healing.
Who gets to tell our stories? Two debut authors use their powerful voices to show strong female characters navigating family, race and colonialism with unfailing humor and heart. Claire Jiménez's What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez follows a family in the wake of a tragedy as they attempt to move on — and up. Jiménez talks with us about finding the voice in her work, telling Puerto Rican stories, how she uses perspective and humor and more. In Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou we find a young Taiwanese American woman mired in the world of academia and all the challenges that privilege and power can bring. Chou joins us to talk about Asian American identity, how she changed while writing the book, what she's working on next and more. Listen in as both talk separately with Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Jamie and Madyson. Featured Books (Episode): Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jiménez The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki I Hotel by Karen Tei Yamashita Another Country by James Baldwin Dear Miss Metropolitan by Carolyn Ferrell Post-Traumatic by Chantal V. Johnson Yellowface by R.F. Kuang Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez War Against All Puerto Ricans by Nelson A. Denis Velorio by Xavier Navarro Aquino Featured Books (TBR Topoff): Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).
BAPC x Elaine Hsieh Chou Elaine Hsieh Chou's novel Disorientation is what she calls an accidental satire, because she wrote the book in earnest. A large part of the book is inspired by events that truly happen and people who exist; proving that satire is a genre that supersedes your intentions. She is also thoughtful, intelligent, energetic, and wrote a novel that brings out the best possible conversations. Join The Fellowship—BAPC's Patreon Community Follow BAPC on Instagram Shop BAPC's Bookshop
Welcome to Open Form, a weekly film podcast hosted by award-winning writer Mychal Denzel Smith. Each week, a different author chooses a movie: a movie they love, a movie they hate, a movie they hate to love. Something nostalgic from their childhood. A brand-new obsession. Something they've been dying to talk about for ages and their friends are constantly annoyed by them bringing it up. * In this episode of Open Form, Mychal talks to Elaine Hsieh Chou (Disorientation) about the 2002 film Better Luck Tomorrow, directed by Justin Lin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We're back for the fall with new weekly tips, interviews, book recommendations, and thoughts about what you can do today for your writing. This week, consider an alternative story structure.Book recommendation: DISORIENTATION, by Elaine Hsieh Chou.
Elaine Hsieh Chou joins us to talk about her debut novel DISORIENTATION an interwoven satire that grapples with the ever-present danger Asian Americans face when racism rears its ugly head in the world of academia. Ph.D. hopeful Ingrid Yang is beginning to unravel as she struggles with writing her dissertation on the late Chinese poet Xiao-Wen Chou. A clue from the library's archive helps her to uncover that Xiao-Wen Chou is not dead, nor is he Asian, but rather a white man living his days in retirement after using yellowface as a tool to gain literary success for 35 years.
Elaine Hsieh Chou is a Taiwanese American writer from California. A 2017 Rona Jaffe Graduate Fellow at NYU and a 2021 NYSCA/NYFA Fellow, her short fiction appears in The Normal School, Black Warrior Review, Guernica, Tin House Online and Ploughshares. Her debut novel Disorientation is out now from Penguin Press (US) and Picador (UK). Her short story collection Where are You Realy From? is forthcoming from Penguin Press in spring 2024. Books Recommended in this Episode: Don Lee, The Collective Brandon Taylor, Real Life David Lodge, Changing Places Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-american-studies
Elaine Hsieh Chou is a Taiwanese American writer from California. A 2017 Rona Jaffe Graduate Fellow at NYU and a 2021 NYSCA/NYFA Fellow, her short fiction appears in The Normal School, Black Warrior Review, Guernica, Tin House Online and Ploughshares. Her debut novel Disorientation is out now from Penguin Press (US) and Picador (UK). Her short story collection Where are You Realy From? is forthcoming from Penguin Press in spring 2024. Books Recommended in this Episode: Don Lee, The Collective Brandon Taylor, Real Life David Lodge, Changing Places Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Elaine Hsieh Chou is a Taiwanese American writer from California. A 2017 Rona Jaffe Graduate Fellow at NYU and a 2021 NYSCA/NYFA Fellow, her short fiction appears in The Normal School, Black Warrior Review, Guernica, Tin House Online and Ploughshares. Her debut novel Disorientation is out now from Penguin Press (US) and Picador (UK). Her short story collection Where are You Realy From? is forthcoming from Penguin Press in spring 2024. Books Recommended in this Episode: Don Lee, The Collective Brandon Taylor, Real Life David Lodge, Changing Places Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature
Elaine Hsieh Chou is a Taiwanese American writer from California. A 2017 Rona Jaffe Graduate Fellow at NYU and a 2021 NYSCA/NYFA Fellow, her short fiction appears in The Normal School, Black Warrior Review, Guernica, Tin House Online and Ploughshares. Her debut novel Disorientation is out now from Penguin Press (US) and Picador (UK). Her short story collection Where are You Realy From? is forthcoming from Penguin Press in spring 2024. Books Recommended in this Episode: Don Lee, The Collective Brandon Taylor, Real Life David Lodge, Changing Places Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
The Greenlight Bookstore Podcast kicks off its third season—though we remain far from the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, we're out of quarantine! One of our first successes in this new age of author events was the standing-room-only launch for Elaine Hsieh Chou's acclaimed debut, Disorientation—an uproarious and bighearted story of a Taiwanese American woman's coming-of-consciousness that ignites chaos on a college campus. Chou was joined by author and critic Larissa Pham (Pop Song) for a sharp, searching, and sincere discussion of the politics of Asian-American solidarity and the perils of contemporary dating. Despite some technical difficulties, this golden conversation was a triumphant return to our beloved and well-missed in-store events programming—we're so glad to be back! (Recorded March 24, 2022.)
Elaine Hsieh Chou - Roxy Music at 50 - Out of the Ordinary at Kilkenny Arts Festival
This week we welcome former S&Co bookseller, Elaine Hsieh Chou, to discuss Disorientation, a campus novel retooled for the 21st century. Disorientation rushes headlong into some of the most fractious debates that are animating college campuses across the world: systemic injustice in academia, freedom of expression, and safe spaces, not forgetting the specific obstacles and prejudices faced by Asian Americans as they work to get a foothold on the academic ladder.*SUBSCRIBE NOW FOR BONUS EPISODESLooking for Friends of Shakespeare and Company read Ulysses? https://podfollow.com/sandcoulyssesIf you want to spend even more time at Shakespeare and Company, you can now subscribe for regular bonus episodes and early access to Friends of Shakespeare and Company read Ulysses.Subscribe on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/sandcoSubscribe on Apple Podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/fr/podcast/shakespeare-and-company-writers-books-and-paris/id1040121937?l=enAll money raised goes to supporting “Friends of Shakespeare and Company” the bookshop's non-profit, created to fund our noncommercial activities—from the upstairs reading library, to the writers-in-residence program, to our charitable collaborations, and our free events.*Elaine Hsieh Chou is a Taiwanese American writer from California. A 2017 Rona Jaffe Graduate Fellow at NYU and a 2021 NYSCA/NYFA Fellow, her short fiction appears in The Normal School, Black Warrior Review, Guernica, Tin House Online and Ploughshares. Her debut novel DISORIENTATION is out from Penguin Press (US) and will be out from Picador (UK) on July 21, 2022. Her short story collection WHERE ARE YOU REALLY FROM? is forthcoming from Penguin Press.Adam Biles is Literary Director at Shakespeare and Company. Buy a signed copy of his novel FEEDING TIME here: https://shakespeareandcompany.com/S/9781910296684/feeding-timeListen to Alex Freiman's Play It Gentle here: https://open.spotify.com/album/4gfkDcG32HYlXnBqI0xgQX?si=mf0Vw-kuRS-ai15aL9kLNA&dl_branch=1 Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
In this interview about her electric debut novel Disorientations, Elaine Hsieh Chou discusses her inspiration for writing a fictional account of academia. She traces how the storyline and characters changed as she followed the many publicized controversies in academia (sexual assault, white scholars claiming and faking marginalized identities). She also addresses whiteness and white logic, burnout culture in academia, and the anachronistic recitation of “the death of the author”.
World Book Café, the programme where writers reveal the secrets of their home cities, goes to Brooklyn. In a lively and engaging conversation from the heart of the neighbourhood, Asian American authors will share insights into their creative lives, the obstacles they face and the joy they find in words and writing. Presenter Michelle Fleury will be joined on stage by Brooklyn-based writers Elaine Hsieh Chou, Crystal Hana Kim, Matthew Ortile, Pitchaya Sudbanthad and Jen Lue.
Elaine Hsieh Chou drops into the Damn Library Hyperspace Zoom Zone to chat her incredible new campus satire, Disorientation. We get into the world of academia, writing villains, and of course, why she wrote this book three times. Plus, she brings along Matthew Salesses' Craft in the Real World. and we talk about the wisdom found therein. And lots more! contribute! https://patreon.com/smdb for drink recipes, book lists, and more, visit: somanydamnbooks.com music: Disaster Magic (https://soundcloud.com/disaster-magic) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
TIME STAMP, SPOILERS FOR DISORIENTATION BEGIN AT: 33:20 We welcome Elaine Hsieh Chou to the podcast to talk about her debut novel, Disorientation, which came out earlier this year. Her book is a hilarious satire on modern day college campus free speech wars, orientalism in academia, "yellow fever", the phenomenon of white scholars and translators devoting their entire lives to East Asian studies, and more. We talked to Elaine about a frequent topic of conversation in the NüVoices community: who has the right to tell whose stories? Disorientation follows 29-year-old Ingrid Yang, a Taiwanese American PhD student who is on the struggle bus to finishing her dissertation on Xiaowen Chou, a deceased, renowned Chinese American poet. After uncovering the dark truth of Chou's past, Ingrid's relationships with everyone she knows changes forever. From her academic advisor Michael, who specializes in Chinese art and poetry, to her fiancée Stephen, who is a translator of Japanese literature, Ingrid must confront "her sticky relationship to white men and white institutions—and, most of all, herself." (Source: https://www.elainehsiehchou.com/novel) Megan Cattel (our steadfast pod editor) hosts this episode.
Actor and director Sarah Polley joins us to discuss her debut book, 'Run Towards the Danger.' Also, showrunner George Pelecanos on the HBO mini-series, 'We Own This City.' And Elaine Hsieh Chou talks about her novel, 'Disorientation.'
This week we journey to one of the 7 Wonders of the World to celebrate a legendary Chinese hero...Matt Damon! We're joined by the author of the dazzling new novel Disorientation, Elaine Hsieh Chou to discuss the 2016 blockbuster, The Great Wall. The biggest American/Chinese co-production to date, and a 75 million dollar bomb. We talk about Matt Damon's crazy accent, the erasure of Chinese actors in a movie supposedly about them, and of course the major controversy of the Matt Damon casting. Elaine's debut novel Disorientation has been receiving rave reviews. It follows Taiwanese-American PHD student Ingrid Yang as she unravels a huge secret at the center of her dissertation on canonical poet Xiao-Wen Chou. It's hilarious and poignant and Elaine wants to help support Yu and Me books in Chinatown . It's the first female Asian-American NYC based bookstore and you can order the book from them here! You can follow Elaine @elainehsiehchou on Twitter and we absolutely recommend her article "What White Men Say in Our Absence" for The Cut.com. It's a powerful piece that speaks to these last few years and beyond. As always, follow us @white_pod for more behind the scenes, caucacity, and more! If you want to reach out, you can write to us at whitepeoplewontsaveyou@gmail.com .
Content Warning: Racism, sexism, violence against women. In this episode, we reflect one year on, how the impact of the Atlanta shooting is still very much alive for many women around the world, especially for Asian women in western nations. We unpack the essays written by Elaine Hsieh Chou and May Jeong, and how their writings express the painful and dreadful experiences that traumatise many women in the world. ‘Racist': The Project slammed for Covid joke What White Men Say in Our Absence HOW THE ATLANTA SPA SHOOTINGS—THE VICTIMS, THE SURVIVORS—TELL A STORY OF AMERIC Facebook | Asian Bitches Down Under Instagram | Asian Bitches Down Under Buy Me A Coffee | Asian Bitches Down Under BUTTER BUTTER active wear - use code ABDU10 for $10 off Email: asianbdownunder@gmail.com Music Credits: Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
Teen and Chris discuss the Will Smith vs. Chris Rock 2022 Oscars insanity, as well as Elaine Hsieh Chou's piece in The Cut, "What White Men Say In Our Absence." Join us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/planamag Check out the new Plan A merchandise shop: plan-a-4.creator-spring.com/ TWITTER: Teen (@mont_jiang) Chris (@JesuInToast) REFERENCED RESOURCES: What White Men Say In Our Absence by Elaine Hsieh Chou | The Cut: https://www.thecut.com/2022/03/what-white-men-say-in-our-absence.html About That Natalie Tran Video On White Male/Asian Female Relationships by Teen Sheng | Plan A Mag: https://planamag.com/about-that-natalie-tran-video-on-white-male-asian-female-relationships/ A Power Letter To Asian Women by Rohan Zhou-Lee | Mochi Mag: https://www.mochimag.com/activism/letter-to-asian-women/ SUBMISSIONS & COMMENTS: editor.planamag@gmail.com EFPA Theme: "Escape From Plan A" by Ciel (@aerialist)
This week's guest is Elaine Hsieh Chou, whose debut novel Disorientation is part campus novel, part political satire, part analysis of Asian American identity, and adds up to far more than the sum of its parts. The novel follows Ingrid, a PhD student making her way through her dissertation on Chinese-American poet Xiao-Wen Chou. Through her research she comes across a shocking discovery that throws not only her research into new light, but every aspect of her day to day life. Her family life, romantic relationship, friendships, and relationship to her Asian identity at large. As things spiral further out of control, Ingrid is forced to reexamine her worldview and fight for the reality she wants, even if it goes against what she's currently constructed for herself. Chou celebrates the off-the-rails satire by celebrating Fran Ross's 1974 novel Oreo. This book, an interpretation of the myth of Theseus starring a biracial teen, was unappreciated in its time and warrants more consideration. Oreo, our titular character, goes on an epic quest to uncover the secret of her birth, and along the way battles adversaries large and small. The novel defies our modern concepts of characterization and interiority, and in ways is both very of its time and ahead of its time. We discuss the merits of experiencing the novel both in print and via audio, the inherent wackiness of Greek mythology, and why this book remains uncelebrated in a world that worships Ulysses. Even if you've never read Oreo, it's certainly worth the listen. As always, there are no spoilers here. March Short Story Book Club: https://www.allenisd.org/cms/lib/TX01001197/Centricity/Domain/2344/A%20Cup%20of%20Tea.pdf Follow the podcast on instagram and twitter @yfbpodcast Follow Elaine on twitter @elainehsiehchou
In Disorientation: A Novel by Elaine Hsieh Chou (Penguin Press, 2022), we meet Ingrid Yang: an eighth-year PhD student in East Asian studies struggling to write a dissertation on (fictional) canonical Chinese American poet Xiao-Wen Chou. Her situation is made all the more distressing by the fact that her student loan deferral is soon to expire, and it's dawning on her that she was never interested in Xiao-Wen Chou in the first place—rather, her advisor convinced her that this would be a good topic for a marketable dissertation. Then one day, a strange note in the archives leads her to a shocking discovery. What is it? What happens? You'll have to read Disorientation to find out. Tune in to this episode of the New Books Network podcast to hear Elaine Hsieh Chou discuss the inspiration for Disorientation, how liberating it felt to have the last word on toxic white men, the difficulties of finding institutional space for Asian American studies, the continued importance of the legacy of the Third World Liberation Front, the joys and challenges of writing complex and flawed Asian American characters, Ingrid's journey towards healing post-grad school, and more. Elaine Hsieh Chou is a Taiwanese American writer from California. She holds an MFA from NYU where she was a Rona Jaffe Foundation Graduate Fellow, and she was once in—and dropped out of—a PhD program. Jennifer Gayoung Lee is a writer and data analyst based in New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-american-studies
In Disorientation: A Novel by Elaine Hsieh Chou (Penguin Press, 2022), we meet Ingrid Yang: an eighth-year PhD student in East Asian studies struggling to write a dissertation on (fictional) canonical Chinese American poet Xiao-Wen Chou. Her situation is made all the more distressing by the fact that her student loan deferral is soon to expire, and it's dawning on her that she was never interested in Xiao-Wen Chou in the first place—rather, her advisor convinced her that this would be a good topic for a marketable dissertation. Then one day, a strange note in the archives leads her to a shocking discovery. What is it? What happens? You'll have to read Disorientation to find out. Tune in to this episode of the New Books Network podcast to hear Elaine Hsieh Chou discuss the inspiration for Disorientation, how liberating it felt to have the last word on toxic white men, the difficulties of finding institutional space for Asian American studies, the continued importance of the legacy of the Third World Liberation Front, the joys and challenges of writing complex and flawed Asian American characters, Ingrid's journey towards healing post-grad school, and more. Elaine Hsieh Chou is a Taiwanese American writer from California. She holds an MFA from NYU where she was a Rona Jaffe Foundation Graduate Fellow, and she was once in—and dropped out of—a PhD program. Jennifer Gayoung Lee is a writer and data analyst based in New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature
In Disorientation: A Novel by Elaine Hsieh Chou (Penguin Press, 2022), we meet Ingrid Yang: an eighth-year PhD student in East Asian studies struggling to write a dissertation on (fictional) canonical Chinese American poet Xiao-Wen Chou. Her situation is made all the more distressing by the fact that her student loan deferral is soon to expire, and it's dawning on her that she was never interested in Xiao-Wen Chou in the first place—rather, her advisor convinced her that this would be a good topic for a marketable dissertation. Then one day, a strange note in the archives leads her to a shocking discovery. What is it? What happens? You'll have to read Disorientation to find out. Tune in to this episode of the New Books Network podcast to hear Elaine Hsieh Chou discuss the inspiration for Disorientation, how liberating it felt to have the last word on toxic white men, the difficulties of finding institutional space for Asian American studies, the continued importance of the legacy of the Third World Liberation Front, the joys and challenges of writing complex and flawed Asian American characters, Ingrid's journey towards healing post-grad school, and more. Elaine Hsieh Chou is a Taiwanese American writer from California. She holds an MFA from NYU where she was a Rona Jaffe Foundation Graduate Fellow, and she was once in—and dropped out of—a PhD program. Jennifer Gayoung Lee is a writer and data analyst based in New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network