Author Charles Yu talks writing, representation, and the Asian American experience
Author of the critically acclaimed, genre-bending “Interior Chinatown” and writer for the HBO series “Westworld,” Charles Yu’s work is as inventive as it is moving.
In an entertaining and thought-provoking onstage interview at the Moss Arts Center on Tuesday, March 25, at 7:30 p.m., Yu will discuss the Asian American experience, representation and stereotypes in film and television, and the unique power of science fiction to address the human condition.
Yu has authored four books, including his most recent, “Interior Chinatown,” a National Book Award winner that has been recently adapted into a Hulu series of the same name with Yu as creator and showrunner. At once a satirical meditation on immigration, assimilation, and Hollywood stereotyping of Asian Americans and a touching portrait of a family, “Interior Chinatown” follows the story of Willis Wu, who has been cast in the role of “Generic Asian Man” in the ongoing procedural cop show “Black and White,” as he struggles to transcend the reductive roles available to those who look like him. Both extensively researched and startlingly original, “Interior Chinatown” is a profound and topical exploration of the weight of stereotypes and racism in American culture.
Yu received the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Award and was nominated for two Writers Guild of America Awards for his work on “Westworld.” He has also written for shows on FX, AMC, and HBO. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in the New Yorker, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Wired, among other publications. Together with TaiwaneseAmerican.org, he established the Betty L. Yu and Jin C. Yu Writing Prizes in honor of his parents.
Yu’s talk is co-sponsored by the Department of English Visiting Writers Series.
Related events
Yu will discuss his approach to writing with Virginia Tech students in a craft talk moderated by Matthew Vollmer, Virginia Tech professor and director of the MFA in creative writing and undergraduate creative writing programs.
Tickets
Tickets are $25 for general admission and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.
Venue and parking information
The performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall. Convenient parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street and in downtown Blacksburg. Find more parking details online.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jamie Wiggert at least 10 days prior to the event at 540-231-5300 or email wiggertj@vt.edu during regular business hours.
