Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center at Arkansas Tech University will launch its spring 2023 Second Monday Author Series with an appearance by Dr. Michael X. Wang on Feb. 13.
Wang will lead a conversation about his debut novel, “Lost in the Long March,” beginning at 7 p.m. in room 300B of Pendergraft Library and Technology Center, which is located at 305 West Q Street in Russellville. The event is free and open to the public.
Assistant professor of English at ATU, Wang is the 2021 winner of the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection.
Wang earned the award based upon his 2020 book “Further News of Defeat,” which tells the story of fictional village Xinchun, China. A summary provided by publisher Autumn House states that Wang’s short stories “explore themes of tradition, family, modernity and immigration in a country grappling with its modern identity.”
A native of Fenyang, China, Wang has lived in the United States since he was 6 years old. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern University, a Master of Fine Arts degree in fiction from Purdue University and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in literature from Florida State University.
Wang joined the faculty at Arkansas Tech in 2018. During his Second Monday Author Series appearance, he will discuss his research process and his approach to writing novels versus short stories. Wang will also shed light on the challenges to long and short form fiction writing as well as the different qualities that readers tend to look for in both.
There will be a drawing at the Feb. 13 event for a signed copy of “Lost in the Long March.” Additional copies will be available for purchase and the author’s signature.
For more information about the ATU Second Monday Author Series, contact Luke Heffley at (479) 964-0546.
