Shawn Wong

Shawn Hsu Wong (born 1949 in Oakland, California) is an author and Professor of English and former Director of the University Honors Program (2003–06), Chair of the Department of English (1997–2002), and Director of the Creative Writing Program (1995–97) at the University of Washington where he has been on the faculty since 1984. He is Chinese American and a pioneer of Asian American studies. Wong received his undergraduate degree in English at the University of California at Berkeley (1971) and a Master's degree in Creative Writing at San Francisco State University (1974).

Writings

Wong's first novel, Homebase, published by Reed and Cannon (1979), won the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award and the 15th Annual Governor's Writers Day Award of Washington. His second novel, American Knees, first published by Simon & Schuster in 1996, was adapted into an independent feature film entitled Americanese (2010), written and directed by Eric Byler and produced by Lisa Onodera. The book was re-issued in 2005 by University of Washington Press.