From refugee to celebrated storyteller: Viet Thanh Nguyen’s American journey
Viet Thanh Nguyen is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. He was awarded that honor in 2016 for his debut novel “The Sympathizer.” Then he received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2017.
When he was four years-old, Nguyen came to the United States from Vietnam with his family after the fall of Saigon. His experiences as a refugee, immigrant and Asian-American infuse his work.
He spoke at a Seattle Arts & Lectures event at Benaroya Hall on May 7, and Sonya Harris recorded his talk and conversation with “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” author Jamie Ford. The opening poem was written and read by Wei Wei Lee.
Please note: This recording contains unedited language of an adult nature, specifically racial slurs.
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John O'Brien
Senior Producer, All Things Considered
John O’Brien is KUOW's All Things Considered Senior Producer. He spends his days setting up interviews with newsmakers on subjects from politics and public health to arts and culture. John learned to make radio starting in 2006 as an intern on KUOW’s The Conversation with Ross Reynolds.
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