- Department: Psychology
- University: San Jose State University
- Location: Torrance, California
In Ames, Iowa, I met an older Chinese boy at church named Daniel. He was already in middle school--I was a lowly first-grader--he but told wild stories in Chinglish about this guy named Jesus. It produced a feeling that no one has ever been able to reproduce, even now. I forgot all about Daniel but remembered Jesus. Sometimes I forget. I'm working on that still.
Favorite Quote
“The price of freedom is loneliness. To be happy is to be tied.” ― C.S. Lewis.
My hobbies
Fiction writing; reading; baking/cooking
Fantasy dinner guests
My favorite musicians at the moment: Stromae; BTS; Lander Gyselinck
Best advice I ever received
Don't write what you know, because you don't know much.
My undergrad alma mater
UC Berkeley
My worst subject in school
PE
In college I drove
no cars
If I weren't a professor, I would
be a full-time writer
Favorite books
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz; Telephone by Percival Everett; Into the Distance by Hernan Diaz
Favorite movies
Independence Day; Little Miss Sunshine.
Favorite city
Anywhere but the current one I'm in.
Favorite coffee
Frappacinos
My latest accomplishment
My debut novel, The Band, is coming out from Atria in Spring 2024
Current Research
The emotional lives of Asians and European-Americans