August 1, 2004: Headlines: COS - Jamaica: Writing - Jamaica: Asian-American Issues: Destroy all monsters: 20 Questions With...Jamaica RPCV Leonard Chang

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Jamaica: Peace Corps Jamaica : The Peace Corps in Jamaica: August 1, 2004: Headlines: COS - Jamaica: Writing - Jamaica: Asian-American Issues: Destroy all monsters: 20 Questions With...Jamaica RPCV Leonard Chang

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-239-147.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.239.147) on Monday, August 16, 2004 - 10:25 pm: Edit Post

20 Questions With...Jamaica RPCV Leonard Chang

 20 Questions With...Jamaica RPCV Leonard Chang

20 Questions With...Jamaica RPCV Leonard Chang

20 Questions With...Leonard Chang
Author Leonard Chang.

A native of New York City, Leonard Chang has spent time with the Peace Corp in Jamaica and holds a degree in Philosophy from Harvard and an M.F.A. from UC Irvine. Chang's literary efforts have garnered him a number of accolades; he was awarded the Black Heron Press Award for Social Fiction for his first novel The Fruit 'N Food (1996) and the San Francisco Bay Guardian Goldie Award for Literature for the followup, Dispatches From the Cold (1998). Chang has recently turned his writer's eye to the mystery genre, using it to explore the inner workings of Korean-American detective Allen Choice. The first Choice novel Over the Shoulder debuted to wide acclaim in 2001, and the followup, Underkill, will be published by St. Martin's Minotaur/Dunne in May of this year.

Chang described his penchant for Korean-American protagonists in a 2001 interview with Korean Culture:

"I write the stories that I want to read. One of my criteria for deciding what to write is I try to answer the question, "What do you want to read but can't find out there?" I see little point in writing novels that have already been written, and writing has always been a way for me to feed my hunger for books. When I run out of things to read, when I can't find the kind of novel that will nourish me, I produce my own food. Thus, I want to read about Korean Americans, and when I can't find the book that fulfills this desire, I write it. I am aware of the paucity of novels out there that deal with the Korean American experience, but my desire to write is not necessarily a generous one; I don't presume to think that I'm a voice that others listen to; I don't presume to be a spokesperson or example, which seems to be very egotistic; no, I'm starting out from the simple position of a lover of novels, of stories, of books, and my writing is a natural extension of that."

Leonard Chang is currently serving as the Visiting Distinguished Writer at Mills College. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.





When this story was prepared, this was the front page of PCOL magazine:

This Month's Issue: August 2004 This Month's Issue: August 2004
Teresa Heinz Kerry celebrates the Peace Corps Volunteer as one of the best faces America has ever projected in a speech to the Democratic Convention. The National Review disagreed and said that Heinz's celebration of the PCV was "truly offensive." What's your opinion and who can come up with the funniest caption for our Current Events Funny?

Exclusive: Director Vasquez speaks out in an op-ed published exclusively on the web by Peace Corps Online saying the Dayton Daily News' portrayal of Peace Corps "doesn't jibe with facts."

In other news, the NPCA makes the case for improving governance and explains the challenges facing the organization, RPCV Bob Shaconis says Peace Corps has been a "sacred cow", RPCV Shaun McNally picks up support for his Aug 10 primary and has a plan to win in Connecticut, and the movie "Open Water" based on the negligent deaths of two RPCVs in Australia opens August 6. Op-ed's by RPCVs: Cops of the World is not a good goal and Peace Corps must emphasize community development.





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Story Source: Destroy all monsters

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Jamaica; Writing - Jamaica; Asian-American Issues

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