Frances Kai-Hwa Wang | |
|---|---|
| Born | Frances Kai-Hwa Wang |
| Nationality | American |
| Genre | Poetry |
Frances Kai-Hwa Wang[1] is an American writer and educator based in Michigan and Hawai‘i.
She was a 2019 Knight Arts Challenge winner[2] receiving $25,000 for her project "Beyond Vincent Chin: Legacies in Action and Art" addressing a key case in Asian American history and its impacts since his murder in 1982. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation created the award as part of its efforts to foster "informed and engaged communities" which the foundation believes are "essential for a healthy democracy."
She is the author of the books "Imaginary Affairs-Postcards from an Imagined Life," "Where the Lava Meets the Sea," and "Dreams of Diaspora." Her poetry is featured extensively in international publications including Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, Kartika Review, Ricepaper, and Drunken Boat, in addition to part of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center Indian American Heritage Project exhibition. She has written for NBC News Asian America, PRI Global Nation, IMDiversity.com, Asian American Village, the Ann Arbor Chronicle and Michigan History Magazine and her reporting has covered Asian American poets such as Bao Phi, Đỗ Nguyên Mai, Jenna Lê, Monica Sok, Janice Lobo Sapigao, and Khaty Xiong.[3] Her writing has received over 24 awards and fellowships since 2006.[4]
Her professional experience includes serving as the Executive Director of American Citizens for Justice and Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce. As a teacher she has focused on topics of Asian/ Pacific Islander American civil rights, history, film, and media at the University of Michigan.[5] Wang also teaches creative writing at University of Hawaii Hilo[6] and Washtenaw Community College.