Nam Le's "The Boat"

A Race and American Culture Discussion

"Write What You Know!" "Find Your Voice!" For the last few decades, these have been the guiding slogans for creative writing programs all across America. In this event, we'll first discuss how the rise of creative writing programs has added a much needed diversity to what American reads. Then we'll discuss some of the problems created by this system, using Nam Le's powerful short story "Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice." In this autobiographical story, Nam struggles with what it means to write a story drawing on his Vietnamese heritage and on his father's suffering during the Vietnam War. We'll conclude our discussion by thinking about how writers today must try to find a sincere way of speaking to their own experiences without turning themselves into a commodity for sale.

To access the story we will discuss, click here or visit any branch for a physical copy. You may also request a copy of the full collection, The Boat, here.

This program is the twenty-first in our ongoing "Race and American Culture" series and is for adults only.

About Dr. Ian Afflerbach

Dr. Ian Afflerbach is an Associate Professor of American Literature at the University of North Georgia, where he teaches courses in African-American literature, modern American fiction, and the history of ideas. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, and has lived in Montreal, Vermont, North Carolina, and Germany. His first book, Making Liberalism New, was published in 2021, and he's currently working on a second, Sellouts! The Story of an American Insult, which examines the history of "selling out" in American culture.

Event image credit: ahnhuynh from Getty Images via Canva.com

Headshot and UNG logo provided by University of North Georgia

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