”It ain’t cool”: Garrett Hongo shares stories of everyday prejudice and condescension in academic life

A Pulitzer Prize finalist and former Guggenheim fellow, Garrett Hongo is one of the country's most respected writers of Asian descent, gifted at both verse and memoir. And, as an educator and scholar since the 1970s, he has witnessed both sides of the diversity movement and cultural awakening -- with Asian American authors gaining new visibility, but also facing resentment and outright prejudice. In this excerpt from our forthcoming full interview with Hongo, he speaks candidly about his experiences as a student and professor in academic environments that remained (and usually remain) predominantly white and sometimes openly suspicious of "other" literatures. #asianamerican #asianamericanlit #academicdiversity #literarydiversity #asianamericanpoetry #americanwriters #pulitzerprize #guggenheimfellow #hawaii #hawaiianwriters #stories #storytelling #storytellers #DEI #academicprejudice #academicdiversity #racisminacademia #poets #poetrylovers #memoir