I write fiction and poetry and essays and academic papers.
My debut novel was longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize and my second novel won the Virginia Prize for Fiction. My three works of fiction are Shambala Junction, Ode to Broken Things, and Rules of Desire. You can find my poetry in The Third Glass of Wine and The Palimpsest of Exile.
I am working on a third novel, as well as a hybrid memoir right now. When I'm not writing, I like to work with other writers (I have edited five anthologies of Southeast Asian fiction and I teach at StoryStudio Chicago and the Graham School of University of Chicago). In 2021, I received the Instructor of the Year Award from Stories Matter Foundation, which runs StoryStudio.
Chicago is home since 2012, after Shanghai, where I was Distinguished Professor at Shanghai International Studies University. I hold a degree in English (Sociolinguistics) from Texas A&M University.
Sometimes I write a literary column for The Edge in Malaysia I am always Contributing Editor for Jaggery. I also write for a lot of other publications, so feel free to browse through my site while you are here and read my work...thanks for stopping by!
