Rebecca Kuang: Writing from lived experience

Rebecca Kuang, a prominent contemporary author, discusses her lifelong obsession with language and its role as a portal to different worlds. Born in China and raised in Texas, she explains how her early experience navigating cultural and linguistic borders shaped her identity and fueled her literary career. She highlights the synergy between her academic research in East Asian languages and her creative writing, noting that both activities inform her storytelling. The conversation delves into the inspiration behind her literary fiction novel *Yellowface*, which explores themes of identity, professional jealousy, and the complexities of the publishing industry. Kuang also reflects on the transition from the solitary act of writing to the public experience of engaging with readers, emphasizing her commitment to using fantasy and fiction to reframe and examine modern societal challenges.