On AAWW Radio

The fine folks at the Asian American Writers’ Workshop are featuring an event I did back in 2015!  Please give it and the other fine shows a listen.  Here’s how:

Website: http://aawwradio.libsyn.com/

Apple: https://apple.co/2M2eX1W

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2kTfRRU

Stitcher: https://bit.ly/2kUfZ3n

TuneIn Radio: http://tun.in/piGyv

RSS: http://aawwradio.libsyn.com/rss

2/6/2017: Write Out Loud @ San Diego, CA – The Things We Do for Love

Thank you, Google Alerts, for letting me know that on Monday, February 6th in San Diego, CA, Write Out Loud will be reading my short story “Paris, at Night” as part of their story concert series.  You can read more about it on BroadwayWorld San Diego.  Here’s the excerpt:

Paris at Night by Sung J. Woo – read by Walter Ritter

This futuristic story presents a couple about to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. She dreams of seeing Paris at night; he ponders, “What can I do to make this happen?” A surprising examination of the power of love, and the importance of memories…

And here’s a bit about the company that’s putting it on.

Write Out Loud – an organization founded in 2007 with a commitment to inspire, challenge and entertain by reading short stories aloud for a live audience – announces THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE, the fourth production in their 10th Anniversary Season. Write Out Loud Story Concerts bring literature to life – aloud – with rehearsed readings by professional actors. Each program explores specific themes by weaving a variety of stories, poems and music together into a literary tapestry. David Fenner, Jeffrey Howard Ingman, Veronica Murphy and Walter Ritter will perform. A pre-show reception starts at 6:15pm with a 7:00pm curtain.

One of the other stories that they chose is by P.G. Wodehouse, so this is quite an honor.  I only wish I could be there to hear it performed.

[additional link – San Diego Reader]

Visiting Authors Series Hosts Two Speakers Feb. 11

An announcement from Inside Warren, whose purpose is to be your best source for local goodness.  So it has been decreed — this is local goodness!

wccc

Thursday, February 11, 2016 7:30pm
Visiting Authors Series
Warren County Community College
Washington, NJ
with Michael Broek

Upcoming Events

I’ll be making the rounds again this winter and spring with my second novel Love Love in tow.  On deck is my hometown reading at the Warren County Community College!  Fitting that the reading will happen on Valentine’s Day week.

Thursday, February 11, 2016 7:30pm
Visiting Authors Series
Warren County Community College
Washington, NJ
with Michael Broek

And when spring comes around, I’ll visit these two fine institutions.


Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Wells College Visiting Writers Series
Wells College
Aurora, NY


Sunday, April 17, 2016

Writing Workshop (1-3:30pm) [registration]
Reading and Q&A (4-4:45pm)
West Windsor Arts Center
West Windsor, NJ

All of these events are, thankfully, within driving distance.  No need to break out the Google Maps itinerary doohickie this time.

Inside the Writers House

Inside_the_Writers_House_w._Sung_J._Woo

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of talking with Rutgers students via Inside the Writers House.  The event was conducted via Skype, which was great because not only did I not have to drive down there, but folks could also lay eyes on one of my cats.  We talked about my books and literature in general, an hour of stimulating conversation.  My hearty thanks to Alex Dawson who invited me and put the whole thing together.

One thing that Alex asked was if I could provide the students a writing prompt.  If you are unfamiliar with this concept, it’s basically just a little something to get the writing juices flowing; Writer’s Digest has an ongoing repository of them.  For mine, I read them this little short-short story:

I didn’t know your grandma would show.  How could I?  You said your grandma was out shopping, but boom, “Hi David, how’s your family?  How’s your job?” so I had to sock away all six balloons, and fast.

And your grandma is quick.  Darts around, up and down, old lady’s got top-notch vision.  Saw through my brown box that has two disco balls and says, “What is that?”

What could I do, Mary?  I had to show it.  And it wasn’t my fault.  It was your fault!  If you had rang just half an hour ago, our party would still…

I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t shout, but I know I’m disappointing you.  I know how much you want this to go smoothly.  You know that, right?  You my girl, baby.  Good days, bad days, always.

Anyway, so I say to your grandma, “Happy birthday, Mrs. Mills.  You got us.”  So your grandma looks around and says, “How many chairs in total?”  Wants fifty chairs.  So I gotta run out and bring back thirty additional chairs.  And now your grandma is looking at my music, what I was gonna play tonight, and says, “No, this won’t do, David.  It’s simply not a party without Lady Gaga.”

Mary, my darling, haul your ass, pronto.  Your grandma is nuts.  And I’m going crazy.

Do you notice anything odd about this story?  Perhaps the title will give you a clue: “A Surpris(e) Birthday Party.”

The e is in parenthesis because that’s the only occurrence of that letter.  Yes, this story does not feature a single use of the letter e.  This type of writing is called Oulipo, and I must thank J. Robert Lennon for introducing it to me.

10/22/15 7pm: Adopting an Identity @ AAWW (NYC)

If you’re in the NYC area, please come on by to the Asian American Writers’ Workshop this Thursday evening!

Thursday, October 22 7pm
ADOPTING AN IDENTITY
with Lee Herrick, Tracy O’Neill, and Matthew Salesses
Asian American Writers’ Workshop
110-112 West 27 Street, Ste. 600
New York, NY 10001

aaww

10/24/15: Princeton Public Library’s Local Author Day

This Saturday, I’ll be at Princeton Public Library for Local Author Day.  I’ll hold a workshop at 10:45am and then give a short reading at 3:20pm.  Parts of Love Love take place in Princeton, so I’m very much looking forward to participating in this excellent community event!  The flyer below can also be downloaded in PDF format.

DATE/TIME: Oct 24 2015 – 10:45am – 11:45am

Finishing Your Novel: A Four-Pronged Attack

Author Sung J. Woo offers advice and insight on the writing process and discusses the four practical techniques that helped him complete both his novels.

LAD

Onward to Austin!

That’s the view of the Texas Book Festival from my phone — it’s the app [Android] [Apple].  I’m actually in the app, like the other authors who are a part of this amazing event.  Will wonders ever cease.

I’ll be part of a panel called On Motivation on Saturday:

Moving characters from introduction through climax to resolution is a complicated process, especially when the protagonist is resisting transformation. Jami Attenberg, Sloane Crosley, and Sung J. Woo discuss how they imbue their characters with the motivation to transcend poverty, heartbreak, and other obstacles.

If that wasn’t cool enough, in the evening I’ll be playing a neat little game of exquisite corpse at Wonderland with four other writers:

9:30–10:15 SLICE LITERARY’S & PEN’S EXQUISITE CORPSE
Slice Literary & PEN present a short story stitched together by multiple writers. How the exquisite corpse game works: One person writes the first few paragraphs. We send the final line of those paragraphs to the next writer, who continues the story. Then the writers come together to read their collective tale, without knowing where it began or where it will end. Marisa Marchetto, Sarah McCoy, Keija Parssinen, Neal Pollack, and Sung J. Woo.

It’s an evening filled with massive literary fun.  The whole shebang:

LitCrawl2016 [pdf]

Onward to Austin!