Author of Transparency to speak at IUSB

IU South Bend professor of English, Kelcey Parker, could not be more thrilled to have author Frances Hwang speak to IUSB on Hwang’s book, Transparency.

“I am teaching the book to my graduate literature class,” said Parker.

Transparency is a book of short stories, characterized by the realism and clarity of Hwang’s writing. She is an assistant professor of English at St. Mary’s College, and has distinguished herself with awards such as the American Academy for the Arts and Letters’ Sue Kauffman Prize for First Fiction and the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers Award.

“Her stories are not really invested in dramatic plots, but are lyrical and impressionistic,” said Parker.

Parker enjoys using the book in her class to show an example of the realist tradition of writing.

“I assign my students three different narrative traditions, realist, formulist, and fabulist,” said Parker.

Hwang uses multi-sensory descriptions such as smell, taste and touch within her stories, according to Parker.

"This can put just the right detail on a character and make it real to the reader,” said Parker.

Hwang will be speaking about the book on campus on Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m. on the third floor bridge in Wiekamp Hall.