Short-Story Writer Paul Yoon to Give Literary Reading at Pitt Nov. 8

Short-Story Writer Paul Yoon to Give Literary Reading at Pitt Nov. 8
By Anthony M. Moore
Described as an author who “writes stories the way Fabergé made eggs,” short-story writer Paul Yoon will deliver a reading of his award-winning works of literature at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 8 in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium. This free public event is a part of the 2012-13 Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series. 

Yoon is the author of the collection Once the Shore (Sarabande Books, 2009), which comprises eight interconnected short stories focusing on citizens of a fictional South Pacific island as they endure the hardships of Japanese occupation and the Korean War. Once the Shore has been recognized as a New York Times Notable Book, named a “Best Debut of the Year” by National Public Radio, selected as one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2009, and was a winner of the Asian American Literary Award for Fiction. 

In best-selling author Ann Patchett’s review of the book, she wrote: “Paul Yoon writes stories the way Fabergé made eggs: with untold craftsmanship, artistry, and delicacy. Again and again another layer of intricacy is revealed, proving that something as small as a story can be as satisfying and moving as a Russian novel.” 

In 2010, Yoon was named one of the National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35,” an annual honor that acknowledges the achievements of five fiction writers in the early stages of their literary careers. Yoon also was awarded the 2009 John C. Zacharis First Book Award as well as a 2009 O. Henry Award, which recognizes works of short fiction. 

A second-generation American and native of New York City, Yoon is a graduate of Wesleyan University. He has taught fiction writing in the Graduate Writing Program of Sarah Lawrence College. Yoon’s short fiction has appeared in such publications as One Story, Ploughshares, TriQuarterly, Glimmer Train, and Best American Short Stories 2006. 

The University of Pittsburgh Writing Program and The Book Center are cosponsors of the 2012-13 Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series season. For more information about the event, contact 412-624-6508 or visit www.pghwriterseries.wordpress.com.