Ellington

For almost three decades, Shawn Wong has taught in a number of departments at the University of Washington. But he’s done things that have kept him from fulfilling the label of “just another average professor,” whether it is writing a new piece of literature or racing his Dodge Challenger. The Weekender sat down with Wong and asked him to reflect on his past as a beginning writer, why he’s chosen to stay so loyal to the UW, and what his next adventures will be.

The Daily: Growing up in the Bay Area, what influences were around you that inspired you to pursue writing?

Shawn Wong: I’ve always been interested in writing since I was a kid. It’s something I’ve always loved to do. I was a student at UC Berkeley and initially I was pre-med, but I was always an English major as well. Junior year I finally decided what I really wanted to do. If I could do anything I would want to be a writer or race cars, and I figured the safer and cheaper thing to do is write. From there I went to San Francisco State to obtain my Masters in creative writing and never looked back. As for living in the Bay Area, as a young writer I was lucky to run into lots of other professional writers. At Berkeley, everyone we read about were dead, white, British writers. In the Bay Area you could go to poetry meetings every night and meet well-known writers. I got to meet a really diverse group of writers that included Ishmael Reed, Alex Haley, and many others.

The Daily: If you had to suggest a writing/reading of an Asian-American author or work that inspired you, what would you suggest and why?

Shawn Wong: The funny thing about that question is when I decided to be a writer at 19, I realized I was the only Asian-American author I knew. No teacher or professor had ever suggested an Asian-American book. When I did start to explore and find books, many were out of print. Two books that first inspired me were “No-No Boy,” by John Okada, and “Eat a Bowl of Tea,” by Louis Chu. Those were the first two Asian-American novels I’d ever read — other than novels by my friends — and they introduced me to a literary tradition I had previously not been exposed to. I had to end up teaching the subject to myself because no teachers were teaching it. So it was ironic when eventually I was asked upon to teach something I had taught myself.

The Daily: You’ve been teaching since the mid-’70s, when pursuing your master’s degree at San Francisco State. You’ve been teaching here at UW since 1984. What prompted you to come here and ultimately stay for 27 years?

Shawn Wong: When I came here in 1976 I was just a writer. I was teaching part-time at Highline Community College and UW called me and said they had job available in the American Ethnic Studies department and wanted me to apply for it. The department hired me to teach Asian-American studies and literature. I stayed there for 12 years; then the English department wanted me to direct the creative writing program. From there I went on to be the English Department chair and head of the Honors program, now I’m back in English. I love working here; UW is a fabulous place. It’s the kind of school where they allow you to try new things. I’ve got to teach abroad in places such as Rome, Berlin, and Istanbul. You get to evolve and learn more; in fact I’ve learned Italian since I’ve taught here. At the end of the day I really enjoy teaching young writers. I’ve been doing one trip to Rome since summer 1997. I just decided one day, “Let’s get out of the classroom.” I didn’t know anything of Rome, I just spur-of-the-moment took 14 students and went there to learn. It was a great experience, even though most of the time I was lost.

The Daily: Aside from writing, what else have you enjoyed doing outside your job as a teacher and your involvement with the literary world?

Shawn Wong: When I moved to Seattle in 1976 I started racing cars. I drag raced from 1977 to 1997. I participated in the National Hot Rod Association. I had corporate sponsors and I raced a 1970 Dodge Challenger. The year I started teaching was the year I won a division championship. It was one thing I didn’t used to mention in interviews because it’s not really a PR sport. Also there is a lot of down time in racing. I remember sitting there in my fire suit grading papers and then when it was time to race I would take papers and stick them behind my seat. When I gave them back they’d have grease stains and students would be in shock as to why their papers were so filthy. As for these days I’ve been more into screenwriting. I’ve been working with director Andrew Tsao at the School of Drama. I’ve also been working on short films with former UW student Paula Bennett. I’ve been trying to branch out from fiction to screenwriting. It’s kind of like I’m changing my major.

Reach reporter Michael Lantz at weekender@dailyuw.com.