Asian American Literary Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 5 (2002) Readers' Choice
Don Lee
ドン・リー
Don Lee
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Nationality
- American
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Tokyo (childhood) → Seoul (childhood) → Boston (Emerson College / lived/worked) → St. Paul (Macalester College) → Kalamazoo (Western Michigan University) → Philadelphia (Temple University)
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, short story writer, literary journal editor, creative writing professor
- Active Years
- 1987-
- Affiliations
- Ploughshares (editor), Emerson College (adjunct instructor / writer-in-residence), Macalester College (faculty), Western Michigan University (faculty), Temple University (faculty, former MFA director)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | College of Letters and Science | English Literature | B.A. | — | United States |
| Emerson College | Creative Writing (MFA) | Creative Writing and Literature | M.F.A. | — | United States |
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
College of Letters and Science
/ English Literature
Degree:
B.A.
Country:
United States
Emerson College
Creative Writing (MFA)
/ Creative Writing and Literature
Degree:
M.F.A.
Country:
United States
Taught as an adjunct at Emerson after graduating
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction | Yellow | — | American Academy of Arts and Letters | Winner |
| 2001 | Members Choice Award | Yellow | — | Asian American Writers' Workshop | Winner |
| 2002 | O. Henry Award (selection) | The Possible Husband | — | The O. Henry Prize Stories | Selection |
| 2000 | Pushcart Prize | The Price of Eggs in China | — | Pushcart Press | Winner |
| — | Edgar Award (Best First Novel) | Country of Origin | Best First Novel | Mystery Writers of America (Edgar Awards) | Winner |
| — | American Book Award | Country of Origin | — | Before Columbus Foundation | Winner |
| — | Mixed Media Watch Image Award for Outstanding Fiction | Country of Origin | — | Mixed Media Watch / Image Award | Winner |
| 2013 | Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature | The Collective | — | Asian Pacific American Librarians Association | Winner |
Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction
2001
Work:
Yellow
Organization:
American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result:
Winner
Members Choice Award
2001
Work:
Yellow
Organization:
Asian American Writers' Workshop
Result:
Winner
O. Henry Award (selection)
2002
Work:
The Possible Husband
Organization:
The O. Henry Prize Stories
Result:
Selection
Pushcart Prize
2000
Work:
The Price of Eggs in China
Organization:
Pushcart Press
Result:
Winner
Edgar Award (Best First Novel)
Work:
Country of Origin
Category:
Best First Novel
Organization:
Mystery Writers of America (Edgar Awards)
Result:
Winner
American Book Award
Work:
Country of Origin
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
Winner
Mixed Media Watch Image Award for Outstanding Fiction
Work:
Country of Origin
Organization:
Mixed Media Watch / Image Award
Result:
Winner
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature
2013
Work:
The Collective
Organization:
Asian Pacific American Librarians Association
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 26 (2005) Winner
Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature
1 appearances
-
Edition 0 (2012) Winner
Works
Major Works
Yellow
2001 Literary fiction (short story collection)A short story collection set in the fictional Rosarita Bay, documenting the lives and relationships of various Asian American characters.
immigrant experienceidentityfamily relationshipscommunity
Country of Origin
2005 Literary fiction (novel)A novel exploring family, origin, and nation; it follows characters with complicated pasts as they navigate identity and relationships.
family secretsoriginsidentity
Wrack and Ruin
2008 Literary fiction (novel)Returns to Rosarita Bay from Yellow, depicting residents of the town with humor and human drama.
communityhumor and pathoshuman relationships
The Collective
2012 Literary fiction (novel)A novel that examines collective memory and the influence of the past, exploring community ties and individual relationships.
memorycommunityinfluence of the past
The Partition
2022 Literary fictionPublished in 2022. Detailed information about the content is limited in available sources.
partitionimmigration / cross-cultural
Bibliography
- Yellow (short story collection, 2001)
- Country of Origin (novel, 2005)
- Wrack and Ruin (novel, 2008)
- The Collective (novel, 2012)
- The Partition (2022)
- Short stories and other pieces (e.g., "The Price of Eggs in China", "The Possible Husband", "Voir Dire")
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- realist, interior-focused proseconcise and restrained narrationblend of humor and pathos
- Recurring Motifs
- identity and originfamily secrets and relationshipsimmigrant experience and cultural intersectionsnuances of small communities
Legacy
Don Lee is an important figure in Asian American literature, depicting immigrant experience and identity in stories set in Rosarita Bay. He has won multiple literary awards and contributed to creative writing education as an educator.
Academic Societies
- Asian American Writers' Workshop
Trivia
- Third-generation Korean American, son of a State Department officer.
- Spent childhood in Tokyo and Seoul.
- Yellow is a short story collection set in the fictional town of Rosarita Bay.
- Served as primary editor of Ploughshares from 1988 to 2007 (17 years).
- Served as MFA director at Temple University and founded TINGE Magazine.