Viet Thanh Nguyen. Courtesy photo
CAMARILLO — CSU Channel Islands (CI) will welcome Pulitzer Prize winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017, for its annual Campus Reading Celebration. The event will be held at 6 p.m. in the Grand Salon; doors will open at 5:30 p.m.
The Campus Reading Celebration is an annual event that unites the campus, community and notable authors in a shared intellectual experience. This year, students, faculty and staff nominated and selected, “The Refugees” by Nguyen.
Fitting CSUCI’s dedication to an interdisciplinary curriculum, the work touches on topics and issues studied in Political Science, English, Sociology, Psychology, History, Communication, Spanish, Global Studies, and Chicana/o Studies.
Having just won the Pulitzer Prize last year for his novel, “The Sympathizer,” Nguyen has come out with an already acclaimed collection of stories, “The Refugees,” dedicated at this crisis moment in history, “For all refugees, everywhere.”
Each story follows the experience of one refugee, one of them being Nguyen’s father. Nguyen knows about refugees, having arrived in the United States in 1975 to live in a camp for Vietnamese refugees in Indiana. He is now the Aerol Arnold Chair of English and Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity at USC. His books have won numerous prizes.
The event will include Nguyen’s keynote presentation, a Q&A session with the audience, a book signing, and a light reception.
Admission is free for CSUCI students, faculty, and staff (with valid ID); $5 for non-CSUCI students with school IDs; and $10 for the public. Copies of Nguyen’s book will be available for sale and signing at the event, and in advance at the Cove Bookstore on the CSUCI campus.
Registration is required at https://commerce.cashnet.com/CRC.
Complimentary event parking is extremely limited and only available in the designated parking lot on campus. Parking permits may be purchased from designated ticket dispensers on campus for $6.00 a day. Free parking is also available at the Camarillo Metrolink / Lewis Road parking lot with bus service to and from the campus. In order to waive bus fares, riders should present their event registration confirmation when boarding the CI Vista Bus; otherwise, the cash-only bus fare is $1.25 each way. Buses arrive and depart from Camarillo Metrolink Stations every 30 minutes, Monday through Friday. For exact time, check the schedule at www.goventura.gov.
For additional information, visit www.csuci.edu/crc or contact Carolyn Shamowski, Events Specialist, at 805-437-3698 or carolyn.shamowski@csuci.edu.
About California State University Channel Islands: CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CSUCI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CSUCI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CSUCI’s Social Media.