NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK – The 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies was held at State University of New York at New Paltz on Friday and Saturday. This year’s theme was Contesting Tradition.
Since 1989, Asian studies programs have been expanded within faculty, courses, and study abroad programs between the United States and Asian countries. This conference invited a wide variety of Asia specialists and well as students interested in Asian studies.
The national Book Award Winner, Ha Jin was scheduled to speak on Friday on his book, A Good Fall. Due to a medical emergency, Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl spoke on his behalf.
Both Ha Jin and Professor Insu Fenkl have military experience, are writers, and are currently professors for creative writing, which helps Prof. Insu Fenkl relate to Ha Jin’s work.
A Good Fall is a collection of stories discussing Chinese immigration to America, which is a required reading by all first year students involved in the Composition program at SUNY New Paltz. Prof. Insu Fenkl focused on the story, “Children As Enemies,” delving into the idea that Chinese American children would rather conform to American traditions in order to fit in.
He touches on the rejection of tradition, exemplifying the process of Chinese American children changing their traditional names to more common ones. He also emphasizes the demasculization of male as a theme because the one of the names of the children of the story is similar to the English word ‘chicken’ although their original names represented bravery and strength.
Ha Jin’s work is a flat exposition; there isn’t much to it but the stories and messages stick in your memory, said Prof. Fenkl.
The question and answer portion of the session included questions by students Quinn O’Callaghan, Zach McGrath, and Journalism Professor Kimberly Ruth.
During this portion, Inuse Fenkl dipped into the genre of Chinese American literature. He doesn’t believe a genre can die; the popularity comes and goes but literature fads rapidly changes.
He also found it difficult to discuss the characteristics of Asian American literature. The only element he believed was that the story would take place in America, since this genre of literacy is so difficult to define.
The rest of the Conference included multiple panels, art exhibits held in McKenna Theater and Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art featuring art by Ushio Shinohara and Veronica O’Keefe, and an evening concert featuring the Neel Murgai Ensemble.
The 2013 New York Conference on Asian Studies will be held September 27 – 28 at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Scholarly writings from undergraduate and graduate students in colleges and universities in New York State are currently being accepted until June 1, 2013 to be considered for awards
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- Professor Heinz Insu Finkl gave a captivating talk on Asian-American literature at SUNY New Paltz on Friday that started the string of events as part of the 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies.
FInkl discussed the importance of Asian-American literature and provided some insight on how life can be for Asian-Americans as seen specifically in the stories of Ha Jin, an award-winning Asian-American author who was supposed to give the talk. He could not attend due to a medical emergency.
Finkl spoke on behalf of Ha Jin. He presented Jin’s book “A Good Fall” as a compilation of stories that highlight the disillusionment of Asian-American Tradition. This heavily focused on issues such as the significance of names within Asian culture, a tradition that is often rejected in the west.
Finkl was an appropriate fill in for Han, given his German and Korean heritage. His experiences as living as a bi-racial person in three different countries has put him in close contact with Han. He started his talk by describing small encounters the two scholars have had.
Finkl has published several works and has been recognized by Barnes and Noble and Penn/Hemmingway for his talents in writing. Finkl has taught at several universities and now teaches many different types of courses at New Paltz.
Throughout his speech, he depicted the works in a light that made them interesting and enjoyable to listen to. One story he discussed talked about Asian-American names and how something as simple as a name can have so much meaning to a person and their family, and how much it can affect their life. Our names are something we typically do not think about because we have no control over them, but for some Asian-Americans, changing their name can be a high priority, while for many of their elders it is seen as an insult to one’s family to do so. Being teased as a child is a problem for many of Asian-Americans because of the English meaning or sound their name translates to.
Finkl also discussed the difficulties for Asian-Americans living in our country. He discussed a part of Ha Jin’s book where a professor who was applying for tenure accidently made a typo in his signing off; he panicked and believed that this would ruin his chances for tenure completely, when in the end, his mistake went unnoticed.
This lecture attracted upwards of one hundred students of different majors and ethnicities.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK - Students and faculty gathered in SUNY New Paltz's lecture center Friday to hear Professor Heinz Insu-Fenkl, editor of Ha Jin's "A Good Fall," open the New York Conference on Asian Studies, or NYCAS, by speaking about Jin's most recent collection of short stories. Mr. Jin was scheduled as the keynote speaker, but was unable to attend due to a medical emergency.
Insu-Fenkl analyzed Jin's collection, specifically the story "Children as Enemies," focusing on the importance of tradition and how the filial bond weakens with each passing era, distancing the younger generation from the traditions of the previous one, which is a major tenent of Asian cultures. The issue of emigration and the loss of cultural identity is a common theme in Asian-American literature, and can be seen in work as well known as Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club" or Hisaye Yamamoto's "Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories."
NYCAS runs through the weekend, with many more panels scheduled as diverse as "Disasters and Recovery in Japan" to "Gender Issues in India." One common thread throughout is identity. More than ever, we are living in a globalized world. The discussions held this weekend will go a long way to bridging any existing gap of understanding between East and West.
NEW PALTZ, NEWYORK- Heinz Insu Fenkl (Fenkl), author, editor, translator, mythic scholar, and the director of the Creative Writing Program at the State University of New York, New Paltz, delivered a speech on Friday informing an audience at the State University of New York at New Paltz about National-Book-Award Winner, Ha Jin and his short story, “Writing about the immigrant experience.” The speech was initially supposed to be delivered by the award winning author Ha Jin, but unfortunately he was unable to attend due to a family emergency.
The lecture was about the Disillusion of traditional Chinese Values. Professor Fenkl explains the summary of the short story, “Writing about the immigrant experience,” and how the story reflects on the life of the Award winning author, Ha jin. The short story indicates on how the characters had to change their morals and beliefs in order to live in the United States. In the story the main character’s grandchildren wanted to change their names because in America no one could pronounce it and people made fun of it. The Grandfather did not want them to change their names because their names had a meaning in the Chinese culture and changing their names would defeat the purpose of the meanings. “ Names are a matter of future and fate,” said Fenkl.This is an example of how people had to change their morals, beliefs and trade cultures in order to live in another country like the United States. “Changing language for me was like a transfusion of blood, you live in the language. It is the water that you swim in and breath”said Fenkl. Going to a different country and learning a language that is beyond your native language can be a struggle of immigrant authentically.
Ha Jin, was born in 1956 in Liaoning Province in northern China. In 1969, at only 14 years of age, Ha Jin joined the People's Liberation Army based at the northeastern border between China and the former Soviet Union. While in the army, he taught himself middle and high-school courses and taught himself English. Fenkl explains that, Ha Jim came to the United States in 1985 to do graduate work at Brandeis University where he also earned his PH.D in English, supporting himself as a busboy in a Chinese restaurant and as a night watchman in a factory. Ha Jin decided to stay in the United States and make a life with his Wife and son due to the Tiananmen Square massacre in China. It was hard for Ha Jin to find a job, so he turned into writing, where he eventually got a job at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
The lecture by the associate Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl, left the audience amazed by the presentation.
NEW PALTZ— Professor Heinz Insu-Fenkl of SUNY New Paltz filled in for author Ha Jin opening the annual New York Conference on Asian Studies last Friday. Ha Jin, scheduled to open the conference, cancelled due to a medical emergency. Insu-Fenkl instead discussed Ha Jin’s most recent short story collection (Italicized) A Good Fall.
Insu-Fenkl began by comparing the immigrant background of his own father to that of Ha Jin’s experiences. He continued to explain that Ha Jin’s style of writing in English as his second language resulted in “Hemmingway-like” writing helping Ha Jin’s works to stand out.
The conference this year focused on a theme of contesting tradition. Appropriate to this theme, Insu-Fenkl also repetitively mentioned a “disillusion of traditional Chinese values” and connected this theme to some of Ha Jin’s short stories.
Following the lecture, numerous audience members asked questions that Insu-Fenkl answered to the best of his ability.
The event lasted from Friday through Saturday. Student and faculty were invited to attend Shinohara Pops! Exhibition and performance by Japanese artist Ushio Shinohara, the On the Farm: photography exhibition by Veronica O'Keefe, and a concert by the Neel Murgai Ensemble.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- On Friday morning a lecture took place in Lecture Center 100 as apart of the New York Conference on Asian Studies. This lecture was based solely on National-Book-Award winner Ha Jin’s recently published short story collection A Good Fall which depicts the life of immigrants adjusting to life in America.
Associate Professor in the Department of English at the State University of New York at New Paltz Heinz Insu Fenkel is an author, editor, translator, and mythology scholars. He acted on Ha Jin’s behalf after his sudden cancellation due to a family emergency. The novel “A Good Fall” is Ha Jin’s first short story that is based solely on immigration from the seven novels he has written before. Fenkel states that Ha Jin wrote in his second language which was a bit peculiar for a “Chinese writing coming from Chinese traditions instead of American style writing.” This is probably due to the way Ha Jin has assimilated so quickly in the American lifestyle that his writing style has changed subconsciously. However, his writings has various undertones within the characters which makes them more dynamic and interesting to read about which can be a good thing for the reader. Ha Jin’s novel A Good Fall also shows the way “immigrants assimilate into the American culture by changing their given names to an American name” states Fenkel. This can be very detrimental to the family especially the grandparents in Chinese culture where “tradition is woven into the fiber of your being” and going against tradition is seen as disrespectful says Fenkel. Ha Jin’s novels are replete with numerous metaphors with references to the relationship between American and Asian citing examples from the Japanese, Filipino, and Korean. He also touched on the L.A. Riot and the impact that he had on the Asian community in Los Angeles. Ha Jin’s book also includes encrypts of his life experience which makes the story even more real that it has some personal attachment to it.
Jīn Xuěfēi is Ha’s real name after he changed his first name to Ha after his favorite city Harbin. Ha Jin grew up in a military household and having his father in the military prompted him to join the People’s Liberation Army at the age of fourteen during the Cultural Revolution. It was at that time when Ha Jin began to learn about Chinese literature and High School curriculum and finished high school at the age of sixteen. His first novel Waiting Ha accounts his experience while in the army that which Ha Jin won the National Book Award in 1999. In 2005 he also received the PEN/Faulkner award for his other novel War Trash, two years later he wrote A Free Life & The Writer as Migrant (2008) which both were a collection of lectures. His newly written book A Good Fall was written in 2009 as a collection of short stories.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK. The kick-off to the National Conference on Asian Studies at SUNY New Paltz took place Friday in the university’s Lecture Center with a talk scheduled to be delivered by Chinese American writer, Ha Jin. Because Jin was unable to attend, the speech was instead given by Heinz Insu Fenkl, a professor at the college.
Fenkl was qualified as a replacement because Jin and him shared similar backgrounds and have discussed his work before. Both grew up under dictatorships and learned to write in English as a second language. Heinz describes that the “changing of language was like a transfusion of blood…you live in the language. It is the water that you swim in and breathe.
The theme of the lecture was “the disillusion of traditional Chinese values” and Kenkl described elements from Ha Jin’s book, A Good Fall, as well as add in his own analysis of the subject matter.
One story discussed followed young children and their desire to fully assimilate into the American culture by westernizing their first and then last names. They are told by their grandparents that these names have no value to their heritage and mean nothing, and that if they change them they are breaking away from their relationship. This shows how powerful and symbolic names are in the Chinese culture. Heinz states that “names are a matter of future and fate.”
The title story, A Good Fall, centers around a character who wants to kill himself by jumping off of something but his self-defense training as a Chinese man does not allow him to accomplish more than breaking a few bones, showing how deeply tradition is woven into the self.
On behalf of Jin, Heinz told of the many stories in this Chinese-American novel and how they are all based on his personal experiences. The lecture also focused on the writing techniques like the “multi-lingual etymology of the names”, and using comparisons like “language is like water” or language is like blood” to show importance of really paying attention to each element of a piece of writing.
The involvement of NYCAS has expanded the Asian Studies programs on many campuses and brought interest as well as increased participation to the subject.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- The New York Conference on Asian Studies was held at SUNY New Paltz on Friday for its annual meeting of scholarly participants throughout the region. Each year, the event is held at different public and private colleges across the United States to discuss a particular theme. The theme for this year was based on the idea of the disillusion of traditional Chinese values.
Founded in 1965, The New York Conference on Asian Studies is one of the oldest running events in the Association for Asian Studies. Members are required to pay a fee to attend each annual conference and once having done this qualify to participate in the yearly business meeting and vote in NYCAS elections for that year.
Scheduled to kick off the conference and speak about his most recent short story collection, A Good Fall, was acclaimed author Ha Jin. However, due to a family emergency, he was unable to attend. Taking his place was author, editor, translator, mythic scholar and director of the Creative Writing Program at SUNY New Paltz, Heinz Insu Fenkl. Having lived in Korea, Germany and the United States, Fenkl was able to understand the context of Jin’s novel and explain it in an organic way, relating to the difficulties Ha Jin faced as he struggled to adapt to western life. “I know I have big shoes to fill,” Fenkl said, humbly stepping up to the podium. It was this willingness to make the best of an unfortunate circumstance and Fenkl’s closeness to the subject that made him the perfect candidate to fill in for Ha Jin.
The selection from Jin’s novel that the conference focused on was a selection called “Children as Enemies,” a story about the rejection of old traditions by children in Asia. According to the story, they would change their Asian birth names, those that often stood for strong and meaningful things, to American names that were common and irrelevant in meaning. Fenkl demonstrated an in depth understanding of the language transition stating, “Changing of language was like a transfusion of blood…you live in language. It is the water that you swim in and breathe.” The grandparents of these cultural rebellious children sold everything they had to come to America and didn’t accept them if they didn’t use the same last name they were born with.
Although Fenkl was very resistant to put A Good Fall into a genre category, he did willingly open up the floor after his lecture was finished for questions to all attendees of the event. When asked by a student what it is that qualifies a work as Asian American, Fenkl replied by saying that it would take place in America.
After about an hour of a highly informative lecture, the first event of the 2012 NYCAS came to a close, but when one door closes, another opens. The next event on the agenda was both the “Shinohara Pops!” exhibition at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art and the “On the Farm” exhibition at the Mckenna Gallery. Scheduled for the following days were a series of panels that discussed topics such as literature, politics, violence, tourism and art. Although the panels are over, the exhibitions will be on display for public viewing until December 16th.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK ¬¬– The New York Conference on Asian Studies 2012 hosted by SUNY New Paltz held a lecture this past Friday. National book award winner Ha Jin was scheduled to discuss his most recent short story collection, A Good Fall (I). Due to a medical emergency Jin was unable to make it so the schools professor Heinz Insu Fenkl spoke instead.
The conferences theme this year was contesting tradition. Fitting to the theme Fenkl spoke about a, “disillusion of traditional Chinese values,” connecting it to Jin’s work in the collection. After Fenkel finished giving his lecture he answered questions brought up by the audience.
Other events being held by the conference was a concert by the Neel Murgai Ensemble who plays music by combining elements of jazz, Western classical and experimental music and modern improvisation. As well as On the Far (I), which is a series of film portraits by Veronica O'Keefe that shows China’s agricultural development. This display can be found in the McKenna Theater Gallery. And Shinohara Pops! The Avant-Garde Road, Tokyo/New York (I), Curated by Hiroko Ikegami with Reiko Tomii at the Sara Bedrick Gallery at the Dorsky Museum, which is going on until December 16, 2012 in the McKenna Theater Gallery.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- This Friday and Saturday the 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) was held at SUNY New Paltz. On Friday at 10 A.M. Ha Jin, a National Book Award Winner, was scheduled to speak about his book, 'A Good Fall'. However Ha Jin could not make his appearance due to a family emergency. New Paltz professor Heinz Insu Fenki spoke in his absence. Like Jin, Fenki is a writer and a professor for creative writing. Insu-Fenki analyzed Jin's collection focusing on the story "Children as Enemies," which discusses the importance of tradition and how tradition can weaken as it is passed down through generations. He discusses how when younger generations decide to change their name it is seen as an insult to past generations who believe that a person's name has a special meaning behind it. The speech given by professor Fenki opened the events for the New York conference on Asian Studies. There were a number of other events in the conference including art exhibits, concerts, and many different panels.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- The 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies commenced Friday morning in the SUNY New Paltz Lecture Center with an engaging lecture delivered by New Paltz’s own Heinz Insu Fenkl, a well-regarded professor in the Creative Writing department. Professor Fenkl discussed National Book Award winning author and friend Ha Jin’s newest collection of short stories, A Good Fall. Ha Jin was set to be the key speaker at the conference, but unfortunately could not attend due to a family emergency.
However, Professor Fenkl more than fulfilled Jin’s shoes. With a smile full of charisma, Fenkl began his lecture by voicing the striking similarities between himself and Ha Jin so as to put the audience at ease. Both are Asian immigrants—Jin being Chinese and Fenkl being Korean and German—who according to Fenkl, “didn’t grow up to fulfill expectations of being a lawyer, doctor, or engineer.” The general theme to Fenkl’s discussion was the “dissolution of traditional Chinese values” through the immigration process Asian-Americans face. He chose to showcase Jin’s story entitled “Children as Enemies” to explain how immigrating changed families. The grandparents in the story had sacrificed everything to come to America with their family. However their grandchildren disrespected them and their family by changing their first names, and eventually trying to change their last names. Traditionally, Chinese names have a special meaning and the grandparents did not want the children to throw that away. According to Fenkl and Asian traditions, “names are a matter of future and fate.”
The changing of names is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the bigger picture of immigration. Fenkl explained that as Asian-American authors, Jin and himself grappled with the issue of writing in their native tongues or English. After reading Hemingway in Chinese and later in English, Jin decided English was going to be hard but the most logical choice. Fenkl agreed, saying “Changing language was was like a blood transfusion, you live in the language. It is the water that you swim in and breath.”
Fenkl concluded his lecture by taking questions from the audience. A substantial question from an audience member which pondered the idea of whether or not he believed Asian-American literature would die out since younger generations seem to be rejecting more traditions as time goes on. Fenkl responded by saying that he believed that it would not die out, but evolve and change over time.
As time ran out, Fenkl ended his lecture which earned him a loud applause. The Conference continued with The Dorsky Museum showcasing Ushio Shinohara’s 50-year career in the exhibition entitled Shinohara Pops! The Avant- Garde Road. The Conference will conclude on Saturday with Lauren Meeker discussing a film on Old and New Vietnamese Traditions.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- At 10:50 AM Friday, students, professors and scholars congregated in the lecture center to hear a compelling speech by Ha Jin (Jin), author of “A Good Fall”, to launch the New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS). Jin intended to speak about his recent collection of short stories in Asian American Literature. To the audience’s surprise, Jin was unable to be at the conference as primary guest speaker due to a family medical emergency. In result, Heinz Insu Fenkl (Fenkl), English Professor, former colleague, friend and editor of Ha Jin’s collection took over to speak on Jin’s behalf.
Fenkl explained Jīn Xuěfēi, was Jin’s original birth name that he later changed to Ha after his favorite city Harbin in China. Jin’s father was an active member of the Red Army when China was communist. “Born in northeastern China in 1956, Xuefei Jin (Ha Jin is his pen name) was a teenager during the Cultural Revolution, serving in the People's Liberation Army and educating himself in Chinese literature. After earning bachelor's and master's degrees in English literature, he left his native China in 1985 to attend Brandeis University, and has since done his writing in English. Jin completed his Ph.D. here in the United States and is now the author of six novels, four short story collections, and three books of poetry” (newpaltz.edu/asianstudies).
Fenkl and Jin, are both immigrant authors and professors in America who write their works in their second language- English. This has caused underlying themes of language and tradition, which are not visible on the surface of Jin’s tales, to be overlooked. In that regard, Fenkl began the lecture examining Jin’s collection, particularly the story “Children as Enemies.” The story is a traditional narrative entailing the rejection of tradition due to the questioning and loss of cultural identity within Asian youth; a reoccurring theme in Asian American Literature. Fenkl continues the lecture by noting each one of Jin’s stories as having some small element of Jin’s personal life woven in the fiber of each individual story, revealing his characters cultural struggles as being part of his own adapting in America. In conjunction with examining Jin’s work, Fenkl also discussed writing techniques such as, “multi-lingual etymology of names” and using metaphors like, “language is like water or blood” to show the caliber of attention that must be paid to individual words that compile a piece of writing.
The SUNY system established an Asian Studies program in 1989, Asian Studies programs have been expanded immensely amongst faculty, course curriculum, and study abroad programs amid the United States and Asia. This conference gave a wide variety of scholars and majors within the Asian studies department the opportunity to further advance their knowledge in Asian studies in The United States. NYCAS is held during the weekends and holds controversial panels ranging from topics such as, “Disasters and Recovery in Japan” to “Gender Issues in India”; both with the reoccurring theme of the loss of cultural identity and tradition while living in a globalized world. The discussions held this upcoming weekend will advocate bridging the perplexing gap between Eastern and Western cultures.
NEW PALTZ, ULSTER COUNTY—Last Friday and Saturday, SUNY New Paltz hosted The New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS). The annual conference is held in celebration of the advances in Asian Studies by universities in New York State and is usually headlined by a keynote speaker to start the schedule. The two day event is held at a different university either in late September or early October each year.
Throughout the weekend, the university has scheduled different seminars and lectures to illuminate how the field of Asian Studies has progressed and flourished in American universities. Also through the weekend, Asian artwork will be presented in the Dorsky Museum and McKenna Theater on campus.
To open the conference, Acclaimed author Ha Jin was scheduled to read a section from his new book A Good Fall and illuminate how the immigrant experience is represented in his writing. However, due to an unexpected family emergency Ha Jin was unable to speak and Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl spoke in his place.
Fenkl, in many ways, was almost a mirror to Jin, as he tells us that both of them had similar upbringings in Asian cultures and backgrounds in military. Fenkl has also written literature on the same subject of the Asian American immigrant experience including Memories of My Ghost Brother, which received the Barnes and Noble “Great New Writer” award and in 1997 was a Pen/Hemingway finalist.
Fenkl read and analyzed a story from Jin’s novel and illuminated the meaning behind the story from an Asian American perspective. The story depicted an immigrant family and they’re struggles integrating into American society. The story told how the grandparents sold everything in order to move with the family to America. However, because they were insistent on keeping the strong Asian traditions alive in their family, they were kicked out of the house hold.
New York Conference on Asian Studies comes to SUNY New Paltz By: Kaycia Sailsman
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- A Friday morning lecture took place in Lecture Center 100 as a part of the New York Conference on Asian Studies. This lecture was based solely on National-Book-Award winner Ha Jin’s recently published short story collection A Good Fall which depicts the life of immigrants adjusting to life in America. Unfortunately Ha Jin was unable to host the event due to family emergency, but his good friend Heinz Insu Fenkel did the honor of acting on his behalf.
An Associate Professor in the English department at the State University of New York at New Paltz Heinz Insu Fenkel is an author, editor, translator, and mythology scholars. The novel “A Good Fall” is Ha Jin’s first short story that is based solely on immigration from the seven novels he has written before. Fenkel says that Ha Jin wrote in his second language which was a bit peculiar for a “Chinese writing coming from Chinese traditions instead of American style writing.” This is probably due to the way Ha Jin has assimilated so quickly in the American lifestyle that his writing style has changed subconsciously. However, his writings has various undertones within the characters which makes them more dynamic and interesting to read about which can be a good thing for the reader. Ha Jin’s novel A Good Fall also shows the way “immigrants assimilate into the American culture one way in particular is changing their given names to an American name” says Fenkel. This can be very detrimental to the family especially the grandparents in Chinese culture where “Tradition is woven into the fiber of your being” and going against tradition is seen as disrespectful says Fenkel. Ha Jin’s novels are replete with numerous metaphors with references to the relationship between American and Asian citing examples from the Japanese, Filipino, and Korean. He also touched on the L.A. Riot and the impact that he had on the Asian community in Los Angeles. Ha Jin’s book also includes encrypts of his life experience which makes the story even more real that it has some personal attachment to it.
Jīn Xuěfēi is Ha’s real name after he changed his first name to Ha after his favorite city Harbin. Ha Jin grew up in a military household and having his father in the military prompted him to join the People’s Liberation Army at the age of fourteen during the Cultural Revolution. It was at that time when Ha Jin began to learn about Chinese literature and High School curriculum and finished high school at the age of sixteen. His first novel Waiting Ha accounts his experience while in the army that which Ha Jin won the National Book Award in 1999. In 2005 he also received the PEN/Faulkner award for his other novel War Trash, two years later he wrote A Free Life & The Writer as Migrant (2008) which both were a collection of lectures. His newly written book A Good Fall was written in 2009 as a collection of short stories.
New Paltz, New York- The New York conference on Asian studies 2012 began on September 28th at 10:50am at SUNY New Paltz. The New York conference on asian studies has been taking place anually since 1965 and generally begins with a distingued speaker.
Award winning author Ha Jin was scheduled to speak at the conference. Ha Jin is a novelest who traveled here from China after 1989. Due to a familial emergency Jin was not able to attend. In his place asian studies proffessor Heinz Insu Fenkl gave a speech.
The main topic of Fenkl’s speech was the contesting traditions of immigrant families. Fenkl spoke of the “disillusion of traditonal chinese values” that occur within immigrant families. When the children and grandchildren of traditional chinese families disagree with traditional values and roles, the family can become divided.
Language is hugely important when it comes to a change in culture, according to Fenkl. He explained that “You live in language; the water that you swim in and breathe”. He also stated that “changing language was like a transfusion of blood” emphasising the difficulty that comes with cultural change.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK – The New York Conference on Asian Studies 2012 hosted by SUNY New Paltz held a lecture this past Friday. National book award winner Ha Jin was scheduled to discuss his most recent short story collection, “A Good Fall”. Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl spoke in place of Jin who could not attend due to a medical emergency.
The conference’s theme this year was “contesting tradition” according to the conference's website. Fitting to the theme Fenkl spoke about a “disillusion of traditional Chinese values.” There was a question and answer session after the lecture.
The conference held other events including a concert by the Neel Murgai Ensemble who plays music by combining elements of jazz, Western classical and experimental music and modern improvisation. As well as On the Far (I), which is a series of film portraits by Veronica O'Keefe that shows China’s agricultural development. This display can be found in the McKenna Theater Gallery. And Shinohara Pops! The Avant-Garde Road, Tokyo/New York (I), Curated by Hiroko Ikegami with Reiko Tomii at the Sara Bedrick Gallery at the Dorsky Museum, which is going on until December 16, 2012 in the McKenna Theater Gallery.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- The New York Conference on Asian Studies was held at SUNY New Paltz on Friday. Each year, the event is hosted at different public and private colleges across the United States to discuss a particular theme. The theme for this year was contesting tradition.
Scheduled to kick off the conference and speak about his most recent short story collection, “A Good Fall,” was acclaimed author Ha Jin. However, due to a family emergency, he was unable to attend.
Taking his place was author, editor, translator, mythic scholar and director of the Creative Writing Program at SUNY New Paltz, Heinz Insu Fenkl.
“I know I have big shoes to fill,” Fenkl said, stepping up to the podium.
The lecture focused on Jin’s “Children as Enemies,” a story about the rejection of old traditions by Asian youth and the struggles their families faced while adapting to American life.
“Changing of language was like a transfusion of blood…You live in language. It is the water that you swim in and breathe,” Fenkl said.
Althoug resistant to put “ A Good Fall” into a genre category, Fenkl opened up the floor after his lecture for a Q and A.
After about an hour of a highly informative lecture, the first event of the 2012 NYCAS came to a close, but when one door closes, another opens.
The next event on the agenda was both the “Shinohara Pops!” exhibition at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art and the “On the Farm” exhibition at the Mckenna Gallery.
Scheduled for the following days were a series of panels that discussed topics such as literature, politics, violence, tourism and art. Although the panels are over for this year, the exhibitions will be on display for public viewing until December 16th.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK—SUNY New Paltz hosted The New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) Last Friday and Saturday. The annual conference is held in celebration of the advances in Asian Studies by universities in New York State.
To open the conference, Acclaimed author Ha Jin was scheduled to read a story from his new book “A Good Fall” and illuminate how the immigrant experience is represented in his writing. However, due to an unexpected family emergency Ha Jin was unable to speak and Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl, director of the Creative Writing Program at the college, spoke in his place.
As Fenkl tells us, he is in many ways a mirror to Jin. Fenkl explained that both men had similar upbringings in Asian and European cultures while also possessing backgrounds of military service.
The two men are also similar in the fact that Fenkl also writes literature on the subject of the Asian American immigrant experience, including “Memories of My Ghost Brother”, which in 1997 was a Pen/Hemingway finalist and also received the Barnes and Noble “Great New Writer” award.
Fenkl read and analyzed the story “Children as Enemies” from Jin’s novel and highlighted the Asian American perspective. The story depicted an immigrant family and their struggles integrating into American society. The story told how the grandparents sold everything in order to move with the family to America. However, because they were insistent on keeping the strong Asian traditions alive in their family, they were kicked out of the household.
The two day event is held at a different university either in late September or early October each year. Throughout the weekend, the university has scheduled different seminars and lectures to illuminate how the field of Asian Studies has progressed and flourished in American universities. Also, Asian artwork will be presented in the Dorsky Museum and McKenna Theater on campus to further represent Asian culture.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- The kick-off to the National Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) at SUNY New Paltz took place last Friday in the university’s Lecture Center with a talk scheduled to be delivered by National Book Award winning Chinese-American writer, Ha Jin.
Jin was unable to attend due to a medical emergency and the speech was instead given by Heinz Insu Fenkl, a creative writing professor at the college.
Fenkl qualified as a replacement because he and Jin share similar backgrounds and have discussed his work before. Both grew up under dictatorships and learned to write in English as a second language.
Fenkl described the“changing of language [as] like a transfusion of blood…you live in the language. It is the water that you swim in and breathe.”
One short story, “Children as Enemies,” from Jin’s collection follows young children and their desire to fully assimilate into the American culture by westernizing their first and then last names. Their grandparents reject this decision showing how powerful and symbolic names are in old Chinese culture. Fenkl states that “names are a matter of future and fate.”
The title story, “A Good Fall,” centers around a character who wants to kill himself but his self-defense training as a Chinese male does not allow him to accomplish more than breaking a few bones. This is to show how deeply tradition is woven into the self.
Fenkl also focused the lecture on the implemented writing techniques like the “multi-lingual etymology of the names,” and using comparisons like “language is like water” or “language is like blood.”
The theme of this year’s confrence was “contesting tradition” and highlighted the disillusion of traditional Chinese values. Fenkl described elements from Ha Jin’s book, ”A Good Fall,” and added in his own analysis of the subject matter.
The involvement of NYCAS has expanded the Asian Studies programs on many campuses and brought interest as well as increased participation to the area of study. The two-day on-campus confrence featured many other events including special exhibits at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art and a cultural performance in McKenna Theatre.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK - Students and faculty assembled in SUNY New Paltz's lecture center Friday to hear the opening speech of the New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS).
Professor Heinz Insu-Fenkl discussed National Book Award-winner Ha Jin's 2010 short story collection "A Good Fall." Fenkl is an author, editor, translator, and colleague of Jin's. Jin was scheduled to speak, but was unable to attend due to a medical emergency.
Fenkl specifically analyzed the story "Children as Enemies," focusing on the importance of tradition. This is a major issue in Asian cultures, said Fenkl.
NYCAS runs through the weekend, with additional panels as diverse as "Disasters and Recovery in Japan" to "Gender Issues in India."
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK – The 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) was held at State University of New York at New Paltz on Friday and Saturday. This year’s theme was “Contesting Tradition” according to the conference program. National Book Award Winner, Ha Jin was scheduled to speak on Friday on his book, A Good Fall. Due to a medical emergency, Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl spoke on his behalf. Both Ha Jin and Fenkl have military experience and are writers and current Creative Writing professors, which helps Fenkl relate to Ha Jin’s work. Since 1989, Asian studies programs have expanded within faculty, courses, and study abroad programs between the United States and Asian countries. This conference invited a wide variety of Asia specialists as well as students interested in Asian studies.
A Good Fall is a collection of stories discussing Chinese immigration to America, which is a required reading by all first year students involved in the Composition program at SUNY New Paltz. Fenkl focused on the story, “Children As Enemies,” elaborating on theme of rejection of tradition. He used the example that Chinese American children change their traditional names to more common ones. This is such an important idea in Ha Jin’s work because referencing to a literary technique common in both Asian and Western literature, Fenkl stated “names are a matter of future and fate.” He also emphasized the demasculization of male as a theme. Although their original names meant qualities such as bravery and strength, the children changed them to common American names with lesser meaning.
Ha Jin’s work is “a flat exposition; there isn’t much to it but the stories and messages stick in your memory,” said Fenkl. “Contrary to how they appear on the surface, they are very intricately interwoven at the level of theme, imagery, and language.”
During the question and answer portion the session, Fenkl discussed the genre of Chinese American literature. He claimed that a genre couldn’t die but the popularity of a genre comes and goes.
He also found it difficult to discuss the characteristics of Asian American literature. Because this genre of literacy is so difficult to define, the only element he believed was that the story would take place in America.
The rest of the Conference included multiple panels, art exhibits held in McKenna Theater and Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art featuring art by Ushio Shinohara and Veronica O’Keefe, and an evening concert featuring the Neel Murgai Ensemble.
The 2013 NYCAS will be held September 27 – 28 at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Scholarly writings from undergraduate and graduate students in colleges and universities in New York State are currently being accepted until June 1, 2013 to be considered for awards.
NEWPALTZ, NEW YORK-The 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) kicked off this Friday at the SUNY New Paltz lecture center. This edition of NYCAS featured Ha Jin, an award winning Chinese-American author as the guest speaker to talk about his book “A Good Fall” assigned to freshman for their summer reading program. However due to a family emergency Ha Jin was unable to attend. Instead Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl a professor of the New Paltz creative writing community filled in for him.
Fenkl discussed the short story “Children as Enemies” which talks about young Chinese immigrants who would change their native names which had strong meanings to fit in and escape ridicule from their peers. Their grandparents disapproved of this and made it a point to keep their traditional names in America. The choice of story simultaneously fit into the conferences theme “contesting tradition “which other Asian-American immigrants could relate to, . According to Fenkl “names are a matter of future and fate.”
Another issue that Fenkl brought up was the difficulties Ha Jin and himself went through as authors who started writing in an oriental language. The former wrote in Korean while the latter wrote in Mandarin. Though a move to the U.S called for them to write in English which Ha Jin viewed as a logical choice. Fenkl agrees, “Changing language was like a blood transfusion, you live in the language. It is the water that you breathe.”
The talk was the first of a two day schedule for the NYCAS which will conclude this Saturday. Other events to look out for include: Shinohara Pops! exhibition at The Dorsky Museum, and Lauren Meeker discussing a film on Old and New Vietnamese Traditions.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- The 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies began Friday morning in the SUNY New Paltz Lecture Center with a speech delivered by Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl from the Creative Writing department. Fenkl discussed National Book Award winning author and colleague, Ha Jin’s newest collection of short stories, “A Good Fall.” Ha Jin was scheduled to be the key speaker but could not attend due to a family emergency.
Fenkl highlighted similarities between himself and Ha Jin to start his lecture. Fenkl is Korean and German, while Jin is Chinese. Both emigrated to the U.S and according to Fenkl, “didn’t grow up to fulfill expectations of being a lawyer, doctor, or engineer.” Instead both became scholars.
As an Asian-American author, Jin struggled with the issue of writing in his native tongue or English. After reading Hemingway in Chinese and later in English, Jin decided English was the harder but the most logical choice. Fenkl agreed, saying “Changing language was like a blood transfusion, you live in the language. It is the water that you swim in and breathe.”
The general theme to Fenkl’s discussion was the “dissolution of traditional Chinese values” through the immigration process.
Jin’s story entitled “Children As Enemies” explains how immigration changed families. The grandchildren in the story disrespect their grandparents by changing their first and last names. Traditionally, Chinese names have a special meaning and the grandparents did not want to lose that. According to both Fenkl and Asian traditions, “names are a matter of future and fate.”
Fenkl accepted questions towards the end of the lecture, one of which raised the idea of whether or not he believed Asian-American literature would die out. Fenkl said that he believed it would not die out, but evolve and change over time.
The Conference will continue with The Dorsky Museum showcasing Shinohara Pops! The Avante-Garde Road, and will conclude on Saturday with Lauren Meeker discussing a film on Old and New Vietnamese Traditions.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK— Professor Heinz Insu-Fenkl of SUNY New Paltz filled in for author Ha Jin opening the annual New York Conference on Asian Studies last Friday.
Ha Jin, scheduled to open the conference, cancelled due to a medical emergency. Insu-Fenkl instead discussed Ha Jin’s most recent short story collection A Good Fall.
The conference this year focused on a theme of contesting tradition. Appropriate to this, Insu-Fenkl repetitively mentioned a “disillusion of traditional Chinese values” and connected this theme to some of Ha Jin’s short stories.
Specifically, Jin’s “Children as Enemies,” was the focal point of the discussion. The story was about the rejection of traditions by an Asian Grandfather’s grandchildren. Insu-Fenkl went on to describe the grandfather’s disappointment with the children and the conflict that arose within the family.
Following the lecture, numerous audience members asked questions that Insu-Fenkl answered to the best of his ability.
The event lasted from Friday through Saturday. Soon after the opening, students and faculty were invited to attend Shinohara Pops! Exhibition.
There were many other events including a performance by Japanese artist Ushio Shinohara, the On the Farm: photography exhibition by Veronica O'Keefe, and a concert by the Neel Murgai Ensemble.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- SUNY New Paltz hosted the 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) this Friday and Saturday. National Book Award winner ,Ha Jin, was scheduled to speak about his book 'A Good Fall,’ to open the conference events. Unfortunately, due to a family emergency Ha Jin could not make his appearance, and Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl from SUNY New Paltz spoke in his absence. Ha Jin and Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl are both creative writers and teachers of writing, Fenkl said. Fenkl spoke very highly of Ha Jin, and was very knowledgeable on all aspects of his writing This year's theme of the NYAS conference was the conflict between tradition and culture. Professor Insu Fenkl decided to speak of a few of Ha Jin's stories, one titled, 'Children,' talked about the struggle Asian-American's have adapting to the culture. He explained how in Asian culture a person's name has meaning behind it, and when younger generations decide to change their name it is seen as an insult to older generations who have specifically picked a special name for them. Finkl went into great detail in explaining how Asian-Americans faced a struggle in our culture. He described how this phenomenon was depicted in many of Ha Jin's stories as the underlying message. Professor Finkl's speech opened the events for the New York Conference on Asian Studies. The remainder of the conference included many different art exhibits, an evening concert and many different panels as well.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK – The 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) was held at State University of New York at New Paltz on Friday and Saturday. This year’s theme was “Contesting Tradition,” according to the conference program. National Book Award Winner, Ha Jin was scheduled to speak on his book, “A Good Fall.” Due to a medical emergency, Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl spoke on his behalf. Fenkl’s Asian Amerian background, military experience, and creative writing knowledge helped him relate to Ha Jin’s work. Since 1989, Asian studies programs have expanded within faculty, courses, and study abroad programs between the United States and Asian countries. This conference invited a wide variety of Asia specialists as well as students interested in Asian studies.
“A Good Fall” is a collection of stories that discusses Chinese immigration to America. It is a required reading by all first year students involved in the Composition program at SUNY New Paltz. Fenkl focused on the story, “Children As Enemies,” to elaborate on the theme of rejection of tradition. He used the example that Chinese American children change their traditional names to more common ones. He also emphasized the demasculization of male identity. Although their original names meant bravery and strength, the children changed them to common American names with lesser meaning. Fenkl believes traditional names are significant because they “are a matter of future and fate.”
Ha Jin’s work is “a flat exposition; there isn’t much to it but the stories and messages stick in your memory,” said Fenkl. “Contrary to how they appear on the surface, they are very intricately interwoven at the level of theme, imagery, and language.”
During the question and answer portion the session, Fenkl discussed the genre of Chinese American literature. He claimed that a genre could not die but the popularity of a genre comes and goes.
He also found it difficult to discuss the characteristics of Asian American literature. The only element he believed it was that the story would take place in America.
The remainder of the Conference included multiple panels and art exhibits. McKenna Theater and Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art featured art by Ushio Shinohara and Veronica O’Keefe and an evening concert performed by the Neel Murgai Ensemble.
The 2013 NYCAS will be held September 27 – 28 at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Scholarly writings from undergraduate and graduate students in colleges and universities in New York State are currently being accepted until June 1, 2013 to be considered for awards.
NEW PALTZ, N.Y.– The 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) was held at State University of New York at New Paltz on Friday and Saturday. This year’s theme was “Contesting Tradition,” according to the conference program.
National Book Award Winner, Ha Jin, was scheduled to speak on his book, “A Good Fall.” Due to a medical emergency, Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl spoke on his behalf. Fenkl’s Asian Amerian background, military experience, and creative writing knowledge helped him relate to Ha Jin’s work, Fenkl said.
Since 1989, Asian studies programs have expanded within faculty, courses, and study abroad programs between the United States and Asian countries. This conference invited a wide variety of Asia specialists as well as students interested in Asian studies.
“A Good Fall” is a collection of stories that discusses Chinese immigration to America. It is a required reading by all first year students involved in the Composition program at SUNY New Paltz.
Fenkl focused on the story, “Children As Enemies,” to elaborate on the theme of rejected tradition. He used the example that Chinese American children change their traditional names to western ones. This caused disappointment among the grandparents because of the importance of names to Chinese culture.
He also emphasized the demasculization of male identity. Although their original names meant bravery and strength, the children changed them to common American names with lesser meaning. Fenkl believes traditional names are significant because they “are a matter of future and fate.”
Ha Jin’s work is “a flat exposition; there isn’t much to it but the stories and messages stick in your memory,” said Fenkl. “Contrary to how they appear on the surface, they are very intricately interwoven at the level of theme, imagery, and language.”
During the question and answer portion the session, Fenkl discussed the genre of Chinese American literature. He claimed that a genre could not die but the popularity of a genre comes and goes.
The remainder of the Conference included multiple panels and art exhibits. McKenna Theater and Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art featured art by Ushio Shinohara and Veronica O’Keefe and an evening concert performed by the Neel Murgai Ensemble.
On The Farm, a series of film portraits by Veronica O’Keefe, portrayed those who were left behind in China’s urban migration and the struggles they encountered. This is the culture Chinese Americans wanted to reject.
The 2013 NYCAS will be held September 27 – 28 at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Scholarly writings from undergraduate and graduate students in colleges and universities in New York State are currently being accepted until June 1, 2013 to be considered for awards.
Heinz Insu Fenkl lecture on Ha Jin
ReplyDeleteHeinzinsufenkl.net (his website)
http://www.interstitialarts.org/who/heinz_fenkl.html (his bio)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNYCAS 2012 Comes to New Paltz
ReplyDeleteNEW PALTZ, NEW YORK – The 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies was held at State University of New York at New Paltz on Friday and Saturday. This year’s theme was Contesting Tradition.
Since 1989, Asian studies programs have been expanded within faculty, courses, and study abroad programs between the United States and Asian countries. This conference invited a wide variety of Asia specialists and well as students interested in Asian studies.
The national Book Award Winner, Ha Jin was scheduled to speak on Friday on his book, A Good Fall. Due to a medical emergency, Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl spoke on his behalf.
Both Ha Jin and Professor Insu Fenkl have military experience, are writers, and are currently professors for creative writing, which helps Prof. Insu Fenkl relate to Ha Jin’s work.
A Good Fall is a collection of stories discussing Chinese immigration to America, which is a required reading by all first year students involved in the Composition program at SUNY New Paltz. Prof. Insu Fenkl focused on the story, “Children As Enemies,” delving into the idea that Chinese American children would rather conform to American traditions in order to fit in.
He touches on the rejection of tradition, exemplifying the process of Chinese American children changing their traditional names to more common ones. He also emphasizes the demasculization of male as a theme because the one of the names of the children of the story is similar to the English word ‘chicken’ although their original names represented bravery and strength.
Ha Jin’s work is a flat exposition; there isn’t much to it but the stories and messages stick in your memory, said Prof. Fenkl.
The question and answer portion of the session included questions by students Quinn O’Callaghan, Zach McGrath, and Journalism Professor Kimberly Ruth.
During this portion, Inuse Fenkl dipped into the genre of Chinese American literature. He doesn’t believe a genre can die; the popularity comes and goes but literature fads rapidly changes.
He also found it difficult to discuss the characteristics of Asian American literature. The only element he believed was that the story would take place in America, since this genre of literacy is so difficult to define.
The rest of the Conference included multiple panels, art exhibits held in McKenna Theater and Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art featuring art by Ushio Shinohara and Veronica O’Keefe, and an evening concert featuring the Neel Murgai Ensemble.
The 2013 New York Conference on Asian Studies will be held September 27 – 28 at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Scholarly writings from undergraduate and graduate students in colleges and universities in New York State are currently being accepted until June 1, 2013 to be considered for awards
Sources:
http://www.newpaltz.edu/asianstudies/nycas/#HaJin
http://www.newpaltz.edu/asianstudies/nycas/integrated_program.pdf
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- Professor Heinz Insu Finkl gave a captivating talk on Asian-American literature at SUNY New Paltz on Friday that started the string of events as part of the 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies.
ReplyDeleteFInkl discussed the importance of Asian-American literature and provided some insight on how life can be for Asian-Americans as seen specifically in the stories of Ha Jin, an award-winning Asian-American author who was supposed to give the talk. He could not attend due to a medical emergency.
Finkl spoke on behalf of Ha Jin. He presented Jin’s book “A Good Fall” as a compilation of stories that highlight the disillusionment of Asian-American Tradition. This heavily focused on issues such as the significance of names within Asian culture, a tradition that is often rejected in the west.
Finkl was an appropriate fill in for Han, given his German and Korean heritage. His experiences as living as a bi-racial person in three different countries has put him in close contact with Han. He started his talk by describing small encounters the two scholars have had.
Finkl has published several works and has been recognized by Barnes and Noble and Penn/Hemmingway for his talents in writing. Finkl has taught at several universities and now teaches many different types of courses at New Paltz.
Throughout his speech, he depicted the works in a light that made them interesting and enjoyable to listen to. One story he discussed talked about Asian-American names and how something as simple as a name can have so much meaning to a person and their family, and how much it can affect their life. Our names are something we typically do not think about because we have no control over them, but for some Asian-Americans, changing their name can be a high priority, while for many of their elders it is seen as an insult to one’s family to do so. Being teased as a child is a problem for many of Asian-Americans because of the English meaning or sound their name translates to.
Finkl also discussed the difficulties for Asian-Americans living in our country. He discussed a part of Ha Jin’s book where a professor who was applying for tenure accidently made a typo in his signing off; he panicked and believed that this would ruin his chances for tenure completely, when in the end, his mistake went unnoticed.
This lecture attracted upwards of one hundred students of different majors and ethnicities.
Sources:
http://www.interstitialarts.org/who/heinz_fenkl.html
http://heinzinsufenkl.net/
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK - Students and faculty gathered in SUNY New Paltz's lecture center Friday to hear Professor Heinz Insu-Fenkl, editor of Ha Jin's "A Good Fall," open the New York Conference on Asian Studies, or NYCAS, by speaking about Jin's most recent collection of short stories. Mr. Jin was scheduled as the keynote speaker, but was unable to attend due to a medical emergency.
ReplyDeleteInsu-Fenkl analyzed Jin's collection, specifically the story "Children as Enemies," focusing on the importance of tradition and how the filial bond weakens with each passing era, distancing the younger generation from the traditions of the previous one, which is a major tenent of Asian cultures. The issue of emigration and the loss of cultural identity is a common theme in Asian-American literature, and can be seen in work as well known as Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club" or Hisaye Yamamoto's "Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories."
NYCAS runs through the weekend, with many more panels scheduled as diverse as "Disasters and Recovery in Japan" to "Gender Issues in India." One common thread throughout is identity. More than ever, we are living in a globalized world. The discussions held this weekend will go a long way to bridging any existing gap of understanding between East and West.
Sources:
http://www.newpaltz.edu/asianstudies/nycas/integrated_program.pdf
http://heinzinsufenkl.net/
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBy: Escarle Raposo
ReplyDelete10/2/2012
NEW PALTZ, NEWYORK- Heinz Insu Fenkl (Fenkl), author, editor, translator, mythic scholar, and the director of the Creative Writing Program at the State University of New York, New Paltz, delivered a speech on Friday informing an audience at the State University of New York at New Paltz about National-Book-Award Winner, Ha Jin and his short story, “Writing about the immigrant experience.” The speech was initially supposed to be delivered by the award winning author Ha Jin, but unfortunately he was unable to attend due to a family emergency.
The lecture was about the Disillusion of traditional Chinese Values. Professor Fenkl explains the summary of the short story, “Writing about the immigrant experience,” and how the story reflects on the life of the Award winning author, Ha jin. The short story indicates on how the characters had to change their morals and beliefs in order to live in the United States. In the story the main character’s grandchildren wanted to change their names because in America no one could pronounce it and people made fun of it. The Grandfather did not want them to change their names because their names had a meaning in the Chinese culture and changing their names would defeat the purpose of the meanings. “ Names are a matter of future and fate,” said Fenkl.This is an example of how people had to change their morals, beliefs and trade cultures in order to live in another country like the United States. “Changing language for me was like a transfusion of blood, you live in the language. It is the water that you swim in and breath”said Fenkl. Going to a different country and learning a language that is beyond your native language can be a struggle of immigrant authentically.
Ha Jin, was born in 1956 in Liaoning Province in northern China. In 1969, at only 14 years of age, Ha Jin joined the People's Liberation Army based at the northeastern border between China and the former Soviet Union. While in the army, he taught himself middle and high-school courses and taught himself English. Fenkl explains that, Ha Jim came to the United States in 1985 to do graduate work at Brandeis University where he also earned his PH.D in English, supporting himself as a busboy in a Chinese restaurant and as a night watchman in a factory. Ha Jin decided to stay in the United States and make a life with his Wife and son due to the Tiananmen Square massacre in China. It was hard for Ha Jin to find a job, so he turned into writing, where he eventually got a job at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
The lecture by the associate Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl, left the audience amazed by the presentation.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNEW PALTZ— Professor Heinz Insu-Fenkl of SUNY New Paltz filled in for author Ha Jin opening the annual New York Conference on Asian Studies last Friday. Ha Jin, scheduled to open the conference, cancelled due to a medical emergency. Insu-Fenkl instead discussed Ha Jin’s most recent short story collection (Italicized) A Good Fall.
ReplyDeleteInsu-Fenkl began by comparing the immigrant background of his own father to that of Ha Jin’s experiences. He continued to explain that Ha Jin’s style of writing in English as his second language resulted in “Hemmingway-like” writing helping Ha Jin’s works to stand out.
The conference this year focused on a theme of contesting tradition. Appropriate to this theme, Insu-Fenkl also repetitively mentioned a “disillusion of traditional Chinese values” and connected this theme to some of Ha Jin’s short stories.
Following the lecture, numerous audience members asked questions that Insu-Fenkl answered to the best of his ability.
The event lasted from Friday through Saturday. Student and faculty were invited to attend Shinohara Pops! Exhibition and performance by Japanese artist Ushio Shinohara, the On the Farm: photography exhibition by Veronica O'Keefe, and a concert by the Neel Murgai Ensemble.
By: Kaycia Sailsman
ReplyDeleteNEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- On Friday morning a lecture took place in Lecture Center 100 as apart of the New York Conference on Asian Studies. This lecture was based solely on National-Book-Award winner Ha Jin’s recently published short story collection A Good Fall which depicts the life of immigrants adjusting to life in America.
Associate Professor in the Department of English at the State University of New York at New Paltz Heinz Insu Fenkel is an author, editor, translator, and mythology scholars. He acted on Ha Jin’s behalf after his sudden cancellation due to a family emergency. The novel “A Good Fall” is Ha Jin’s first short story that is based solely on immigration from the seven novels he has written before. Fenkel states that Ha Jin wrote in his second language which was a bit peculiar for a “Chinese writing coming from Chinese traditions instead of American style writing.” This is probably due to the way Ha Jin has assimilated so quickly in the American lifestyle that his writing style has changed subconsciously. However, his writings has various undertones within the characters which makes them more dynamic and interesting to read about which can be a good thing for the reader. Ha Jin’s novel A Good Fall also shows the way “immigrants assimilate into the American culture by changing their given names to an American name” states Fenkel. This can be very detrimental to the family especially the grandparents in Chinese culture where “tradition is woven into the fiber of your being” and going against tradition is seen as disrespectful says Fenkel. Ha Jin’s novels are replete with numerous metaphors with references to the relationship between American and Asian citing examples from the Japanese, Filipino, and Korean. He also touched on the L.A. Riot and the impact that he had on the Asian community in Los Angeles. Ha Jin’s book also includes encrypts of his life experience which makes the story even more real that it has some personal attachment to it.
Jīn Xuěfēi is Ha’s real name after he changed his first name to Ha after his favorite city Harbin. Ha Jin grew up in a military household and having his father in the military prompted him to join the People’s Liberation Army at the age of fourteen during the Cultural Revolution. It was at that time when Ha Jin began to learn about Chinese literature and High School curriculum and finished high school at the age of sixteen. His first novel Waiting Ha accounts his experience while in the army that which Ha Jin won the National Book Award in 1999. In 2005 he also received the PEN/Faulkner award for his other novel War Trash, two years later he wrote A Free Life & The Writer as Migrant (2008) which both were a collection of lectures. His newly written book A Good Fall was written in 2009 as a collection of short stories.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK. The kick-off to the National Conference on Asian Studies at SUNY New Paltz took place Friday in the university’s Lecture Center with a talk scheduled to be delivered by Chinese American writer, Ha Jin. Because Jin was unable to attend, the speech was instead given by Heinz Insu Fenkl, a professor at the college.
ReplyDeleteFenkl was qualified as a replacement because Jin and him shared similar backgrounds and have discussed his work before. Both grew up under dictatorships and learned to write in English as a second language. Heinz describes that the “changing of language was like a transfusion of blood…you live in the language. It is the water that you swim in and breathe.
The theme of the lecture was “the disillusion of traditional Chinese values” and Kenkl described elements from Ha Jin’s book, A Good Fall, as well as add in his own analysis of the subject matter.
One story discussed followed young children and their desire to fully assimilate into the American culture by westernizing their first and then last names. They are told by their grandparents that these names have no value to their heritage and mean nothing, and that if they change them they are breaking away from their relationship. This shows how powerful and symbolic names are in the Chinese culture. Heinz states that “names are a matter of future and fate.”
The title story, A Good Fall, centers around a character who wants to kill himself by jumping off of something but his self-defense training as a Chinese man does not allow him to accomplish more than breaking a few bones, showing how deeply tradition is woven into the self.
On behalf of Jin, Heinz told of the many stories in this Chinese-American novel and how they are all based on his personal experiences. The lecture also focused on the writing techniques like the “multi-lingual etymology of the names”, and using comparisons like “language is like water” or language is like blood” to show importance of really paying attention to each element of a piece of writing.
The involvement of NYCAS has expanded the Asian Studies programs on many campuses and brought interest as well as increased participation to the subject.
Sources:
http://www.newpaltz.edu/events/event_view.php?event_id=86259
http://www.newpaltz.edu/asianstudies/nycas/#HaJin
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- The New York Conference on Asian Studies was held at SUNY New Paltz on Friday for its annual meeting of scholarly participants throughout the region. Each year, the event is held at different public and private colleges across the United States to discuss a particular theme. The theme for this year was based on the idea of the disillusion of traditional Chinese values.
ReplyDeleteFounded in 1965, The New York Conference on Asian Studies is one of the oldest running events in the Association for Asian Studies. Members are required to pay a fee to attend each annual conference and once having done this qualify to participate in the yearly business meeting and vote in NYCAS elections for that year.
Scheduled to kick off the conference and speak about his most recent short story collection, A Good Fall, was acclaimed author Ha Jin. However, due to a family emergency, he was unable to attend. Taking his place was author, editor, translator, mythic scholar and director of the Creative Writing Program at SUNY New Paltz, Heinz Insu Fenkl. Having lived in Korea, Germany and the United States, Fenkl was able to understand the context of Jin’s novel and explain it in an organic way, relating to the difficulties Ha Jin faced as he struggled to adapt to western life. “I know I have big shoes to fill,” Fenkl said, humbly stepping up to the podium. It was this willingness to make the best of an unfortunate circumstance and Fenkl’s closeness to the subject that made him the perfect candidate to fill in for Ha Jin.
The selection from Jin’s novel that the conference focused on was a selection called “Children as Enemies,” a story about the rejection of old traditions by children in Asia. According to the story, they would change their Asian birth names, those that often stood for strong and meaningful things, to American names that were common and irrelevant in meaning. Fenkl demonstrated an in depth understanding of the language transition stating, “Changing of language was like a transfusion of blood…you live in language. It is the water that you swim in and breathe.” The grandparents of these cultural rebellious children sold everything they had to come to America and didn’t accept them if they didn’t use the same last name they were born with.
Although Fenkl was very resistant to put A Good Fall into a genre category, he did willingly open up the floor after his lecture was finished for questions to all attendees of the event. When asked by a student what it is that qualifies a work as Asian American, Fenkl replied by saying that it would take place in America.
After about an hour of a highly informative lecture, the first event of the 2012 NYCAS came to a close, but when one door closes, another opens. The next event on the agenda was both the “Shinohara Pops!” exhibition at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art and the “On the Farm” exhibition at the Mckenna Gallery. Scheduled for the following days were a series of panels that discussed topics such as literature, politics, violence, tourism and art. Although the panels are over, the exhibitions will be on display for public viewing until December 16th.
Sources:
http://www.newpaltz.edu/asianstudies/nycas/#HaJin
http://www.newpaltz.edu/asianstudies/nycas/integrated_program.pdf
http://www.asianstudies.buffalo.edu/nycas/index.shtml
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNEW PALTZ, NEW YORK ¬¬– The New York Conference on Asian Studies 2012 hosted by SUNY New Paltz held a lecture this past Friday. National book award winner Ha Jin was scheduled to discuss his most recent short story collection, A Good Fall (I). Due to a medical emergency Jin was unable to make it so the schools professor Heinz Insu Fenkl spoke instead.
ReplyDeleteThe conferences theme this year was contesting tradition. Fitting to the theme Fenkl spoke about a, “disillusion of traditional Chinese values,” connecting it to Jin’s work in the collection. After Fenkel finished giving his lecture he answered questions brought up by the audience.
Other events being held by the conference was a concert by the Neel Murgai Ensemble who plays music by combining elements of jazz, Western classical and experimental music and modern improvisation. As well as On the Far (I), which is a series of film portraits by Veronica O'Keefe that shows China’s agricultural development. This display can be found in the McKenna Theater Gallery. And Shinohara Pops! The Avant-Garde Road, Tokyo/New York (I), Curated by Hiroko Ikegami with Reiko Tomii at the Sara Bedrick Gallery at the Dorsky Museum, which is going on until December 16, 2012 in the McKenna Theater Gallery.
Sources: http://www.newpaltz.edu/asianstudies/nycas/ , http://www.newpaltz.edu/events/event_view.php?event_id=89169
To clarify I spoke to my professor, his last name is simply Fenkl NOT Insu Fenkl.
ReplyDeleteNEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- This Friday and Saturday the 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) was held at SUNY New Paltz. On Friday at 10 A.M. Ha Jin, a National Book Award Winner, was scheduled to speak about his book, 'A Good Fall'. However Ha Jin could not make his appearance due to a family emergency. New Paltz professor Heinz Insu Fenki spoke in his absence.
ReplyDeleteLike Jin, Fenki is a writer and a professor for creative writing. Insu-Fenki analyzed Jin's collection focusing on the story "Children as Enemies," which discusses the importance of tradition and how tradition can weaken as it is passed down through generations. He discusses how when younger generations decide to change their name it is seen as an insult to past generations who believe that a person's name has a special meaning behind it.
The speech given by professor Fenki opened the events for the New York conference on Asian Studies. There were a number of other events in the conference including art exhibits, concerts, and many different panels.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- The 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies commenced Friday morning in the SUNY New Paltz Lecture Center with an engaging lecture delivered by New Paltz’s own Heinz Insu Fenkl, a well-regarded professor in the Creative Writing department. Professor Fenkl discussed National Book Award winning author and friend Ha Jin’s newest collection of short stories, A Good Fall. Ha Jin was set to be the key speaker at the conference, but unfortunately could not attend due to a family emergency.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Professor Fenkl more than fulfilled Jin’s shoes. With a smile full of charisma, Fenkl began his lecture by voicing the striking similarities between himself and Ha Jin so as to put the audience at ease. Both are Asian immigrants—Jin being Chinese and Fenkl being Korean and German—who according to Fenkl, “didn’t grow up to fulfill expectations of being a lawyer, doctor, or engineer.” The general theme to Fenkl’s discussion was the “dissolution of traditional Chinese values” through the immigration process Asian-Americans face. He chose to showcase Jin’s story entitled “Children as Enemies” to explain how immigrating changed families. The grandparents in the story had sacrificed everything to come to America with their family. However their grandchildren disrespected them and their family by changing their first names, and eventually trying to change their last names. Traditionally, Chinese names have a special meaning and the grandparents did not want the children to throw that away. According to Fenkl and Asian traditions, “names are a matter of future and fate.”
The changing of names is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the bigger picture of immigration. Fenkl explained that as Asian-American authors, Jin and himself grappled with the issue of writing in their native tongues or English. After reading Hemingway in Chinese and later in English, Jin decided English was going to be hard but the most logical choice. Fenkl agreed, saying “Changing language was was like a blood transfusion, you live in the language. It is the water that you swim in and breath.”
Fenkl concluded his lecture by taking questions from the audience. A substantial question from an audience member which pondered the idea of whether or not he believed Asian-American literature would die out since younger generations seem to be rejecting more traditions as time goes on. Fenkl responded by saying that he believed that it would not die out, but evolve and change over time.
As time ran out, Fenkl ended his lecture which earned him a loud applause. The Conference continued with The Dorsky Museum showcasing Ushio Shinohara’s 50-year career in the exhibition entitled Shinohara Pops! The Avant- Garde Road. The Conference will conclude on Saturday with Lauren Meeker discussing a film on Old and New Vietnamese Traditions.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- At 10:50 AM Friday, students, professors and scholars congregated in the lecture center to hear a compelling speech by Ha Jin (Jin), author of “A Good Fall”, to launch the New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS). Jin intended to speak about his recent collection of short stories in Asian American Literature. To the audience’s surprise, Jin was unable to be at the conference as primary guest speaker due to a family medical emergency. In result, Heinz Insu Fenkl (Fenkl), English Professor, former colleague, friend and editor of Ha Jin’s collection took over to speak on Jin’s behalf.
ReplyDeleteFenkl explained Jīn Xuěfēi, was Jin’s original birth name that he later changed to Ha after his favorite city Harbin in China. Jin’s father was an active member of the Red Army when China was communist. “Born in northeastern China in 1956, Xuefei Jin (Ha Jin is his pen name) was a teenager during the Cultural Revolution, serving in the People's Liberation Army and educating himself in Chinese literature. After earning bachelor's and master's degrees in English literature, he left his native China in 1985 to attend Brandeis University, and has since done his writing in English. Jin completed his Ph.D. here in the United States and is now the author of six novels, four short story collections, and three books of poetry” (newpaltz.edu/asianstudies).
Fenkl and Jin, are both immigrant authors and professors in America who write their works in their second language- English. This has caused underlying themes of language and tradition, which are not visible on the surface of Jin’s tales, to be overlooked. In that regard, Fenkl began the lecture examining Jin’s collection, particularly the story “Children as Enemies.” The story is a traditional narrative entailing the rejection of tradition due to the questioning and loss of cultural identity within Asian youth; a reoccurring theme in Asian American Literature. Fenkl continues the lecture by noting each one of Jin’s stories as having some small element of Jin’s personal life woven in the fiber of each individual story, revealing his characters cultural struggles as being part of his own adapting in America. In conjunction with examining Jin’s work, Fenkl also discussed writing techniques such as, “multi-lingual etymology of names” and using metaphors like, “language is like water or blood” to show the caliber of attention that must be paid to individual words that compile a piece of writing.
The SUNY system established an Asian Studies program in 1989, Asian Studies programs have been expanded immensely amongst faculty, course curriculum, and study abroad programs amid the United States and Asia. This conference gave a wide variety of scholars and majors within the Asian studies department the opportunity to further advance their knowledge in Asian studies in The United States. NYCAS is held during the weekends and holds controversial panels ranging from topics such as, “Disasters and Recovery in Japan” to “Gender Issues in India”; both with the reoccurring theme of the loss of cultural identity and tradition while living in a globalized world. The discussions held this upcoming weekend will advocate bridging the perplexing gap between Eastern and Western cultures.
Sources:
http://heinzinsufenkl.net/
http://www.newpaltz.edu/asianstudies/nycas/#HaJin
http://www.newpaltz.edu/events/event_view.php?event_id=86259
NEW PALTZ, ULSTER COUNTY—Last Friday and Saturday, SUNY New Paltz hosted The New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS). The annual conference is held in celebration of the advances in Asian Studies by universities in New York State and is usually headlined by a keynote speaker to start the schedule. The two day event is held at a different university either in late September or early October each year.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the weekend, the university has scheduled different seminars and lectures to illuminate how the field of Asian Studies has progressed and flourished in American universities. Also through the weekend, Asian artwork will be presented in the Dorsky Museum and McKenna Theater on campus.
To open the conference, Acclaimed author Ha Jin was scheduled to read a section from his new book A Good Fall and illuminate how the immigrant experience is represented in his writing. However, due to an unexpected family emergency Ha Jin was unable to speak and Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl spoke in his place.
Fenkl, in many ways, was almost a mirror to Jin, as he tells us that both of them had similar upbringings in Asian cultures and backgrounds in military. Fenkl has also written literature on the same subject of the Asian American immigrant experience including Memories of My Ghost Brother, which received the Barnes and Noble “Great New Writer” award and in 1997 was a Pen/Hemingway finalist.
Fenkl read and analyzed a story from Jin’s novel and illuminated the meaning behind the story from an Asian American perspective. The story depicted an immigrant family and they’re struggles integrating into American society. The story told how the grandparents sold everything in order to move with the family to America. However, because they were insistent on keeping the strong Asian traditions alive in their family, they were kicked out of the house hold.
New York Conference on Asian Studies comes to SUNY New Paltz
ReplyDeleteBy: Kaycia Sailsman
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- A Friday morning lecture took place in Lecture Center 100 as a part of the New York Conference on Asian Studies. This lecture was based solely on National-Book-Award winner Ha Jin’s recently published short story collection A Good Fall which depicts the life of immigrants adjusting to life in America. Unfortunately Ha Jin was unable to host the event due to family emergency, but his good friend Heinz Insu Fenkel did the honor of acting on his behalf.
An Associate Professor in the English department at the State University of New York at New Paltz Heinz Insu Fenkel is an author, editor, translator, and mythology scholars. The novel “A Good Fall” is Ha Jin’s first short story that is based solely on immigration from the seven novels he has written before. Fenkel says that Ha Jin wrote in his second language which was a bit peculiar for a “Chinese writing coming from Chinese traditions instead of American style writing.” This is probably due to the way Ha Jin has assimilated so quickly in the American lifestyle that his writing style has changed subconsciously. However, his writings has various undertones within the characters which makes them more dynamic and interesting to read about which can be a good thing for the reader. Ha Jin’s novel A Good Fall also shows the way “immigrants assimilate into the American culture one way in particular is changing their given names to an American name” says Fenkel. This can be very detrimental to the family especially the grandparents in Chinese culture where
“Tradition is woven into the fiber of your being” and going against tradition is seen as disrespectful says Fenkel. Ha Jin’s novels are replete with numerous metaphors with references to the relationship between American and Asian citing examples from the Japanese, Filipino, and Korean. He also touched on the L.A. Riot and the impact that he had on the Asian community in Los Angeles. Ha Jin’s book also includes encrypts of his life experience which makes the story even more real that it has some personal attachment to it.
Jīn Xuěfēi is Ha’s real name after he changed his first name to Ha after his favorite city Harbin. Ha Jin grew up in a military household and having his father in the military prompted him to join the People’s Liberation Army at the age of fourteen during the Cultural Revolution. It was at that time when Ha Jin began to learn about Chinese literature and High School curriculum and finished high school at the age of sixteen. His first novel Waiting Ha accounts his experience while in the army that which Ha Jin won the National Book Award in 1999. In 2005 he also received the PEN/Faulkner award for his other novel War Trash, two years later he wrote A Free Life & The Writer as Migrant (2008) which both were a collection of lectures. His newly written book A Good Fall was written in 2009 as a collection of short stories.
New Paltz, New York- The New York conference on Asian studies 2012 began on September 28th at 10:50am at SUNY New Paltz. The New York conference on asian studies has been taking place anually since 1965 and generally begins with a distingued speaker.
ReplyDeleteAward winning author Ha Jin was scheduled to speak at the conference. Ha Jin is a novelest who traveled here from China after 1989. Due to a familial emergency Jin was not able to attend. In his place asian studies proffessor Heinz Insu Fenkl gave a speech.
The main topic of Fenkl’s speech was the contesting traditions of immigrant families. Fenkl spoke of the “disillusion of traditonal chinese values” that occur within immigrant families. When the children and grandchildren of traditional chinese families disagree with traditional values and roles, the family can become divided.
Language is hugely important when it comes to a change in culture, according to Fenkl. He explained that “You live in language; the water that you swim in and breathe”. He also stated that “changing language was like a transfusion of blood” emphasising the difficulty that comes with cultural change.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNEW PALTZ, NEW YORK – The New York Conference on Asian Studies 2012 hosted by SUNY New Paltz held a lecture this past Friday. National book award winner Ha Jin was scheduled to discuss his most recent short story collection, “A Good Fall”. Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl spoke in place of Jin who could not attend due to a medical emergency.
ReplyDeleteThe conference’s theme this year was “contesting tradition” according to the conference's website. Fitting to the theme Fenkl spoke about a “disillusion of traditional Chinese values.” There was a question and answer session after the lecture.
The conference held other events including a concert by the Neel Murgai Ensemble who plays music by combining elements of jazz, Western classical and experimental music and modern improvisation. As well as On the Far (I), which is a series of film portraits by Veronica O'Keefe that shows China’s agricultural development. This display can be found in the McKenna Theater Gallery. And Shinohara Pops! The Avant-Garde Road, Tokyo/New York (I), Curated by Hiroko Ikegami with Reiko Tomii at the Sara Bedrick Gallery at the Dorsky Museum, which is going on until December 16, 2012 in the McKenna Theater Gallery.
Sources: http://www.newpaltz.edu/asianstudies/nycas/ , http://www.newpaltz.edu/events/event_view.php?event_id=89169
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- The New York Conference on Asian Studies was held at SUNY New Paltz on Friday. Each year, the event is hosted at different public and private colleges across the United States to discuss a particular theme. The theme for this year was contesting tradition.
ReplyDeleteScheduled to kick off the conference and speak about his most recent short story collection, “A Good Fall,” was acclaimed author Ha Jin. However, due to a family emergency, he was unable to attend.
Taking his place was author, editor, translator, mythic scholar and director of the Creative Writing Program at SUNY New Paltz, Heinz Insu Fenkl.
“I know I have big shoes to fill,” Fenkl said, stepping up to the podium.
The lecture focused on Jin’s “Children as Enemies,” a story about the rejection of old traditions by Asian youth and the struggles their families faced while adapting to American life.
“Changing of language was like a transfusion of blood…You live in language. It is the water that you swim in and breathe,” Fenkl said.
Althoug resistant to put “ A Good Fall” into a genre category, Fenkl opened up the floor after his lecture for a Q and A.
After about an hour of a highly informative lecture, the first event of the 2012 NYCAS came to a close, but when one door closes, another opens.
The next event on the agenda was both the “Shinohara Pops!” exhibition at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art and the “On the Farm” exhibition at the Mckenna Gallery.
Scheduled for the following days were a series of panels that discussed topics such as literature, politics, violence, tourism and art. Although the panels are over for this year, the exhibitions will be on display for public viewing until December 16th.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK—SUNY New Paltz hosted The New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) Last Friday and Saturday. The annual conference is held in celebration of the advances in Asian Studies by universities in New York State.
ReplyDeleteTo open the conference, Acclaimed author Ha Jin was scheduled to read a story from his new book “A Good Fall” and illuminate how the immigrant experience is represented in his writing. However, due to an unexpected family emergency Ha Jin was unable to speak and Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl, director of the Creative Writing Program at the college, spoke in his place.
As Fenkl tells us, he is in many ways a mirror to Jin. Fenkl explained that both men had similar upbringings in Asian and European cultures while also possessing backgrounds of military service.
The two men are also similar in the fact that Fenkl also writes literature on the subject of the Asian American immigrant experience, including “Memories of My Ghost Brother”, which in 1997 was a Pen/Hemingway finalist and also received the Barnes and Noble “Great New Writer” award.
Fenkl read and analyzed the story “Children as Enemies” from Jin’s novel and highlighted the Asian American perspective. The story depicted an immigrant family and their struggles integrating into American society. The story told how the grandparents sold everything in order to move with the family to America. However, because they were insistent on keeping the strong Asian traditions alive in their family, they were kicked out of the household.
The two day event is held at a different university either in late September or early October each year. Throughout the weekend, the university has scheduled different seminars and lectures to illuminate how the field of Asian Studies has progressed and flourished in American universities. Also, Asian artwork will be presented in the Dorsky Museum and McKenna Theater on campus to further represent Asian culture.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFirst rewrite:
ReplyDeleteNEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- The kick-off to the National Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) at SUNY New Paltz took place last Friday in the university’s Lecture Center with a talk scheduled to be delivered by National Book Award winning Chinese-American writer, Ha Jin.
Jin was unable to attend due to a medical emergency and the speech was instead given by Heinz Insu Fenkl, a creative writing professor at the college.
Fenkl qualified as a replacement because he and Jin share similar backgrounds and have discussed his work before. Both grew up under dictatorships and learned to write in English as a second language.
Fenkl described the“changing of language [as] like a transfusion of blood…you live in the language. It is the water that you swim in and breathe.”
One short story, “Children as Enemies,” from Jin’s collection follows young children and their desire to fully assimilate into the American culture by westernizing their first and then last names. Their grandparents reject this decision showing how powerful and symbolic names are in old Chinese culture. Fenkl states that “names are a matter of future and fate.”
The title story, “A Good Fall,” centers around a character who wants to kill himself but his self-defense training as a Chinese male does not allow him to accomplish more than breaking a few bones. This is to show how deeply tradition is woven into the self.
Fenkl also focused the lecture on the implemented writing techniques like the “multi-lingual etymology of the names,” and using comparisons like “language is like water” or “language is like blood.”
The theme of this year’s confrence was “contesting tradition” and highlighted the disillusion of traditional Chinese values. Fenkl described elements from Ha Jin’s book, ”A Good Fall,” and added in his own analysis of the subject matter.
The involvement of NYCAS has expanded the Asian Studies programs on many campuses and brought interest as well as increased participation to the area of study. The two-day on-campus confrence featured many other events including special exhibits at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art and a cultural performance in McKenna Theatre.
Sources:
http://www.newpaltz.edu/events/event_view.php?event_id=86259
http://www.newpaltz.edu/asianstudies/nycas/#HaJin
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNEW PALTZ, NEW YORK - Students and faculty assembled in SUNY New Paltz's lecture center Friday to hear the opening speech of the New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS).
ReplyDeleteProfessor Heinz Insu-Fenkl discussed National Book Award-winner Ha Jin's 2010 short story collection "A Good Fall." Fenkl is an author, editor, translator, and colleague of Jin's. Jin was scheduled to speak, but was unable to attend due to a medical emergency.
Fenkl specifically analyzed the story "Children as Enemies," focusing on the importance of tradition. This is a major issue in Asian cultures, said Fenkl.
NYCAS runs through the weekend, with additional panels as diverse as "Disasters and Recovery in Japan" to "Gender Issues in India."
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK – The 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) was held at State University of New York at New Paltz on Friday and Saturday. This year’s theme was “Contesting Tradition” according to the conference program.
ReplyDeleteNational Book Award Winner, Ha Jin was scheduled to speak on Friday on his book, A Good Fall. Due to a medical emergency, Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl spoke on his behalf.
Both Ha Jin and Fenkl have military experience and are writers and current Creative Writing professors, which helps Fenkl relate to Ha Jin’s work.
Since 1989, Asian studies programs have expanded within faculty, courses, and study abroad programs between the United States and Asian countries. This conference invited a wide variety of Asia specialists as well as students interested in Asian studies.
A Good Fall is a collection of stories discussing Chinese immigration to America, which is a required reading by all first year students involved in the Composition program at SUNY New Paltz.
Fenkl focused on the story, “Children As Enemies,” elaborating on theme of rejection of tradition. He used the example that Chinese American children change their traditional names to more common ones.
This is such an important idea in Ha Jin’s work because referencing to a literary technique common in both Asian and Western literature, Fenkl stated “names are a matter of future and fate.”
He also emphasized the demasculization of male as a theme. Although their original names meant qualities such as bravery and strength, the children changed them to common American names with lesser meaning.
Ha Jin’s work is “a flat exposition; there isn’t much to it but the stories and messages stick in your memory,” said Fenkl. “Contrary to how they appear on the surface, they are very intricately interwoven at the level of theme, imagery, and language.”
During the question and answer portion the session, Fenkl discussed the genre of Chinese American literature. He claimed that a genre couldn’t die but the popularity of a genre comes and goes.
He also found it difficult to discuss the characteristics of Asian American literature. Because this genre of literacy is so difficult to define, the only element he believed was that the story would take place in America.
The rest of the Conference included multiple panels, art exhibits held in McKenna Theater and Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art featuring art by Ushio Shinohara and Veronica O’Keefe, and an evening concert featuring the Neel Murgai Ensemble.
The 2013 NYCAS will be held September 27 – 28 at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Scholarly writings from undergraduate and graduate students in colleges and universities in New York State are currently being accepted until June 1, 2013 to be considered for awards.
Sources:
http://www.newpaltz.edu/asianstudies/nycas/#HaJin
http://www.newpaltz.edu/asianstudies/nycas/integrated_program.pdf
NEWPALTZ, NEW YORK-The 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) kicked off this Friday at the SUNY New Paltz lecture center. This edition of NYCAS featured Ha Jin, an award winning Chinese-American author as the guest speaker to talk about his book “A Good Fall” assigned to freshman for their summer reading program. However due to a family emergency Ha Jin was unable to attend. Instead Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl a professor of the New Paltz creative writing community filled in for him.
ReplyDeleteFenkl discussed the short story “Children as Enemies” which talks about young Chinese immigrants who would change their native names which had strong meanings to fit in and escape ridicule from their peers. Their grandparents disapproved of this and made it a point to keep their traditional names in America. The choice of story simultaneously fit into the conferences theme “contesting tradition “which other Asian-American immigrants could relate to, . According to Fenkl “names are a matter of future and fate.”
Another issue that Fenkl brought up was the difficulties Ha Jin and himself went through as authors who started writing in an oriental language. The former wrote in Korean while the latter wrote in Mandarin. Though a move to the U.S called for them to write in English which Ha Jin viewed as a logical choice. Fenkl agrees, “Changing language was like a blood transfusion, you live in the language. It is the water that you breathe.”
The talk was the first of a two day schedule for the NYCAS which will conclude this Saturday. Other events to look out for include: Shinohara Pops! exhibition at The Dorsky Museum, and Lauren Meeker discussing a film on Old and New Vietnamese Traditions.
NEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- The 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies began Friday morning in the SUNY New Paltz Lecture Center with a speech delivered by Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl from the Creative Writing department. Fenkl discussed National Book Award winning author and colleague, Ha Jin’s newest collection of short stories, “A Good Fall.” Ha Jin was scheduled to be the key speaker but could not attend due to a family emergency.
ReplyDeleteFenkl highlighted similarities between himself and Ha Jin to start his lecture. Fenkl is Korean and German, while Jin is Chinese. Both emigrated to the U.S and according to Fenkl, “didn’t grow up to fulfill expectations of being a lawyer, doctor, or engineer.” Instead both became scholars.
As an Asian-American author, Jin struggled with the issue of writing in his native tongue or English. After reading Hemingway in Chinese and later in English, Jin decided English was the harder but the most logical choice. Fenkl agreed, saying “Changing language was like a blood transfusion, you live in the language. It is the water that you swim in and breathe.”
The general theme to Fenkl’s discussion was the “dissolution of traditional Chinese values” through the immigration process.
Jin’s story entitled “Children As Enemies” explains how immigration changed families. The grandchildren in the story disrespect their grandparents by changing their first and last names. Traditionally, Chinese names have a special meaning and the grandparents did not want to lose that. According to both Fenkl and Asian traditions, “names are a matter of future and fate.”
Fenkl accepted questions towards the end of the lecture, one of which raised the idea of whether or not he believed Asian-American literature would die out. Fenkl said that he believed it would not die out, but evolve and change over time.
The Conference will continue with The Dorsky Museum showcasing Shinohara Pops! The Avante-Garde Road, and will conclude on Saturday with Lauren Meeker discussing a film on Old and New Vietnamese Traditions.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNEW PALTZ, NEW YORK— Professor Heinz Insu-Fenkl of SUNY New Paltz filled in for author Ha Jin opening the annual New York Conference on Asian Studies last Friday.
ReplyDeleteHa Jin, scheduled to open the conference, cancelled due to a medical emergency. Insu-Fenkl instead discussed Ha Jin’s most recent short story collection A Good Fall.
The conference this year focused on a theme of contesting tradition. Appropriate to this, Insu-Fenkl repetitively mentioned a “disillusion of traditional Chinese values” and connected this theme to some of Ha Jin’s short stories.
Specifically, Jin’s “Children as Enemies,” was the focal point of the discussion. The story was about the rejection of traditions by an Asian Grandfather’s grandchildren. Insu-Fenkl went on to describe the grandfather’s disappointment with the children and the conflict that arose within the family.
Following the lecture, numerous audience members asked questions that Insu-Fenkl answered to the best of his ability.
The event lasted from Friday through Saturday. Soon after the opening, students and faculty were invited to attend Shinohara Pops! Exhibition.
There were many other events including a performance by Japanese artist Ushio Shinohara, the On the Farm: photography exhibition by Veronica O'Keefe, and a concert by the Neel Murgai Ensemble.
Edited version
ReplyDeleteNEW PALTZ, NEW YORK- SUNY New Paltz hosted the 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) this Friday and Saturday. National Book Award winner ,Ha Jin, was scheduled to speak about his book 'A Good Fall,’ to open the conference events. Unfortunately, due to a family emergency Ha Jin could not make his appearance, and Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl from SUNY New Paltz spoke in his absence.
Ha Jin and Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl are both creative writers and teachers of writing, Fenkl said. Fenkl spoke very highly of Ha Jin, and was very knowledgeable on all aspects of his writing
This year's theme of the NYAS conference was the conflict between tradition and culture. Professor Insu Fenkl decided to speak of a few of Ha Jin's stories, one titled, 'Children,' talked about the struggle Asian-American's have adapting to the culture. He explained how in Asian culture a person's name has meaning behind it, and when younger generations decide to change their name it is seen as an insult to older generations who have specifically picked a special name for them.
Finkl went into great detail in explaining how Asian-Americans faced a struggle in our culture. He described how this phenomenon was depicted in many of Ha Jin's stories as the underlying message.
Professor Finkl's speech opened the events for the New York Conference on Asian Studies. The remainder of the conference included many different art exhibits, an evening concert and many different panels as well.
Here's the one you asked me to post.
ReplyDeleteNEW PALTZ, NEW YORK – The 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) was held at State University of New York at New Paltz on Friday and Saturday. This year’s theme was “Contesting Tradition,” according to the conference program.
National Book Award Winner, Ha Jin was scheduled to speak on his book, “A Good Fall.” Due to a medical emergency, Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl spoke on his behalf. Fenkl’s Asian Amerian background, military experience, and creative writing knowledge helped him relate to Ha Jin’s work.
Since 1989, Asian studies programs have expanded within faculty, courses, and study abroad programs between the United States and Asian countries. This conference invited a wide variety of Asia specialists as well as students interested in Asian studies.
“A Good Fall” is a collection of stories that discusses Chinese immigration to America. It is a required reading by all first year students involved in the Composition program at SUNY New Paltz.
Fenkl focused on the story, “Children As Enemies,” to elaborate on the theme of rejection of tradition. He used the example that Chinese American children change their traditional names to more common ones.
He also emphasized the demasculization of male identity. Although their original names meant bravery and strength, the children changed them to common American names with lesser meaning. Fenkl believes traditional names are significant because they “are a matter of future and fate.”
Ha Jin’s work is “a flat exposition; there isn’t much to it but the stories and messages stick in your memory,” said Fenkl. “Contrary to how they appear on the surface, they are very intricately interwoven at the level of theme, imagery, and language.”
During the question and answer portion the session, Fenkl discussed the genre of Chinese American literature. He claimed that a genre could not die but the popularity of a genre comes and goes.
He also found it difficult to discuss the characteristics of Asian American literature. The only element he believed it was that the story would take place in America.
The remainder of the Conference included multiple panels and art exhibits. McKenna Theater and Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art featured art by Ushio Shinohara and Veronica O’Keefe and an evening concert performed by the Neel Murgai Ensemble.
The 2013 NYCAS will be held September 27 – 28 at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Scholarly writings from undergraduate and graduate students in colleges and universities in New York State are currently being accepted until June 1, 2013 to be considered for awards.
Sources:
http://www.newpaltz.edu/asianstudies/nycas/#HaJin
http://www.newpaltz.edu/asianstudies/nycas/integrated_program.pdf
Rewrite
ReplyDeleteNEW PALTZ, N.Y.– The 2012 New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS) was held at State University of New York at New Paltz on Friday and Saturday. This year’s theme was “Contesting Tradition,” according to the conference program.
National Book Award Winner, Ha Jin, was scheduled to speak on his book, “A Good Fall.” Due to a medical emergency, Professor Heinz Insu Fenkl spoke on his behalf. Fenkl’s Asian Amerian background, military experience, and creative writing knowledge helped him relate to Ha Jin’s work, Fenkl said.
Since 1989, Asian studies programs have expanded within faculty, courses, and study abroad programs between the United States and Asian countries. This conference invited a wide variety of Asia specialists as well as students interested in Asian studies.
“A Good Fall” is a collection of stories that discusses Chinese immigration to America. It is a required reading by all first year students involved in the Composition program at SUNY New Paltz.
Fenkl focused on the story, “Children As Enemies,” to elaborate on the theme of rejected tradition. He used the example that Chinese American children change their traditional names to western ones. This caused disappointment among the grandparents because of the importance of names to Chinese culture.
He also emphasized the demasculization of male identity. Although their original names meant bravery and strength, the children changed them to common American names with lesser meaning. Fenkl believes traditional names are significant because they “are a matter of future and fate.”
Ha Jin’s work is “a flat exposition; there isn’t much to it but the stories and messages stick in your memory,” said Fenkl. “Contrary to how they appear on the surface, they are very intricately interwoven at the level of theme, imagery, and language.”
During the question and answer portion the session, Fenkl discussed the genre of Chinese American literature. He claimed that a genre could not die but the popularity of a genre comes and goes.
The remainder of the Conference included multiple panels and art exhibits. McKenna Theater and Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art featured art by Ushio Shinohara and Veronica O’Keefe and an evening concert performed by the Neel Murgai Ensemble.
On The Farm, a series of film portraits by Veronica O’Keefe, portrayed those who were left behind in China’s urban migration and the struggles they encountered. This is the culture Chinese Americans wanted to reject.
The 2013 NYCAS will be held September 27 – 28 at Binghamton University, State University of New York. Scholarly writings from undergraduate and graduate students in colleges and universities in New York State are currently being accepted until June 1, 2013 to be considered for awards.
Sources:
http://www.newpaltz.edu/asianstudies/nycas/#HaJin
http://www.newpaltz.edu/asianstudies/nycas/integrated_program.pdf