DISCO stands for Diversity & Identity Studies Collective at Ohio State, and Professor Debra Moddelmog (pictured above) created it. Thanks to its existence, cutting-edge work in the various fields represented by the Collective have more visibility on OSU's campus. Debra has been a tireless champion of diversity and inclusion and the intellectual richness that diversity brings. She has also been a crucial part of the success of Living with Lynching because she guided me—step by step and draft by draft—through the process of responding to reader reports. I was honored to be invited to speak in the series. It was the first time I presented on my research in that room since I interviewed for the job in 2005.
Debra is a renowned Ernest Hemingway scholar, an excellent role model, and a generous friend.
Professor Joe Ponce, author of Beyond the Nation: Diasporic Filipino Literature and Queer Reading, introduced me. We started at Ohio State together, and he has been a true friend on this remarkable journey. I was much more emotional during and after his introduction than I expected to be. (I couldn't hold back the tears or keep my voice from quivering.) One of the things he shared was that I declared years ago that he and I would be stars. Well, this endorsement of his book is more confirmation that I was right!
“Beyond the Nation is one of the most original, scrupulous, and moving books in Asian American literary criticism that has been published in the past fifteen years.” -Sarita See
It was lovely to see people from all over campus and from the community.
It's always a joy to share the work!
For a nice feature on the DISCO website about my book and related activities, click here.
