My former student, Victor Vazquez, is one of my pride and joys, despite his not having yet published his novel.* He’s since gone on to do much more important things–things that will in all likelihood guarantee the publication of his novel, such as be part of the wildly popular Das Racist–and most importantly, win a cartoon-off with the New Yorker, though as of yet the magazine hasn’t made good on their promise to become, if losing, a magazine devoted to “rap and jewels”.
He’s the one here on the right, with the glint of triumph in his eyes.
Ok maybe that is arguable about the New Yorker but really they could have more coverage of the jewels. And to be fair, it’s been a year.
Why am I saying any of this? Well, this Saturday, Das Racist uses its powers for good and joins Fred Ho, Tao Lin, Richard Price, Lorraine Adams, Karan Mahajan and Koreanish favorite Nami Mun for the Pageturner Sexy Nerd party at Chambers Fine Arts in New York City, located at 522 West 19th St. Admission is $40, $60 for two and free if you wear your sexy nerd glasses. Come out and support the Asian American Writers’ Workshop’s Pageturner festival**, and have fun at the same time. I of course am, like Victor Hugo was once, with my party clothes locked away until I finish my residency here at Ledig House.*** But you go. I insist.
I seriously do.
*Also, for publishers looking for a celebrity novel with some underground cred and some very real literary qualities, Victor is an astonishing talent.
**For bonus points, ask Ken Chen about the t-shirt ideas we came up with after Brooklyn Bookfest.
***Yes, Victor Hugo was never at Ledig House. But he did ask his wife to put chains on his party clothes, so he would not go out and instead write.
Koreanish 
Whoa, who knew Victor had a novel. Shows I should have taken more writing classes at Wes.
I have heard another version of the Hugo story involving a butler and locking away ALL his clothes, so he had to write naked.
He was in my novel tutorial class there. A long fiction workshop I did with about 6 students interested in workshopping novels. It was a picaresque. Hilarious, imaginative and completely original.
That is an interesting Victor Hugo story! But then perhaps he would have died of the grippe.
Oh awesome. I hope it does surface at some point!
It occurs to me that someone who writes naked because their butler took their clothes could easily fall under the rubric of “sexy nerd.” Even if afterwards they die of the sexy grippe.
Agreed on both counts.