Film screening, memoir discussion set with Curtis Chin

Curtis Chin, a critically acclaimed Chinese American writer, producer and director, will be on the South Dakota State University campus Thursday, Oct. 24, to screen his documentary films and to discuss his award-winning memoir. 

Both events are free and open to the public and will be held in the Pheasant and Crest rooms in the University Student Union. 

At noon, Chin will lead the screening of his newly released documentary “Dear Corky,” which features photojournalist Corky Lee, who documented Chinatown and Asian American communities around the country for over 50 years. There will also be a bonus screening of segments of “Vincent Who,” learning who Vincent Chin is and his monumental significance in both the Asian American experience and the civil rights history of America. 

At 7 p.m., Chin will discuss his new book, “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant: A Memoir,” about growing up Asian American in Detroit, coming out in a working-class immigrant community and being a first-generation college student. Gain insights into identity, resilience and the Asian American experience in this inspiring presentation. A limited number of books will be available for purchase at the event. 

A co-founder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York City, Chin served as the nonprofits’ first executive director. He went on to write comedy for network and cable television before transitioning to social justice documentaries. Chin has screened his films at over 600 venues in 20 countries. He has written for CNN, Bon Appetit, the Detroit Free Press and the Emancipator/Boston Globe. 

A graduate of the University of Michigan, Chin has received awards from ABC/Disney Television, New York Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts and more. He is currently working on a new docuseries on the history of Chinese restaurants in America. 

Thursday’s events are co-sponsored by the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, SDSU’s Office of Multicultural Affairs and Accessibility, School of Communication and Journalism, School of English and Interdisciplinary Studies, the Gender and Sexualities Alliance, and the South Dakota World Affairs Council. 

For more information on both events, go to the Chinese Students and Scholars Association webpage.