Hua Hsu, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning memoir Stay True, professor of English at Bard College and staff writer at The New Yorker, visited one of Mr. Bernor and Ms. Massuda’s English 12 classes this week. Stay True is Mr. Hsu’s recounting and analysis of his coming of age in the 80s and 90s, his search for identity, issues of race in America, and most importantly, his close friendship with Ken, who was tragically killed in a carjacking in 1998. Students asked Mr. Hsu about his upbringing, his current interests (music and zines are extensively covered in the memoir), what it was like writing a memoir, and issues surrounding grief and coping after the loss of a friend.
Students will be crafting their own memoir pieces and composing their own zine to publish.