Author Steph Cha Attends Final Literary Fest

them their process, while also creating our own works of fiction. Also, AGP and Tsering did a phenomenal job at structuring the class and teaching us more about craft and how it works in creating pieces of literature.”

Both Rhee and Kilgore appreciate the diverse works incorporated into the Literary Festival, in addition to the personal connection they get to establish with authors when they come to campus.

“It’s been exciting to see so many [students] passionate to come see these authors that give their time to come visit us at Villanova,” Rhee said.

“The Lit Festival is a lot of fun, and I think it is really special that we are able to not only read works with authors, but then get to have conversations with them and go to readings where other people can also ask questions,” Kilgore said.

Kilgore, who had read Your House Will Pay before, was thrilled to have Cha in class.

Rhee emphasized how intimate of an experience it was, “getting up close and personal” with Cha.

“It was a huge room with lots of kids listening in, and it was a really great experience,” Rhee said. “It was so great to be able to ask her questions about the work that we have been studying for the past couple of weeks of school. She definitely shined a new light on her novel and what it was like to write these two very different perspectives of the main characters Grace and Shawn, so it was lovely and we were very lucky to have her come to our class in addition to hearing her [speak] later that night.”

Cha’s novel, based on the real-life murder of Latasha Harlins that came just weeks after the beating of Rodney King at the hands of the police in the 1990s, is “a powerful and taut novel about racial tensions in LA, following two families, one Korean-American, one African-American, grappling with the effects of a decades-old crime.”

Rhee felt a strong personal connection to the novel, adding to her excitement as a presenter.

“I was really excited to be a presenter for Steph Cha,” Rhee said. “One of the characters in her novel is from a Korean-American family, so the little details and jokes that some people may not pick up on, I definitely picked up on, since I’m from a Korean-Indonesian household. A lot of the struggles and experiences are the same, so I was really excited to be able to introduce her and give her the praise that she deserves coming to Villanova.”

Kilgore’s prior experience with the novel made it especially important to her to do justice to Cha’s work when presenting.

“[Presenting] was very nerve racking, especially because I have had time to build up this respect and love for her novel,” Kilgore said. “I just wanted to make sure in the introduction that I fully encompassed it and represented its themes correctly, especially since Cha herself was going to be there. I really enjoyed being able to show the impact the book had on me.”

Kilgore found the historical context of the novel to be the most compelling, as it showed her the impact of the Los Angeles race riots through the dual perspectives of its protagonists.

“The thing that has stuck with me for two years is this conversation Grace has with her dad,” Kilgore said. “He explains that he believes the only reason there was so much news coverage for her mother’s trial was because a week or two before, the videos were released of the Rodney King beating, so the police and government were trying to shift the focus. It was just really interesting because it brings up this question of who is controlling the tension between these two communities, what do they gain from it and how are they making sure it stays between the communities instead of shifting to the government which is controlling it.”

Rhee and Kilgore both raved about the class and encouraged students to not only take the course, but to also open themselves up to trying new books that they might not normally read, as they have done in this course. They are especially grateful to Perry and Wangmo for being so dedicated to both the course and its students, allowing them to have such a great experience.