The English department at Mississippi State University proudly showcases the literary work of both students and faculty alike. Tuesday, courtesy of the English department, Phong Nguyen, published author and editor, will share selections from his newest work.

Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American who grew up in New Jersey,  will meet with the intermediate fiction writing class taught by Michael Kardos, associate professor and co-director of creative writing in the English department, along with the staff of “The Streetcar,” MSU’s student literary journal, to offer insight on his life as a writer.

Along with this, Nguyen will offer a public reading in Fowlkes Auditorium on the third floor of Colvard Student Union at 5 p.m.

Kardos shared insight about Nguyen’s latest work, and he said he is enthused that Nguyen will visit campus.

“Phong Nguyen’s most recent book of fiction tells alternate histories of historical figures from Joan of Arc to Christopher Columbus to Albert Einstein. It’s a remarkably inventive book, and we’re lucky to have the chance to hear the author read from his own work,” he said.

Nguyen is the editor of the literary journal “Pleiades” and author of two story collections: “Memory Sickness,” which won the Elixir Press Fiction award in 2011, and “Other Stories and Pages from the Textbook of Alternate History.” 

“Pleiades” is a literary compilation of short stories and poems published yearly through the Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Prize.

Nguyen is currently a teacher at the University of Central Missouri with classes focused on fiction and American Literature.  

Jessica Lockhart, lecturer in the English department, said the creative writing class at MSU met online with Nguyen, and he gave insightful lessons on the publishing world. She said she is excited to be able to hear from him again.

 “It will be great to hear some of his creative work and to see how he does things from the other side,” she said.