Matthew Salesses

Instructor & Writer

Matthew Salesses was adopted from Korea and is the author of three novels, THE HUNDRED-YEAR FLOOD, I'M NOT SAYING, I'M JUST SAYING, and DISAPPEAR DOPPELGÄNGER DISAPPEAR: A NOVEL, as well as CRAFT IN THE REAL WORLD. In 2015, Buzzfeed named him one of 32 essential Asian American writers. He teaches fiction writing and Asian American literature at Coe College.

Classes

view 2 past classes »

Stories

Cover Photo: An image from the film adaptation of The Hunger Games books: the protagonist Katniss standing among fires and rubble, looking distressed

On Worldbuilding and the Question of Resistance

In fiction, you can feel good about resistance without actually resisting anything.

Matthew Salesses

Jan 19, 2021

On Writing | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: An illustration of a young girl riding a dragon through the sky

Fate and Desire in Asian America

The satisfaction people take in free will comes not from their ability to choose, but from their ability to feel like they’ve chosen.

Matthew Salesses

Jul 22, 2020

Columns | Love And Silence

Cover Photo: The cover image Chang-Rae Lee's Native Speaker

What Does It Mean to Write Asian American Literature?

In my family, race itself did not exist. If I wanted to be real, I could not experience what was not real.

Matthew Salesses

Jun 16, 2020

Columns | Love And Silence

Cover Photo: An Asian man wearing a face mask that covers his mouth and nose

Love and Silence in Asian America

If the world responds to our silence and not to our love, then it teaches us that silence is a condition of our development.

Matthew Salesses

May 20, 2020

Columns | Love And Silence