Biggest Diss Of An Asian American Writer

Maxine Hong Kingston And Obama on O'ahu



When you've been awarded the National Humanities Medal (selected by a sitting President of the United States), won multiple awards for your writing, and carry the title of "Living Treasure of Hawaii" - you'd think you could at least get something published in a newspaper.

Apparently though that wasn't the case this year because every single newspaper that Maxine Hong Kingston sent Obama on O'ahu too - after it was known that she would be winning The National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters award - rejected her.

Rejected a National Humanities Medal Award winner who just won a National Book Foundation Award.

Just think about that for a second and then ask yourself if you think that would have happened to someone like John Updike.

Probably not.

And sure, even though she published it herself and got some great buzz and recognition (in her own words rejuvenating her) I still can't help but wonder why she even needed to do that in the first place.

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Check out the links here, here, and here for the original piece, comments, reprints, and editorials, as well as this link to her acceptance speech for her National Book Foundation Award.