Peter Ho Davies - The Fortunes

CWRU's Common Reading selection for 2022-2023 is Peter Ho Davies' The Fortunes.  The Writing Program offers the following resources for using this text in First Seminars and other writing courses.

Ho Davies will speak at our Fall Convocation, the formal opening of the academic year. This event offers an opportunity to reflect on the history, symbols, and traditions of the university. First Seminar instructors might decide to attend as a class, or you might ask students to reflect on their experience and their expectations for college.  We have found that a brief, written reflection can help faculty plan activities and assignments to support their student writers, and reflection is an important academic success skill for students.

Our Resources for Faculty page offers some general advice about working with student writers, and the Writing Resource Center consultants are ready to work with faculty, staff, and students on their writing projects this year.

In addition, Kelvin Smith Library has collected resources and suggestions for engaging with this year's common reading selection.

Related Events

The following events are coordinated by First-Year Experience and Family Programs.

History of Cleveland's Chinatown Screening at Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival

Join us at Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival on Sunday, Sep. 18 at 4:30pm at Atlas Shaker Square - Theater 2 for the screening of our documentary feature History of Cleveland's Chinatown.

An oral history documentary about the Chinese living in Cleveland, Ohio since the 1800s. For over 150+ years, Chinese immigrated to Cleveland and helped build the rich, diverse city.

OCA Greater Cleveland
Atlas Cinemas Shaker Square 13116 Shaker Square, Cleveland, OH 44120

OCA Greater Cleveland serves the AAPI community of Northeast Ohio to promote cultural heritage, and active participation in civic and community affairs, securing justice, equal treatment, and equal opportunity. 

Click Here for Tickets

Poster for History of Cleveland's Chinatown Screening

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2022 AT 7 PM – 8:30 PM
AdvOCAtes in Action - Situational Awareness Workshop

In response to the increased rise of Anti-Asian/American, xenophobic harassment, and anti- hate towards marginalized communities of color, OCA is providing educational and awareness tools to combat these types of systemic oppression. This workshop is a free, 1.5- hour, interactive training to teach people on how to be a confident and effective bystander against racism and discrimination. At the end of the training, each participant will have the tools to be able to intervene as a bystander whenever they see or experience harassment. Pre-registration is required for this 1.5 hour training via Zoom.

Activate your power.
Register at https://www.ocanational.org/saw

 

Announcement for Situational Awareness Workshop

First-Year Experience will host a screening of the documentaryVincent Who? (2009), followed by a discussion (led by Dr. Lisa Nielsen). 

6:00 p.m. | September 29 | Nord 400

Register Here

Vincent Who? Film

Postponed - New Date TBA

When we think of Asian America, Cleveland is not the first place that comes to mind. In Good Luck Soup, filmmaker Matthew Hashiguchi shows us why this often overlooked part of the country is as important as others in understanding the Asian American story. Through interviews, personal home movies, and thoughtful narration by the filmmaker, Hashiguchi shows us what it was like to grow up mixed race in a predominantly white Midwestern neighborhood that wasn't always welcoming or accepting.

The journey for the Hashiguchi family begins with Matthew's grandmother, Eva, who moved to the Cleveland area following her family's internment during World War II. Though she and many other Japanese Americans were invited to the area, assimilating, working, and living with the region's black and white population was an ongoing struggle.

For filmmaker Matthew Hashiguchi, the inability to fit in created a struggle with his own racial and cultural identity, and in Good Luck Soup, Matthew takes us on a personal journey to uncover and understand his racial identity while growing up mixed race in white suburbia.

Learn more about this Asian American family journey through the eyes of the filmmaker Matthew Hashiguchi.  Matthew will join us following the showing to answer questions.

Event Announcement Image

Join Kelvin Smith Library, CWRU First Year Experience, and OCA of Greater Cleveland for a documentary showing, refreshments, and exhibit reception for Faces of Chinatown, a photography and oral history project. This event is free and open to the public, although a valid U.S. driver's license, State ID, or Passport is required for entry to the building.

Wednesday, Feb. 22 from 4:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Case Western Reserve University, Kelvin Smith Library
Freedman Center Collaboration Commons
*Documentary at 5:30 p.m.

Announcement for Event on February 22