By Kevin Koeninger
It’s not unusual to find a college professor who doubles as an author. But’s it hard to find one who is successful in both.
The University of Louisville is lucky enough to employ this type of professor, and he happens to be English/Creative Writing instructor and award-winning author Brian Leung.
After sitting down with Professor Leung for only a matter of minutes, it was apparent that the California native has a genuine zeal for both his creative writing and teaching professions.
“I feel like I have a calling for both [writing and teaching] equally,” Leung said. “I’m very lucky to have a career that can focus on both.”
Leung’s authoring abilities have taken precedence over the past few years, with a great deal of notoriety arriving on the heels of his collection of short stories entitled “World Famous Love Acts.” Described by its author as a collection “about the different ways in which people love another,” it has received praise from critics and fellow writers alike.
Given Leung’s racial ties (he’s half-Chinese), the book was nominated for and won the 2005 Asian American Literary Award. While he does not tailor his works specifically towards Asian Americans, he said, “[I] would be negligent if [I] ignored [my background].”
Nevertheless, Leung said he most enjoys “writing outside of who I am racially, sexually and religiously.” The short story collection certainly echoes that line of thinking, as it encompasses a wide variety of characters that experience love in radically different ways.
Undaunted by the task of creating more substantial works, Leung has also crafted novels throughout his career as a writer.
On the creative differences that exist between a short story and a novel, Leung said, “[It’s] the difference between instant pudding and baking a cake. As a writer, one is satisfying right away and is not as daunting of a task
