About
Hi. I’m Esmé Weijun Wang, a writer, speaker, and founder of The Unexpected Shape Writing Academy. I believe that living with limitations is something that can exist alongside an ambitious life.
True story: I’m a New York Times-bestselling writer and my disabilities often get in the way of what I want to do.
Now, I help ambitious writers living with constraints of all kinds to master the skills they need to become more confident, skilled memoir writers—to write work that adds to the literary canon with freedom and joy.
You’re a writer and you’ve got ideas on top of ideas, a pile of pages, and life limitations that feel utterly insurmountable. Do you ever just need a way to build life as a working writer—without having to “overcome” the very limitations that shape your life?
Well, you’re in just the right place.
That’s where I come in.
To dig in into my work for ambitious writers living with life constraints of all kinds, including The Unexpected Shape Writing Academy and Mentorships, I recommend exploring the Writing Courses page.
The Basics
About My Writing
I’m a writer and essayist—the author of the New York Times-bestselling essay collection The Collected Schizophrenias (2019), as well as the novel The Border of Paradise (2016), which was named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2016 and one of Electric Literature’s Top 25 Novels of 2016; I was selected by Granta for their once-a-decade Best of Young American Novelists list of 21 authors under 40. I’ve also made appearances on the Today Show, NPR’s Weekend Edition, KCRW, the New York Times, the CBC, Flavorwire, and the New Yorker Online.
What I'm
loving
Notion. Salty plum powder. Spring in Taiwan. Live theater. The curious feeling of wonder. BBQs. Bar karaoke. Fountain pens. Carol. Raw oysters. Long phone calls with my BFF.
What I'm
reading
Beloved. The Haunting of Hill House. Lolita. His Dark Materials. Babel. Gilead. Rebecca. Whatever book I'm considering blurbing at the moment. Some kind of decidedly predictable mystery/thriller that I nonetheless enjoy.
What I'm
listening to
The Softies. The Decemberists. The Rondelles. Bikini Kill. Nicholas Britell. Atticus Ross & Trent Reznor soundtracks. Podcasts all the time: Normal Gossip, Love to See It & Rich Text, Ruined!, and more.
assorted facts
I'm a Gemini Sun and a Capricorn rising, a 4 on the Enneagram, and an INFJ according to Myers-Briggs. I used to be voice actor for educational DVDs, which I did after becoming a regular on a children's TV show. A Taiwanese dramatic miniseries was created about my grandmother, who is now deceased.
It’s tough to be ambitious and dealing with limitations. But just because you have life constraints of any kind—whether they be disability, chronic illness, or any other life circumstance that causes you to feel fenced in—doesn’t mean you can’t go on to build resilience and a legacy.
Part of my work is to provide resources for ambitious writers living with imitations. In addition to The Unexpected Shape™ Writing Academy, I've created online courses such as Dream Hunting with Limitations; teach live workshops online about writing fiction and nonfiction, including as a visiting professor at an MFA program; and lead writing workshops in person all over the country.
I’m also a woman who lives with chronic illness, including physical and mental illness (which I write about in The Collected Schizophrenias). These conditions create boundaries for my life; they also inspire me to guide and support others who are dealing with difficult times.
Finally: I'm a public speaker represented by the Tuesday Agency, and travel around the world to give talks, take part in documentaries, and visit with students. In doing so, I hope to bring awareness to the great stigma society carries to the topic of mental health, and to allow people who live with limitations to feel less alone.
ON MY MOODBOARD
love
glamour
always
oysters!
"[Esmé Weijun Wang] finds light in her daily quest to help others create, despite the limitations they may face."
— New York Times, Women in the World
illustration by Julia Leister
Here are a variety of media bios that you and your publication/organization can use.
SHORTER BIO:
Esmé Weijun Wang is the author of the New York Times-bestselling essay collection The Collected Schizophrenias and the novel The Border of Paradise. Born in the Midwest to Taiwanese parents, Esmé lives in San Francisco, and can be found at esmewang.com.
LONGER BIO:
Esmé Weijun Wang is the author of the New York Times-bestselling essay collection The Collected Schizophrenias and the novel The Border of Paradise, which was one of NPR's Best Books of 2016. She won the Graywolf Nonfiction Prize (2016), was named by Granta as one of the “Best of Young American Novelists” in their decennial list (2017), received a 2018 Whiting Award, and was anthologized in Best American Short Stories 2018. Born in the Midwest to Taiwanese parents, Esmé lives in San Francisco. She is the founder of The Unexpected Shape Writing Academy for ambitious writers living with constraints of all kinds, and can be found at esmewang.com
MEDIA PHOTOGRAPHS—
Download: Print (.tiff) / Web (.jpg)
Credit: Esmé Weijun Wang
Download: Print (.tiff) / Web (.jpg)
Credit: Esmé Weijun Wang
Download: Print (.tiff) / Web (.jpg)
Credit: Esmé Weijun Wang
Credit: Esmé Weijun Wang
Download: Print (.tiff) / Web (.jpg)
Credit: Esmé Weijun Wang
Credit: Esmé Weijun Wang
Download: Print (.tiff) / Web (.jpg)
Download: Print (.tiff) / Web (.jpg)
Representation
LITERARY AGENT
JIN AUH, THE WYLIE AGENCY
JAUH@WYLIEAGENCY.COM
SPEAKING REPRESENTATION
Trinity Ray, The Tuesday Agency
trinity@tuesdayagency.com
Office: 319-338-7080 • Mobile: 319-400-9031
PUBLICITY
publicity@esmewang.com
ASSISTANT
dan@esmewang.com
