The East and West Learning Connections proudly presents
A Dialogue with Peter Hessler: Managing Cultural Difference and Political Conflict” On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, from 7:30 – 9:00 P.M. (Eastern Time). Register here.
Peter Hessler (何伟), an award-winning writer and journalist for The New Yorker, will discuss his cross-cultural living experience and reflect on our fast-changing world. He will be interviewed by co-hosts Dr. Fei Song and Ed Shiller and answer questions from the audience.
Peter, a prolific author, has earned widespread admiration for his vivid depictions of the spirit and complexities of contemporary societies by examining the lives of ordinary people, and for his courage in stating inconvenient truths in the face of criticism from both sides in a political conflict.
Zoom registration link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/lIqhHzvEST-AlbBCHvOR9Q
This free Zoom event will be in English, though translations into other languages will be available.
We look forward to your participation in what will certainly be a fascinating and informative event!
About Peter Hessler
In 1996, Peter Hessler was sent by the Peace Corps to China, where he taught English language and literature to college students in FuLing, a small city on the Yangtze River.
That experience became the subject of his first book, River Town(2001). After finishing his two years in the Peace Corps, Hessler moved to Beijing, where he eventually became the New Yorker’s China correspondent. With Oracle Bones (2006) and Country Driving (2010), he completed a trilogy of nonfiction books about China, all of which were New York Times bestsellers. In 2006, Oracle Bones was named a finalist for the National Book Award.
In 2011, Hessler moved with his family to Cairo, where he covered the events of the Egyptian Arab Spring for the New Yorker. His book about this period in Egypt, The Buried (2019), was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 2019, Hessler returned to China, teaching at Sichuan University during the pandemic. His most recent book, Other Rivers(2024), is about his time in Sichuan. Hessler is married to the writer Leslie T. Chang. They currently live with their twin daughters in southwestern Colorado.
For more information about Peter and his books, please visit https://www.peterhessler.net.
About the Co-Hosts
Ed Shiller is a former journalist for the New York Times, Reuters, the Toronto Star, and many other leading newspapers and magazines. He is the author of In the Spotlight: The Essential Guide to Giving Great Media Interviews, The Canadian Guide to Managing the Media, and Managing the Media, and the founder and publisher of Yorkland Publishing. You can learn more about Ed,
who was a guest speaker at an EAWLC dialogue in April 2024, by visiting https://www.eawlc.org/eawlc-dialogue-with-ed-shiller-adventures-of-a-journalist- and-social-justice-advocate.
Dr. Fei Song is the Graduate Program Director, Master of Science of Management and PhD Programs, and Professor of Human Resource Management/Organizational Behaviour in the Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University.
Theories and methodologies from social psychology and experimental/behavioural economics have significantly influenced her research. Fei loves literature and history, and has taken the enjoyment in reading each and every book by Peter. You can learn more about Fei here:
For inquiries, please email us at info@eawlc.org.
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