Jack Wang: On Recognizing Humanity
Jack Wang is the author of the award-winning story collections We Two Alone and Joyland. His fiction has appeared in Brick, PRISM international, The Malahat Review, The New Quarterly, and The Humber Literary Review. In 2014–15, he held the David T. K. Wong Creative Writing Fellowship at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England; in 2021, he was awarded a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Fiction from the New York Foundation for the Arts; and in 2022, he served as a writer-in-residence at Historic Joy Kogawa House in Vancouver. He holds an MFAm from the University of Arizona and a PhD from Florida State University, and is a professor in the Department of Writing at Ithaca College. Originally from Vancouver, he lives in Ithaca, New York, with his wife, novelist Angelina Mirabella, and their two daughters. Follow him on X (Twitter) and Instagram.
Photo by Holman Wang
In this interview, Jack discusses telling the story of unsung heroes in his new historical novel, The Riveter, his hope for readers, and more.
Name: Jack Wang
Literary agent: Jackie Kaiser, Westwood Creative Artists
Book title: The Riveter
Publisher: HarperCollins / HarperVia
Release date: February 11, 2025
Genre/category: Historical fiction / Literary fiction
Previous titles: We Two Alone
Elevator pitch: Can a Chinese Canadian paratrooper fight his way through Europe during World War II to earn citizenship and the franchise and marry the woman he loves?
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What prompted you to write this book?
I was inspired by the exploits of Chinese Canadians during the Second World War, everything from working in shipyards to flying bombers over Europe. At the time, Chinese Canadians were second-class citizens. They couldn’t vote, couldn’t work in professions like law or medicine, and couldn’t join the military. Nonetheless, many were eager to serve. As the war progressed, Chinese Canadians were eventually admitted, first to the air force, then the navy, and finally the army, and many served with distinction. Most of those veterans are now gone, so it seemed important that someone tell their story.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
The idea gestated for years before I ever set pen to paper. In 2014, I wrote the first fledgling pages of the novel while I was on fellowship in England, but it took me a decade to finish (with another book in between). During that time, the novel went from being called The Riveters to The Riveter. That was the biggest change, going from a novel about a group of Chinese Canadians who venture off to different theaters of war to a novel about a single paratrooper. I think that singular focus deepens our understanding of the character and gives the novel more unity.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I never realized that major booksellers have a lot of sway over the cover of a book. A cover concept that I liked didn’t sit well with one major bookseller, so it had to be redesigned. Fortunately, my publisher gave me input on the process, and thanks to Stephen Brayda, the art director at HarperOne, I wound up with a beautiful cover.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
For the longest time, I thought I knew the fate of Josiah Chang and Poppy Miller, the star-crossed lovers in The Riveter, but by the time I reached the end of the novel, they were fated for something else. Sometimes, you have to surrender to your characters and their clamorous souls.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope readers will come to appreciate the courage and sacrifice of Chinese Canadians during the Second World War, even though they didn’t have full legal status in Canada. That, in turn, should make us reflect on those who don’t enjoy full legal status today—in Canada, the United States, and elsewhere—and what we can do to expand the circle of freedom and equality and recognize everyone’s full humanity.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Whenever I’m asked this question, I like to quote Isak Dinesen, who said, “Write a little every day, without hope, without despair.” It’s important not to get too high or too low about your writing. Instead, cultivate that Zen. You’re neither the genius nor the failure you think you are.
