The Short of It: Stories of Magical Realism & Cultural Legacy

1:30 PM - 2:15 PM

Saturday, November 16

Capitol Auditorium (1100 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701)

Dive into imaginative worlds where magic and reality meet, and the past shapes the present in unexpected ways. This session will explore magical realism and cultural legacy in short story collections crafted by authors 'Pemi Aguda and Gina Chung. In Ghostroots, Aguda shares haunting tales set in Lagos, Nigeria, where ancestral ties and modern struggles collide, revealing the complexities of family, tradition, and identity. In Green Frog, Chung explores Korean American womanhood through stories that blend the fantastical with everyday challenges, as characters—both human and otherworldly—navigate survival, transformation, and the weight of cultural heritage.