Sukrungruang to kick off Flagler College Writers in Residence series

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Ira Sukrungruang

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL (09/03/2013)(readMedia)-- Ira Sukrungruang is a busy man. The writer and poet teaches at not one but two MFA programs: he is on the full-time faculty in the MFA program at the University of Central Florida and also teaches in the low-residency MFA program at City University in Hong Kong. He is also one of the founding editors of the journal "Sweet: A Literary Confection."

And on Thursday, September 26 at 6:30 p.m., Sukrungruang will visit Flagler College to give a reading of his work and to talk with students interested in careers in writing and publishing.

A funny, unassuming, and wickedly smart writer, Sukrungruang is accomplished in more than one genre. His latest book is a collection of poetry, "In Thailand It Is Night." His 2010 memoir "Talk Thai: The Adventures of Buddhist Boy" has been hailed as a lively, entertaining and often hilarious memoir of life as a first-generation Thai-American.

Sukrungruang, who by his own admission spent most of his childhood eating at McDonalds, playing Nintendo, watching kung fu movies, and writing horrendous unrequited love stories, is a native of a small suburb of Chicago. In addition to publishing two books, he is the coeditor of two anthologies on the topic of obesity: "What Are You Looking At? The First Fat Fiction Anthology" and "Scoot Over, Skinny: The Fat Nonfiction Anthology." He is the recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Nonfiction Literature, an Arts and Letters Fellowship, and the Emerging Writer Fellowship. His work has appeared in many literary journals, including "Post Road," "The Sun," and "Creative Nonfiction."

The reading and discussion will be held in the Gamache-Koger Theater at the Ringhaver Student Center at 50 Sevilla Street. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are a person with a disability and need reasonable accommodations, please contact Lynn Francisco at 904-819-6460. Sign Language Interpreters are available upon request with a minimum of three days' notice. Call (904) 819-6339 or visit www.flagler.edu/our-community/events/writers-in-residence for more information.

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Flagler College is an independent, four-year, comprehensive baccalaureate college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 24 majors, 29 minors and two pre-professional programs, the largest majors being business, education and communication. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,600 students, as well as a satellite campus at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly feature Flagler as a college that offers quality education at a relatively low cost; tuition is $22,500, including room and board. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for the historic beauty of its campus. The main building is Ponce de Leon Hall, built in 1887 as a luxury resort by Henry Flagler, who co-founded the Standard Oil Company with John D. Rockefeller. For more on Flagler College, visit www.flagler.edu.