The Rider University EOP Distinguished Writers Series will celebrate the writings of Chang-rae Lee, a notable American novelist of South Korean descent, Friday, December 9, at 7 p.m. in the Bart Luedeke Center Theater.

Lee will read from his works during the evening program, which is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow. Prior to his talk, Lee will engage freshmen from Rider's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) in discussion during an afternoon symposium in which five students will present written critiques of his work. Rider University will publish the students' essays in a literary chapbook next spring.

Lee's writings explore the themes of identity, belonging and assimilation as evident in his novels, "Native Speaker" (1995), and "A Gesture Life" (1999), and "Aloft" (2004), published by Riverhead Books. Born in South Korea, he immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of three in 1968. He later graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy and Yale University, and he received a master of fine arts degree from the University of Oregon.

Lee currently teaches writing at Princeton University. Prior to teaching at Princeton, Lee was a professor of English and director of the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Hunter College of the City University of New York and on the faculty of the University of Oregon. Earlier on in his career, he worked as a Wall Street analyst but his love for writing led him to embark on a full-time writing career.

"Native Speaker," his first novel, won the PEN/Hemingway Award, The American Book Award, and other honors. "A Gesture Life," won the Anisfield-Wolfe Prize in Fiction and the Asian-American Literature Award for Fiction and earned Lee a spot on The New Yorker magazine's list of 20 best writers under 40. "Aloft," his third novel, has been a critical success and was among The New York Times' "Notable Books of the Year." His work has appeared in The Best American Essays, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and numerous anthologies.