Name: Trio Books from Taiwan: Ocean, Ecology and White Terror
Start: 2026-02-11T16:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-02-11T18:00:00-05:00
Location: Weatherhead East Asian Institute (located at the School of International and Public Affairs)

This event celebrates the publication of three newly translated works of Taiwanese literature: Portraits in White, Eyes of the Ocean, and A
About this Event

For non-Columbia affiliates, registration is required to access the Morningside campus. After registering you will receive an email with a QR code that must be presented along with a government-issued ID (your name must match exactly the name registered for the event) at either the 116th Street & Broadway or 116th Street & Amsterdam gates for entry. Please register using a unique email address (one email address per registrant) by 4:00pm on Feb. 10 for campus access.

Names will be submitted for QR codes 1-2 days prior to the event. Registrants will receive an email from CU Guest Access with the QR code before or on the day of the event. NOTE: You cannot access campus using the QR code from Eventbrite.

Speakers:

Kaori Lai, author of Portraits in White

Ian Rowen, author of A Taiwanese Ecoliterature Reader; Associate Professor, Institute for Advanced Study, Kyushu University

Brian Skerratt, translator of Ecoliterature chapter and previous Literature from Taiwan (LiFT) story; Classical & Oriental Studies, Hunter College of CUNY

Moderator:

Andrew J. Nathan, Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science, Department of Political Science, Columbia University

This event celebrates the publication of three newly translated works of Taiwanese literature, co-published by the National Museum of Taiwan Literature and Columbia University Press. Together, Portraits in White, Eyes of the Ocean, and A Taiwanese Ecoliterature Reader guide readers from the shadows of Taiwan’s martial-law past, across the luminous horizons of its oceanic imagination, and into the vibrant landscapes of its ecological narratives. These works provide new perspectives on the island’s natural environment, historical experience, and cultural vision.

These titles are part of the Literature from Taiwan (LiFT) series, an initiative that promotes Taiwanese literature in translation and engaging both academic audiences and general readers around the world.

This event is hosted by the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and co-sponsored by the National Museum of Taiwan Literature (NMTL) & Taipei Cultural Center in New York (TCC).