Ava Chin

Ava Chin is a Professor of Creative Nonfiction at the College of Staten Island and head of the CUNY Graduate Center's American Studies Certificate Program. As a 5th generation New Yorker with deep roots in NYC's Chinatown, she brings a unique perspective to her academic and creative work.

Her research interests span creative nonfiction, Chinese American history, immigration narratives, and food writing. Professor Chin examines how historical records often exclude marginalized voices and how to reconstruct narratives when official documentation is biased or nonexistent, particularly regarding the Chinese Exclusion laws' impact on multiple generations.

Professor Chin's publications include the critically acclaimed memoir Mott Street: A Chinese American Family's Story of Exclusion and Homecoming (2023), named a Best Book of 2023 by multiple publications and a 2024 American Library Association Notable Book, and Eating Wildly (2014), which won the M.F.K. Fisher Book Award.

• M.F.K. Fisher Book Award for 'Eating Wildly' (2015)
• 2024 American Library Association Notable Book for 'Mott Street'
• Named one of '9 Contemporary Authors You Should Be Reading' by The Huffington Post
• Fellowship from NYPL's Cullman Center for Scholars & Writers
• Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program grant

Professor Chin holds a PhD from the University of Southern California, a MA from the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University, and a BA from Queens College. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times ('Urban Forager' column), Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and numerous other prestigious publications. As both an academic and creative writer, she bridges scholarly research with accessible narrative nonfiction that addresses important historical and contemporary issues facing Asian American communities.