Award-winning writer and journalist Peter Hessler will host a public lecture open to the broader San Antonio community. He will also hold a brief talk and Q&A with students in the First-Year Experience course, "Being Young in Asia."

A New Yorker magazine staff writer and a MacArthur Fellow, Hessler has published six books, including New York Times bestsellers China Trilogy: Watertown (2001), Oracle Bones (2006), and Country Driving (2010).  His book River Town won the Kiriyama Prize, and Oracle Bones was a finalist for the National Book Award. These books are based on Hessler’s experience living in China as a Peace Corps English teacher in a small-town college in the 1990s (River Town) and as a New Yorker foreign correspondent in the early 2000s (Country Driving).

Hessler’s writing is based on lived experience, rooted in original, meticulous reporting, and rich in vivid, nuanced details. In addition to first-hand observations and interviews, he conducts extensive research on historical background, public records, and related academic studies to give his books incredible originality, depth, and scope.

As a writer and journalist, Hessler excels at conveying people’s mundane yet vivid lives by highlighting remarkable details of the microcosm of their daily activities. At the same time, he delves into the historic, social transition at a macro level, be it Egypt’s political upheaval or China’s massive urbanization and industrialization. 

Lecture is from 7-8 p.m. with Q&A and book sales after the lecture. 

From theatre productions to musical ensembles, Trinity University’s 2025-26 Stieren Arts Enrichment Series offers an exciting lineup for all to enjoy. 

Each year, this series brings to campus a diverse array of leaders in the arts and humanities  who share their expertise and works with the  Trinity and local community. All events are free and open to the public. 

The Stieren Arts Enrichment Series is made possible by an endowment gift from Jane and the late Arthur Stieren of San Antonio.