Velina Hasu Houston
VELINA HASU HOUSTON has written over thirty plays, including sixteen commissions, in a career that began at New York’s Manhattan Theatre Club with her seminal work Tea. Her plays are presented internationally throughout Asia, as well as in the U.S., Canada, Greece, Croatia, and Australia. The recipient of many honors, Houston writes opera, essays, television, film, and poetry. She is a member of the Dramatists’ Guild, Writers Guild of America-West, League of Professional Theatre Women, and Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights. She serves on the U.S. Department of State’s U.S.-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange. At the USC School of Theatre, she is founder of the Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing Program. She is also Professor of Theatre, Associate Dean of Faculty, Director of Dramatic Writing, and Resident Playwright. Her work is archived at the Library of Congress Huntington Library.
Updated June 2012
(Photograph by Ken Matsui)
Stories from This Author
Asian American Literature Forum Response by Velina Hasu Houston
June 24, 2012 • Velina Hasu Houston
“Are there any continuities,” wonders scholar Min Hyoung Song, “between the earlier generation of writers which first raised the banner of an Asian American literature and a later generation of writers which inherited it?” The Asian American Literary Review asked writers to respond to this question for their Spring 2012 issue on “Generations.”Forum Response by Velina Hasu HoustonRespecting History As a playwright of Asian descent, I find my perspectives on Asian American literature naturally gravitate toward Asian American dramatic literature. …
