Shawn Wen

About the Author

Shawn Wen is an acclaimed author and filmmaker whose work deftly explores the intersections of performance, memory, and cultural identity. Born in the United States to Taiwanese immigrant parents, Wen draws from her multidisciplinary background in writing and visual arts to craft narratives that challenge conventional storytelling. Her debut book, A Twenty Minute Silence Followed by Applause, a genre-bending biography of the legendary mime Marcel Marceau, garnered widespread praise for its innovative structure and poignant reflections on silence and survival during wartime. Wen's essays and short stories have appeared in prestigious outlets like The New Yorker and Granta, where she examines themes of diaspora and artistic expression with a keen, introspective eye. A resident of Providence, Rhode Island, she continues to push the boundaries of nonfiction and hybrid forms.