In Conversation with Author Ted Chiang

Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/1xGIlea3RFKKBla6yrGBkg

2026 Beyond the Page Keynote: In Conversation with Ted Chiang

Ted Chiang has become a definitive voice in speculative fiction, captivating readers with his award-winning collections Stories of Your Life and Others and Exhalation. He possesses a masterful ability to bridge the gap between rigorous scientific inquiry and the profound depths of human emotion. His work serves as a modern exploration of the “what if,” often using our evolving relationship with technology to challenge our understanding of free will, memory, and consciousness. These stories resonate because they grapple with the fundamental questions of what it means to be sentient in an evolving universe. In this keynote, Chiang will discuss various themes found in Exhalation: Stories, with a focus on the persistence of wonder and how shifting the lens of logic can fundamentally alter our perspective on the nature of existence.

Ted Chiang

Ted Chiang was born in Port Jefferson, New York, and graduated from Brown University with a degree in Computer Science. A technical writer by trade, Chiang brings a uniquely rigorous and philosophical perspective to the world of speculative fiction. Since his debut in 1990, he has become a titan of the short form, winning prestigious accolades including four Nebula Awards, four Hugo Awards, and six Locus Awards, as well as the PEN/Malamud Award for excellence in the short story.

He gained global recognition when his novella, “Story of Your Life,” was adapted into the 2016 Oscar-nominated film Arrival, cementing his reputation for bridging the gap between hard science and human emotion. His collections, Stories of Your Life and Others and Exhalation, have received international acclaim, with the latter being named one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by the New York Times. In 2023, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in AI for his insightful non-fiction work regarding the ethics of modern technology. He currently resides in Bellevue, Washington.

Co-sponsored by the Hopewell Valley Regional School District and the Pennington Public Library.

This event is part of our 2026 Beyond the Page – an initiative designed to broaden our imaginations and understanding of our world, our neighbors, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book.  The featured book Exhalation contains nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories, where author Ted Chiang tackles some of humanity’s oldest questions, along with new quandaries only he could imagine. Please visit PenningtonLibrary.org/2026BeyondThePage for a full calendar of events and more information.