This spring, I was invited to give an evening presentation that was partly craft (writing nonfiction) and partly thematic (writing about immigration). Specifically, we were going to chat about short-form nonfiction, and how and why I wrote and collected the personal essays in my just-released book, Green Card & Other Essays.

Half-way through the evening, and long before our Q & A discussion, a woman in the audience interrupted to ask about my current immigration status.