Huang-wen Lai is an author and keen investigator of modern Japanese literature and culture, with a particular focus on colonialism, empire, and cultural identity in early twentieth-century Japan. His research examines Japanese colonial literature, cultural production, and representations of identity across imperial and postcolonial contexts. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016. Prior to joining Clark University, Lai taught Japanese language, literature, culture, and cinema at a range of public and private institutions across the United States, including St. Norbert College, Haverford College, Wake Forest University, the University of Oregon, College of William and Mary, and the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently researching the role of “in-betweenness” in Japanese colonial literature and culture and is employing both literary and cinematic approaches to reveal further the significant impact on the lives of those affected. His forthcoming project examines cinematic adaptations and their relationship to social, political, and literary transformations in East Asia from the 1930s to the present.