Supported by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture, Taiwanese author Terao Tetsuya has embarked on a North American tour for the English edition of his short story collection Spent Bullets from March 17 to 30, 2026. Terao will appear alongside translator Kevin Wang to discuss the book’s stories, its translation, and the themes of tech migration, diasporic experience, and identity.
Spent Bullets is set in Taiwan and Silicon Valley and explores the meaning of success and the purpose of existence. It is centered on the short life and long shadow of an engineering genius who descends deeper into despair while rising higher on the professional ladder. Drawing on his own academic and professional experiences, including a computer science degree from National Taiwan University, a master’s from Carnegie Mellon University, and eight years at Google, Terao Tetsuya published this collection of linked stories in 2022. The book won the 2023 Golden Book Award and New Bud Award at the Taiwanese Literature Awards for Books, with English and Korean translation and film rights sold.
The English edition, translated by Fulbright Taiwan grantee Kevin Wang and published by HarperVia in October 2025, has earned widespread praise. Reviewers highlighted Wang’s “perfectly calibrated” translation, and Anelise Chen, author of Clam Down and So Many Olympic Exertions, described Spent Bullets as “an instant classic” that “aims straight at the rotten heart of technological capitalism.” She noted that the collection’s bold and unapologetic stories depict Taiwanese tech workers grappling with suppressed self-loathing, guilt, and desire, delivering a bracing and unforgettable reading experience.
Terao and Wang’s talk tour expands from New York, Texas, to the Bay, bringing Spent Bullets directly to readers and providing a rare opportunity to hear from both the author and translator about the book’s themes, creative process, and the challenges faced by Taiwanese tech workers abroad.
Event Information
1. Fireside Books & More
Date: March 27, 2026 | 6:30 PM
Location: 2421 Broadway, Redwood City, CA 94063
https://firesiderwc.com/events
2. University of San Francisco (In-person & Online)
Date: March 30, 2026 | 5:00 PM
Location: 2820 Turk Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94118 (Venue: Lone Mountain Main Handlery Room)
https://www.usfca.edu/event/failed-migrations-big-tech-engineers-and-diasporic-experience-spent-bullets/13103749