Ada Zhang

Ada Zhang is an American author. Her debut short story collection, The Sorrows of Others, was published May 9, 2023, which was an honoree of the 5 Under 35 award by the National Book Foundation.

Zhang is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and her work has been published in McSweeney's and A Public Space, and The Alaska Quarterly Review.

The Sorrows of Others
Zhang's debut short story collection centers around themes of loss, loneliness, grief, and joy in characters from the Chinese-American immigrant experience. Significant historical ties included in the book are relations to the Cultural Revolution and the Communist movement in China which was led by Mao Zedong from 1966 to 1976.

Zhang wrote one of the first stories in 2015 before deciding to apply to an MFA program in creative writing. She wrote the rest of the collection during the COVID-19 pandemic throughout 2020.

Yiyun Li wrote that "Ada Zhang is a bighearted and sensitive writer, and these stories... are a triumph". The collection made notable mentions across literary platforms including The Millions by Jai Chakrabarti, Ms., and Katie Couric Media. Belinda Huijuan Tang of Literary Hub called Zhang "one of the most skilled short story writers of our time" for her work on The Sorrows of Others. Booklist called the collection "filled with lost souls aching for connection on both sides of the world" in a starred review.