» Introducing Avery Research Center’s Graduate Assistant: Kangkang Kovacs

Kangkang Kovacs is a graduate student in the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program for creative writing at the College of Charleston. Born in Nanchang, China, Kangkang obtained her Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics at the University of Virginia and taught Physics and Math at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 2003, she moved to Mount Pleasant, SC with her family and became fascinated by the local sweetgrass basketry. Over the years, Kangkang has talked with local artisans and historians about this traditional Gullah Geechee craft.

She is also the Chinese translator for Dr. Theodore Rosengarten’s book, All God’s Dangers: The Life of Nate Shaw, an autobiography assembled from the oral reminiscence of an 84-year-old Black cotton sharecropper in Alabama. The book won the 1975 National Book Awards for Contemporary Affairs.

Kangkang has always been fascinated by the Avery Research Center’s rich collection of historical documents and artifacts. She is currently writing blog essays that brings some of the collections to the public eye. She will be providing guided tours once the Avery Research Center reopens in spring 2022.

Currently living in Mount Pleasant, Kangkang divides her time between reading, writing, and being a mom of twins. She enjoys playing piano, gardening, and slipping out for a long bike ride on West Ashely Greenway or a brisk walk on Sullivan’s Island Beach.