Gregory Khezrnejat is an author and university associate professor from the United States. In 2021, his Japanese-language novel Kamogawa Runner won the second annual Kyoto Literature Award. The novel is inspired by Khezrnejat's early experiences in Japan. In a Japanophiles interview, he talks to Peter Barakan about the challenges involved in expressing yourself in a second language. He reads excerpts from the book, and talks about his work as an associate professor of literature at a Japanese university.