He has served as the Professor of English, Director of the University Honors Program (2003–06), Chair of the Department of English (1997–2002), and Director of the Creative Writing Program (1995–97) at the University of Washington, where he has been on the faculty since 1984 and teaches courses covering critical theory, Asian American studies, which he is considered a pioneer in, and fiction writing.

[3] His second novel, American Knees, first published by Simon & Schuster in 1996,[4] was adapted into an independent feature film entitled Americanese (2010),[5] written and directed by Eric Byler[6] and produced by Lisa Onodera.

Wong explained in an interview the title "American Knees": "When I was a child, kids used to come up to me and ask, 'What are you: Chinese, Japanese or Americanese?

[9] Wong has been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship[6] and a Rockefeller Foundation residency in Italy.

He is on the faculty of the Red Badge Project,[13] which teaches storytelling to veterans suffering from PTSD, depression, or anxiety disorders.