literAsian – A festival of Pacific Rim Canadian Writing2 min read

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Countdown to the literASIAN: A Festival Featuring Asian Canadian authors

The Vancouver Asian Writers’ Workshop (ACWW) is pleased to announce the countdown to its much anticipated inaugural celebration of Asian Canadian writing set for November 21 to 24, 2013 in Vancouver, BC. As a non-profit organization with a mandate to promote awareness of Asian Canadian literature, history, and culture, ACWW provides a supportive and culturally sensitive environment for members from a common Asian Canadian heritage while accessing new performing and publishing venues and relevant information on behalf of members, such as the literary publication of Ricepaper Magazine.

“We are extremely excited for this inaugural celebration of Asian Canadian writing,” stated Jim Wong-Chu, Festival Director and author of Chinatown Ghosts. “Over the past three decades, ACWW has helped writers get published and this festival has been years in the making. This festival invites our audience to challenge their own perceptions about what is Asian Canadian writing, and has brought in an interesting array of talent. This year, we have authors across a span of genres, including graphic novels, poetry, science-fiction, humour, and non-fiction.”

The opening night for literASIAN 2013 is the return of Terry Woo to Vancouver for a script reading of Banana Boys. Directed by Rick Tae, the script adaptation features some of Vancouver theatre’s newest voices. Author of the best-selling family memoir, The Concubine’s Children, and City of Vancouver Book Prize winner, Denise Chong returns to the subject of the lives and times of Canada’s early Chinese families in her new book. Workshops include David HT Wong’s “Creating a Graphic Novel (fat comic book) to teach and to reach,” Ann Shin’s “Your Story or Poem as a ‘Brand’: Leveraging Literature in New Media” and Janie Chang’s “The Debut Author and the Business of Mainstream Publishing.” Other notable events include the launch of C.X. Cheng’s Wolf Coven and tours by Judy Lam Maxwell of Chinatown’s notable literary landmarks. The closing event, a Celebration Banquet Dinner at Pink Pearl Restaurant, will feature panel “Does Canada Need Ricepaper?” featuring former Ricepaper editors, including Jim Wong-Chu, Madeleine Thien, and Anna Ling Kaye, with a presentation of a special award to Brian Lam of Arsenal Pulp Press.

literASIAN: A Festival of Pacific Rim Asian Canadian Writing will take place on November 21 to 24, 2013, at the UBC Learning Exchange, 612 Main Street in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown, Vancouver Public Library (350 West Georgia Street), and Pink Pearl Restaurant (1132 E Hastings Street). Close to 1,000 audience members are expected to attend the four-day festival.

The entire program schedule will be available online at www.literasian.ricepapermagazine.ca starting November 1. Tickets will be available online at www.literasian.ricepapermagazine.ca starting October 15.