Editor’s Note

SPACE:CULTURE:PLACE … where, how and why these elements intersect each other composes our summer issue.

As usual, we begin preparing for each issue by asking questions like “What do you do in your personal, creative or private spaces? What is community? Where have you been and what places have you seen?” The responses to such questions become the foundation for developing the content for Ricepaper.

Like rain drops that fall out of the clouds of inspiration, our reliable contributors respond with all the focus and creativity they can possibly muster. We are pleased to offer our readership these diverse and collective reflections on space, culture, and place. Delve into these pages and enjoy new poetry by Fiona Lam, Changming Yuan, and Phuong Nguyen; a dramatic play excerpt of Mixie and the Halfbreeds by Adrienne Wong and Julie Tamiko Manning; and “Uncle Kazu’s Bellybutton,” a short bedtime story by Kentaro Ide. Learn about the debates taking place in and around historic Chinatown, and follow Ophelia Wan across the country with “Chinatowns Across Canada.” Gain the insider’s perspective with in-depth profiles on award-winning Moriyama & Teshima Architects; the mediations of multi-talented Jin-me Yoon; and forthcoming projects by the inimitable Sook Yin-Lee. In all of the contributions, concepts of SPACE:CULTURE:PLACE recur and mesh.

We’re very pleased to offer two new columns. Writers-in-Dialogue brings together poet and English scholar Ray Hsu with Fiona Lam, who discuss the processes and nuances of Enter the Chrysanthemum, Lam’s latest book of poetry. And, in another addition to our coverage, Mieko Ouchi’s official Alberta Theatre Report looks at what’s happening in the diverse cultural scene of Edmonton and Calgary. You can expect some consistency from columnists like Jim Wong-Chu’s Artifact and Jenny Uechi’s Jenny Pop, and a healthy dose of Asian-inspired theatre, literary, and film reviews from here and abroad.

A big thank-you to Alex Samur, who oversaw the production of the past five issues.

Our board, staff and volunteers wish Alex all the best in her freelance work and future endeavours; we hope to see her around soon! Last but not least, we would like to welcome Patricia Lim to our team, as incoming Managing Editor.

Please stay with us as we grow and change and evolve with the times. And feel free to send your ideas to editor@ricepapermagazine.ca. Thanks for reading!

With regards,
Eury Chang
Editor, Ricepaper Magazine