Monthly Archives: November 2013

literASIAN 2013 – A Recap of the Festival

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The whole team (photos courtesy of Caroline Y. Ng)


literASIAN 2013 just wrapped up – friends, family, authors, all joined together to celebrate the accomplishments of Asian Canadian writing.
Todd Wong, Winnie Cheung, and David HT Wong

Todd Wong, Winnie Cheung, and David HT Wong


Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop (ACWW) originated as a group of writers who wanted to get published. Together they read and critiqued each others’ work in honing their craft.
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Festival Director Jim Wong-Chu


In 1996, a few from the group decided to register as a society and become a formal organization where they could obtain grants to help with author readings, writing workshops, and eventually a newsletter (that became Ricepaper Magazine).
Kristin Cheung, Charlie Cho, Anna Ling Kaye, Madeleine Thien

Ricepaper past and present: From Left to Right: Kristin Cheung, Charlie Cho, Anna Ling Kaye, Madeleine Thien


By 1999, the group created the Emerging Writers’ Award, which awarded the best unpublished manuscript with the opportunity to be published with an established publisher. A decade later, the evolution of the literASIAN became a reality.

literASIAN 2013: A Festival of Pacific Rim Asian Canadian Writing

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literASIAN: A Festival of Pacific Rim Asian Canadian Writing represents a turning point in the Asian Canadian literary world, a maturation of over eighteen years of hard work.   In 1996, an inexperienced ragtag group of writers of Asian descent formed a non-profit society to help fledgling writers who would otherwise be neglected by mainstream publishers to have their voices heard and their words written.   The Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop Society (ACWW) was thus born.

The mission was simple but noble: establish a support network to promote these writers with an inclusive and sensitive environment to produce writing that was personal and representative of their identity.  What was initially an activist project matured eighteen years later into a social and cultural fabric of the Canadian literary canon.


Festival Director Jim Wong-Chu with opening remarks to literASIAN 2013.


UBC Learning Exchange Director Kathleen Leahy welcomes audience.

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(Organizing Committee of literASIAN 2013: Left to Right – Chris Koch, Kathleen Leahy, Mark Smith, Allan Cho, Jim Wong-Chu, Sid Tan)