Alexis Kienlen in the Vancouver Sun: Bedside Table + Readings

Alexis Kienlen was featured at the Gung Haggis Fat Choy World Poetry reading, Jan 16 2006. – photo Todd Wong.


Alexis Kienlen is featured in Bedside Table column for Saturday's
(January 14) Vancouver Sun (page G2).  It is a regular colunm
featuring literary types describing their reading habits.

“I'm a voracious reader who tends to whip through about three books
every 10 days,” she introduces herself.  “I devour novels,
non-fiction and young-adult literature.  Like every passionate
reader, I'm looking for things that speak to me and my experiences.”

Kienlen lists as her recent read interests” “In Praise of Slow: How a
Worldwide Movement Is Challenging the Cult of Speed,” by Canadian
journalist Carl Honore; and young adult novel “Girls For Breakfast” by
David Yoo.

“As the literary editor of Ricepaper magazine, I read a lot of books
about Asian Canadians and Asian identity,” says Kienlen who points out
that a friend recommended the David Yoo book.  “It's the story of
Nick Park, who is unfortunate enough to be the only Asian of his age in
a sall Connecticut town.”

“The humour in the book helps raise issues about male/female
relationships and identity issues.  At times, I cringed and became
frustrated with Nick's utter foolishness, but ultimately I found the
character to be a believable depiction of a rather perverted teenage
boy.”

Kienlen is also listed on page C2 for Readings in the Books section.

Alexis is one of our featured poets for Gung Haggis Fat Choy World
Poetry Night, along with Fiona Lam, James Mullin, Burns Club of
Vancouver, bagpiper Joe McDonald, and Yan Yan with Chinese
dancers.  This event takes place Monday, January 16th, at the
Central Branch Vancouver Public Library.  7:30pm

Last year's GHFC WP night featured Governor General Award winner Fred
Wah, whom Alexis really related to.  Wah read his poems about
growing up 1/4 Chinese, 1/4 Scots-Irish and 1/2 Swedish, on the
Canadian prairies.  Kienlen describes her self as multi-racial
with 1/8 Chinese and 1/8 Scots heritage mixed with German and other
cultural ethnicities.  In my books, Alexis is 100% Canadian, and I
was really happy to include her for the GHFC WP evening.