Wine and Words: Dim Sum with the Authors

Written by Kathy Mak

On May 6, WORD Vancouver and LiterASIAN hosted their inaugural fundraising event “Wine and Words: Dim Sum with the Authors.” Held at the Floata Seafood Restaurant in the heart of Chinatown, this gathering moderated by JJ Lee consisted of author readings, dim sum, wine tastings, and silent auctions. An opening speech was presented by Fiona Tinwei Lam, who took us on a memory lane through Chinatown, where many historical and racial hardships were and continue to be experienced. Wine introductions were made by Todd Wong as the seven-course meal of shrimp dumplings, pork siumai, deep-fried vegetable spring rolls, gai lan with garlic sauce, yang-chow fried rice, house special chow mein, and mango pudding was served. These dishes paired nicely with wine tastings provided by Intrigue Wines from Lake Country, BC. From Pinot Gris through Gwertraminer to the signature Riesling, many guests went for seconds as the day rolled on.

A breadth of authors including: Candie Tanaka, Winnie L. Cheung, Simon Johnston, David Ly, Tāriq Malik, David Mura, Hieu Pham-Fraser, Emi Sasagawa, Gillian Sze, Jack Wang, and Sharon Lee read excerpts of their works and shared their experience on becoming a writer. It’s one thing to read words on the page, but another to listen to them come to life through the writer’s voice. Every word, stanza, sentence, and pause was careful and deliberate, filling the audience’s senses in both tangible and intangible ways. As Jack and Simon had expressed, it’s never too late to become a writer, and everyone could witness the dedication, perseverance, and wholesome energy of these creators.

Throughout the event, a live and silent auction was in the works. A handful of people generously donated items for bidding such as stationery and book bundles, prints, ceramics, event passes, gift cards, etc. A book sale featuring works by the authors was happening as well and all proceeds will be going towards WORD’s literary festival in September. Many agreed this inaugural fundraiser was a fun and enriching experience in coming together as a community of writers and readers through words, food, and wine.