Celebrating Asian Canadian Writers With The Asian Community Writers Workshop

Celebrating Asian Canadian Writers With The Asian Community Writers Workshop

By Crissandra Ayroso

Vancouver is the largest Asian city outside of Asia, yet a shrinking sense of “otherness” is a feeling that most Asians living here have likely experienced at some point.

This phenomenon of otherness is poignantly depicted in the 2021 film "Minari," a moving narrative that transcends borders and resonates deeply with immigrant experiences. Starring Steven Yeun and Han-Ye ri, the film tells the tale of a young Korean couple's pursuit of the American Dream as they settle in rural Arkansas. As they confront the challenges of establishing a farm, adapting to a new life, and raising their children as Korean Americans, their journey takes a profound turn when the resilient minari plant becomes a symbol of their tenacity.

Minari was categorized as a foreign film, even though it was written by Lee Isaac Chung, a first-generation American, born and raised in Arkansas, and backed by two American production companies, A24 and Plan B, the latter run by Brad Pitt.

“This type of misinterpretation is in literature, as well,” alludes Allan Cho, executive director of the Asian Community Writers Workshop.

Misinterpretation or miscategorization can be harmful because it can perpetuate otherness, restrict visibility, limit opportunities, and undermine the authentic representation of diverse voices and experiences. It creates limitations.

“There’s always some sort of glass ceiling in terms of where Asian Canadian writers can deliver Asian literature.”

Cho caught up with Word Vancouver to talk about the presence of Asians in the arts, the Asian Community Writers Workshop, and the upcoming Word Vancouver festival on Sep. 16.

If you’ve ever wondered if there’s a lack of Asian Canadian representation on our bookshelves, you’re not imagining things.

“[Publishers] have a quota,” Cho shares. “For example, writers of Asian descent. If you develop a manuscript, [publishers] will look at it, and judge it based on how many other manuscripts are written by other Asian Canadian writers, for example, or Asian American writers. They might not necessarily accept more than just one or two, because, you know, the diversity that is so important also has to fit within a certain quota.”

How LiterASIAN Was Inspired To Make Space For Asian Canadian Writers In The Literary Sphere

The Asian Community Writers Workshop recognized the amount of talent that would go unseen due to this quota, and founded LiterASIAN in 2013 to put more Asian Canadian writers in the literary spotlight.

Cho’s LiterASIAN co-founder, the late author and activist Jim Wong-Chu once said, ‘If you’re not invited to the party, you’ve gotta have your own party and your own guests.’

LiterASIAN was inspired by necessity.

Thanks to LiterASIAN, more Asian authors have had more opportunities to establish themselves in diverse genres, explore identity and intersectionality, and give a voice to their experiences of struggling against racism and fitting in in Canada.

Books By Asian Canadian Authors That You Need To Read

Cho highly recommends two books, the first one which was recently featured at LiterASIAN.

"The Cine Star Salon," is “unlike any other book I read because there are not too many Filipino Canadian writers in the first place,” he says. “It’s an intimate glimpse into the lives of Filipino Canadian immigrants, as well.”

The Cine Star Salon is a story about Sophia, a Philippines-born Vancouverite and new Kingsway Street hair salon owner. One day she gets a call and learns that her aunt in Manila is on the verge of losing the Cine Star Salon, the very place that inspired Sophia to open her own. As an immigrant who left the Philippines for a ‘better life,’ Sophia started to plant roots in Vancouver and pursue her dreams. With her aunt’s salon at risk of closing down, the old conversation that put a strain on Sophia’s relationship with her parents re-introduced the idea of pursuing a business career rather than one as a beautician.

Another work that Cho recommends is "Disappearing Moon Cafe" by Sky Lee. This groundbreaking novel explores an interracial relationship in Vancouver's Chinatown while addressing themes of gender identity and sexuality.

“It’s the first piece of literature to address this topic,” Cho states. “Skye Lee won the City Book Award in Vancouver for this piece, and I highly recommend it.”

Recognized with the City Book Award in Vancouver, this literary masterpiece signifies the progress made in representing marginalized voices.

Find The Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop At This Year’s Word Vancouver Festival On September 16, 2023, At Ubc Robson Square

Come by to say hi, discover more local talented authors, and pick up some new books

If you’re looking for more Asian Canadian content, subscribe to Ricepaper Magazine, the longest-running Asian publication, published by the ACWW. First published in 1994, Ricepaper became a quarterly magazine, featuring new voices coming out of the Asian Canadian arts and literary community. Ricepaper continues to be the longest-running literary magazine of its kind with an Asian Canadian perspective.

Through his work with organizations like the Asian Community Writers Workshop, and festivals like LiterASIAN, Allan Cho has become a driving force in celebrating the diversity and talent of Asian Canadian writers.