AlliterAsian

Twenty Years of Ricepaper Magazine

Edited by Julia Lin, Allan Cho, and Jim Wong-Chu

2015 marked the 20th anniversary of Ricepaper magazine, a pioneering periodical devoted to Asian Canadian writing.  Over the years, Ricepaper‘s focus has shifted from predominantly arts and culture reporting to the publication of original literature; as such, it has both witnessed and cultivated the maturation of an Asian-Canadian literary tradition; indeed, many of today’s most acclaimed Asian-Canadian writers were first published in the pages of Ricepaper.

This celebratory anthology features exclusive interviews with such esteemed writers and artists as David Suzuki, Tobias Wong, Ruth Ozeki, Evelyn Lau, Denise Chong, and Madeleine Thien.  As well, exciting voices in Canadian literature are represented by Kim Fu, Doretta Lau, Corinna Chong, Terry Watada, Derwin Mak, Eric Choi, and C.E. Gatchalian.  Established and emerging poets such as Fred Wah, Evelyn Lau, Rita Wong, Souvankham Thammavongsa, and Michael Prior also grace the anthology with their work.  And finally, three award-winning authors have given permission for excerpts of their works in progress to be included:  Joy Kogawa (Gently to Nagasaki, a new memoir about Japanese atrocities during World War II), Yasuko Thanh (novel excerpt from Lucky in Saigon), and SKY Lee (novel excerpt from Progress in Process.)  AlliterAsian is an intriguing and multi-faceted record of Asian-Canadian writing that pays homage to the legacy of Ricepaper and its contribution to the evolving and increasingly diverse landscape of Canadian literature.