A wide-ranging anthology of Asian Canadian literature to celebrate 20 years of Ricepaper.

2015 marks 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 first published in Ricepaper with David Suzuki, Tobias Wong, Ruth Ozeki, Evelyn Lau, Denise Chong, and Madeleine Thien. In addition, 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. 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), Yasuko Thanh ("Lucky in Saigon," a novel soon to be published as Mysterious Fragrance of the Yellow Mountains), and SKY Lee (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.

Julia Lin is the author of Miah, the first book-length work of Taiwanese-Canadian literary fiction ever published.

Julia Lin's profile page

Allan Cho works as an academic librarian at the University of British Columbia. His writing has appeared in Ricepaper, The Georgia Straight, and Diverse.

Allan Cho's profile page

Jim Wong-Chu was a poet, author, editor, and historian, and the founder of the Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop and Ricepaper magazine. His groundbreaking 1986 poetry book Chinatown Ghosts was reissued in a new edition in 2018. He co-edited the anthologies Many-Mouthed Birds: Contemporary Writing by Chinese Canadians (Douglas & McIntyre), Swallowing Clouds: An Anthology of Chinese-Canadian Poetry (Arsenal Pulp), and AlliterAsian: Twenty Years of Ricepaper Magazine (Arsenal Pulp). Jim Wong-Chu passed away in 2017.

Jim Wong-Chu's profile page