Lillian is a writer and journalist. Her Christmas story, which she will read tonight, is featured in the book “Upon a Midnight Clear” edited by J.J. Lee. Lillian received an honourable mention for one of her stories for the International Amy MacRae Award for Memoir.
Cynthia Chan – February 15, 12:45pm
Cynda Yeasting -- February 16, 2.00pm
Chris Wong - February 16, 2.15pm
Tariq Malik - February 22 - 1:15pmTariq is a Vancouver‑based DesiPOC poet, fiction and non‑fiction writer, and visual artist whose work spans over four decades. He was born in Pakistani Punjab, endured three wars, two migrations, and spent two decades working in the Kuwaiti desert before immigrating to Canada. Over the years, he has transformed his immigrant experience, multilingual heritage (Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Arabic), and memories of displacement into compelling narratives and lyric poems.
Cynthia Chan – February 15, 12:45pm
Born in New Westminster, Cynthia is a third-generation Chinese Canadian who writes both fiction and non-fiction. Her work has been curated on Medium.com and was named "Top Story" by Vocal Media. She has completed short films at Toronto's CommFest. Cynthia enjoys exploring themes of friendship, aging, AI, and spirituality. She is currently working on several thriller novels.
Cynda Yeasting -- February 16, 2.00pm
Cynda Yeasting is a literary author whose work explores intimacy, memory, and the emotional residues of love and loss. She is the author of For Michael, Love Cynda. Cynda is on the board of the Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop (ACWW).
Chris Wong - February 16, 2.15pm
Chris Wong is a lifelong music nerd who is an aficionado of jazz and many other genres. His affinity for writing about music emerged in high school, when Chris received his first byline for a review of the punk band the K-Tels. While writing for the University of British Columbia’s The Ubyssey student newspaper, he landed an in-person interview with Dizzy Gillespie, which had some tense moments. Chris went on to write about jazz and other subjects for DownBeat (about the Vancouver International Jazz Festival), The Globe and Mail, Vancouver Sun, Georgia Straight, Vancouver Courier, and other publications. Journeys to the Bandstand, Chris’ first book, is an award-winning (Independent Publisher Book Awards silver medal) passion project he honed for more than a decade.
Tariq Malik - February 22 - 1:15pm
Allan Cho - February 22 - 1:30pm
Allan is a writer, editor, and librarian based in Vancouver. As the Executive Editor of Ricepaper Magazine and Festival Director of LiterASIAN, he amplifies Asian diasporic voices across North America. His lived experience with chronic illness, combined with years of work in immigrant and literary communities, informs my writing, which explores the intersections of chronic pain, creativity, and cultural identity. A graduate of Simon Fraser University’s Writer’s Studio, I am committed to championing inclusive, resilient, and trauma-informed literary spaces.
Sung Ming Chow - February 22 - 1:45pm
Sung Ming is a Hong Kong-born academic, activist, and writer, known for his work in social policy/sociology at the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong (PolyU) and his involvement with social justice groups. He later became a writer/activist based in Vancouver, Canada, focusing on Hong Kong issues. He holds a PhD from PolyU and has published on counter-hegemonic movements, often discussing Hong Kong's political landscape and its relationship to Canada.