The Unreliability of Memory: A Writer’s Perspective with Denise Chong

A conversation on how the use of memory, a powerful tool, is also fickle and unreliable, according to author Denise Chong.  Join author Denise Chong, best known for her family memoir, The Concubine’s Children, for a conversation on the writer’s use of the tool of memory: powerful, but also fickle and unreliable.  Denise will discuss how we feel compelled to rummage in our pasts, hoping to bring to life, if only for a moment, what we remember. She’ll share how the writer relies on memory and grapples with how fickle and flawed it can be.

Moderated by Lucie McNeill, a former CBC Radio current affairs host in Vancouver and a freelance journalist in China.

Schedule

4:00 pm -4:40 pm : Welcome & Presentation
4:40 pm - 5:00 pm: Q&A
5:00 pm - 5:30 pm: Book signings

Ticket pricing
$15 general admission ($10 for Members)

---

Chinatown Storytelling CentreVancouver, BC

Sunday, Apr 12 from 4 pm to 5 pm

Canada Reads Asian: Diaspora Voices Reshaping Canadian Literature at Queen Books on Friday, March 13, 2026

 

Join us for Canada Reads Asian: Diaspora Voices Reshaping Canadian Literature at Queen Books on Friday, March 13, 2026 (6–9 p.m.) for an evening of conversation, community, and (optional but highly encouraged) karaoke.

🕕 6–7 p.m. — Panel with five Asian Canada Reads longlisters
🎤 7–9 p.m. — Mixer + karaoke
📍 Queen Books (914 Queen St E, Toronto)

Featuring:

• Rachel Phan, author of Restaurant Kid
• Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez, author of Celestina’s House
• Leanne Toshiko Simpson, author of Never Been Better
• Liann Zhang, author of Julie Chan is Dead
• Jinwoo Park, author of Oxford Soju Club

We’ll be talking about diaspora storytelling, writing between cultures, and the many ways Asian voices are reshaping Canadian literature.

Free to attend. Refreshments served. All are welcome.
So come for literature, stay for the karaoke, leave with new friends!

Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho: The Astronaut Children of Dunbar Street at VPL

How do you reconcile having parents who would do anything for you except stay with you?

This was Wiley's situation from the age of twelve, when her parents returned to Taiwan to work, leaving her to grow up with her siblings in Canada. They were to study hard, stay out of trouble, and not tell “outsiders” about their family.

In her memoir The Astronaut Children of Dunbar Street, Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho traces the emotional fault lines of a family divided by an ocean amid shifting global powers, and her struggles against silence and ambiguous loss to find a sense of home – between places, cultural norms, and identities.

Join us for a conversation between Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho and former Vancouver Poet Laureate Fiona Tinwei Lam, as they discuss what it takes to uncover and write difficult family stories.

--

Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho has published short stories and personal essays in PRISM international, Ricepaper Magazine, River Teeth, Room and several anthologies, and was a finalist for the 2021 Jim Wong-Chu Award for Emerging Writers (presented by the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop). She lives in North Vancouver, BC, where she likes to grow Asian vegetables in her front yard. The Astronaut Children of Dunbar Street is her first book.

Fiona Tinwei Lam is a poet, nonfiction writer, teacher, editor, and anthologist. She has authored three books of poetry, Intimate Distances, Enter the Chrysanthemum, and Odes & Laments and a children’s book, The Rainbow Rocket. Her work has been included in over 45 anthologies, including Best Canadian Poetry and Best Canadian Essays. Besides editing or coediting 3 anthologies of poetry and nonfiction, her award-winning poetry videos made in collaboration with animators and filmmakers have been screened at festivals internationally. She teaches at Simon Fraser University (Continuing Studies) and was Vancouver's Poet Laureate for three years from 2022-24. Her forthcoming collection of nonfiction, Playing for Time, will be coming out in 2027 with Caitlin Press.


Wednesday, May 27, 2026

7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Central Library. Montalbano Theatre

Registration

Words on Rice: The ACWW Open Mic Series on March 27, 2026

Hosted by the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop (ACWW), Words on Rice: Open Mic is a warm, welcoming open-mic space for anyone who identifies as Asian Canadian or mixed-race Asian Canadian to share their stories, poems, and creative expressions. Whether you are a seasoned writer, a first-time reader, or simply curious about exploring your voice, this series invites you to step up to the mic and be heard.

Research shows that reading your writing aloud — particularly in front of others in a safe and supportive environment — can dramatically improve clarity, rhythm, and self-editing skills. Hearing your words helps you fine-tune tone, pacing, and flow, while also strengthening your voice and confidence. Reading aloud engages memory and comprehension, and encourages emotional awareness, allowing you to feel and shape your text in powerful ways. Join us to discover how giving your words a voice can make you a more articulate, confident writer.

Held monthly, this virtual series reflects ACWW’s long-standing mission to nurture Asian Canadian voices and to cultivate an inclusive literary landscape where every story matters. Each reading is 5 minutes long. (All participants may ask for feedback on their writing after the session via email.)

Our next hour-long open mic will happen on Saturday, March 28, 12.00pm PST / 3.00pm EST.

Please register at: info@asiancanadianwriters.ca

Writing Across Diasporas & Generations: A Storytelling Workshop - March 31, 6:30 pm at Upstart and Crow Bookstore

A workshop for diasporic writers and poets, and anyone interested in exploring the intersection of cultures, languages and places.

Do you dream in more than one language? Live in the in-betweenness of cultural norms? Love and clash with different parts of your cultural inheritances? Join memoir writer Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho and poet Phebe Ferrer for a unique listening-and-writing workshop that invites attendees to explore storytelling in both prose and poetry.

In the first half of the workshop, Wiley will read excerpts from her freshly released memoir The Astronaut Children of Dunbar Street, share some challenges and tips for writing the deeply personal, and lead the group in a generative writing exercise. After a short break, Phebe will read from her poems, lead a discussion on writing diasporic poetry, including non-English words, and provide prompts for a generative writing exercise.

Participants are encouraged to bring small mementos from their own cultural heritage(s), along with writing implements (paper and pen or laptop) for the writing segments. This workshop is designed for inclusive writing in a fun, low-pressure environment. Sharing of writing generated in the workshop is optional. No previous experience is required!


To ensure event attendance and to help us cover costs, this event is $10. Please RSVP here to reserve your spot. If you are experiencing barriers to attending, please reach out via email. We’re happy to provide you with one of our scholarship spots.


About the facilitators:
Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho is a Taiwanese Canadian writer whose award-winning short stories and personal essays have been published in PRISM International, Ricepaper Magazine, River Teeth, Room, and several anthologies. A champion for the literary community, she is a member of the Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop, the Federation of BC Writers, and the North Shore Writers' Association. Her debut book, The Astronaut Children of Dunbar Street, is forthcoming this March from Douglas & McIntyre. Find her online at www.wileyweichiunho.com; Instagram: @howiley


Phebe M. Ferrer is a Filipina poet living on the unceded lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations, also known as Vancouver. Her poetry has been published in Qwerty Magazine, Marias at Sampaguitas, and Chinatown Stories, among others. She has edited creative anthologies featuring work by QT-BIPOC artists through Chinatown Today and decomp journal, and organized workshops on poetry and family histories. Instagram: @phebses

Link to registration

2026 LunarFest - Live Readings Schedule at Granville Island

 

Lillian Au - February 15 - 12.30pm

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

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

Tariq 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.

Allan Cho - February 22 - 1:30pm

Allan Cho is a Vancouver-based writer, editor, and librarian. As Executive Editor of Ricepaper Magazine and Festival Director of LiterASIAN, he works to amplify Asian diasporic voices across North America. Shaped by years of engagement with immigrant and literary communities, as well as his own experience living with chronic pain, his writing reflects on creativity, cultural memory and intergenerational trauma. A graduate of Simon Fraser University’s Writer’s Studio, Allan is dedicated to nurturing inclusive, resilient, and compassionate 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.