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Presentation for ASC-301-3 Asian Canadian Identities:

Experiences & Perspectives

Asian Canadian Cultural Activism

Fall 2017 Allan Cho, Executive Editor Ricepaper Magazine

ACWW - Since 1996

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Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop (ACWW) - The beginning

Ricepaper - From Newsletter to Webzine

LiterASIAN Festival - Building a Festival for Canada

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4 Emerging Writer Award - The Future of #CanLit

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Activity - What does Asian Canadian magazine mean to you?

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• Take 2-3 minutes

• Write down your answers

• Share with the class

• Hang onto your answers

The Protests of Chinatown (1960s and 1970’s) 1

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A Writers’ Group 1

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• Japanese Canadian Powell

Revue

• Chinese Canadian Writers’

Workshop

• 1960’s activism in North

America

• Jim Wong-Chu, Paul Yee,

Sky Lee

Rick Shiomi, David Henry Hwang, Jim Wong-Chu

2 The Early Asian Publications

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● The Asianadian was a Toronto-based magazine published from 1978 to 1985 with 24 issues. Writers wrote on Asian Canadian history and Asian politics.

● Inalienable Rice published by the

Powell Street Revue and Chinese

Canadian Writers Workshop in 1979

Early days of Asian Canadian literature

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2 The Early Asian Canadian Books

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● Collection of stories and poems written in English by first-, second-, and third-generation Chinese Canadians from across the country who deal with themes such as identity and inquiry into the past.

● Many-Mouthed Birds comes from a

Chinese expression used to describe

someone who disturbs the peace, who talks

out of turn, who is indiscreet.

● The writers here are "many-mouthed birds"

because they are speaking up, breaking a

long and often self-imposed silence. They

offer songs straight from the heart.

2 ACWW’s newsletter - Rice Paper

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● ACWW started to organize and developed a newsletter that we mailed to people. And from there ACWW developed a society.

● The newsletter happened for three years

before the Canada Council gave ACWW

some money to start doing a magazine.

● Magazine evolved to become a glossy

periodical that was supported by Magazines

Canada

2 Ricepaper (in Print) - 1996 to 2015

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● Quarterly publication

● Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter

● Government funded -grants

2 Issues of Ricepaper

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Ricepaper as a cultural magazine in Canada2

Niche

Mass

market

Domestic International

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Magazines

Asian-

Canadian-only

literary focus

Changed

Consumer

Behavior

Online Website

Strong Literary

ContentBrand

Increased

Differentiation

Reduced

Rivalry

Increased

Readership

ACWW Grants

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Distribution

Channel

Levers

Driving Brand

Equity

Resulting

Advantage

Agenda

Ricepaper 1.0 (1994-2015)

Distribution

Channel

Levers Driving

Brand Equity

Resulting

Advantage

Agenda

Anthology

Asian-

Canadian-only

literary focus

Syndicated

articles from

global partners

Asian-Canadian

Exp. Content

BrandIncreased

Differentiation

Reduced

Rivalry

Increased

Reader Interest

Crowdfunding?

Advertiser Partnerships?

New grants?Online Website

Podcasts/

Contests

Bundled RP

Subscriber

Offering

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Special RP

Follower

Events

Ricepaper 2.0 (2016-Present)

2The New Web Presence

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2Social Media and Digital Web Presence

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4Activity - Question: What’s in a Magazine?

Print or

Digital?

3LiterASIAN Writers Festival

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How about a writer’s

festival?

unique networking opportunities between

professional writers, emerging writers, students, and members of the broader public to learn and

discuss topics of importance to Asian Canadian writing.

3 LiterASIAN 2016 - History and Memory

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LiterASIAN is a festival of Pacific Rim Asian Canadian writing and a community-building initiative of the ACWW

Promote, celebrate the works of local Asian Canadian writers and artists through public events such as author readings, panel discussions and workshop events

3LiterASIAN Writers Festival

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2015 - Science & Speculative Fiction

2016 - History and Memory

2017 - The Art of Storytelling

2018 - Journey to the West

2019 - Literary Refugee

LiterASIAN 2017 - Art of Storytelling

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“Those of us who create culture holds great power in society.”

Ijeoma OluoEditor & writer

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Created out of a need to develop and nurture Asian Canadian writers.Encourage the development of quality manuscripts and finished works by new writersPublishers are offered the winning manuscript for consideration.

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4Emerging Writers Award

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● The winner of the first EWA award, in 1999, was Rita Wong’s Monkeypuzzle, published by Press Gang

● The second Emerging Writers Award went to Madeleine Thien in 2001 for her Simple Recipes, published by McLelland & Stewart

4Emerging Writers Award

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2

“Philip Huynh

4Jim Wong-Chu Emerging Writer Award

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Profile:

Karla Comanda

1st generation Filipino Canadian

MFA at UBC Creative Writing

“Philip Huynh

450-Year Cycles

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“Philip Huynh

4Next Steps - So What Are We Going to Do in 2018?

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How are you going to make a difference in this world?

What does a digital magazine with “Asia” mean to you?

How can we develop the next generation of artists?

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Join Us!

allancho@ricepapermagazine.ca