ESEA Authors LitFest 2024
Key information
- Date
- Time
-
9:45 am to 7:00 pm
- Venue
- Russell Square: College Buildings
- Room
- Khalili Lecture Theatre (KLT)
About this event
On East and Southeast Asian Heritage Month, let's talk about diaspora, and all the people and places we call home. Come join our celebration of new, exciting ESEA novels in the UK, from children’s and YA fiction, to adult fiction — literary, fantasy, speculative, and crime. Panel chats, book signings, and meet ESEA authors.
Programme
| Time | Session | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 9:45am-10:00am | Meet and Greet | |
| 10:00am-10:20am | Welcome Address by Maisie Chan | In 2018, Maisie Chan offered one year's free mentoring to an unagented British Chinese novelist. The connections she made led to the creation of the Bubble Tea Writers Network, for ESEA writers and creatives. Join Maisie as she discusses her journey from scared aspiring writer to multi-award winning children's author and how the power of community can lift us all. |
| 10:30am-11:30am | Panel 1: Myth and Mystery - Mythical Creatures and Mysterious Places | Dragons are cool but the ESEA bestiary is packed with plenty of other cool mythic creatures: headless horses, white snakes, zodiac animals, ghosts and demons. And what about hydrogen punk cities, mysterious landscapes and bewildering islands? Come for a big explore with an exciting selection of authors for all ages.
Chaired by Anne Chen (The Silver Cube, OUP), with Eva Wong Nava (East Asian Folktales, Myths, and Legends), Mina Ikemoto Ghosh (Hyo The Hellmaker), Maisie Chan (Tiger Warrior series) and Eliza Chan (Fathomfolk). |
| 11:45am-12:45pm | Panel 2: Embracing Diversity - The Power of Inclusion in Childrens Books | This panel explores the crucial role of inclusion in storytelling. Children’s book editors, authors, illustrators will discuss how diverse representation fosters empathy, broadens perspectives, and enriches young minds. Discover strategies for creating inclusive narratives that reflect the varied experiences of all children.
Chaired by Wendy Shakespeare (Editor, Reviewer for Inclusive Books for Children), with Candy Gourlay (Is It A Mermaid?), Natelle Quek (One Day At A Time), Nadia Mikail (The Cats We Meet Along The Way), Sojung Kim-McCarthy (The Girl Who Became A Fish). |
| 12:45pm-2:30pm | Lunch Break, Book Sales, Networking | |
| 1:20pm-2:20pm | Community Comics Jam (running in conjunction with the Lunch Break) | Join us for a fun and creative session of comics round robin! This is a hands-on session where we’ll be making 4-panel comics with a twist. Come watch our illustrators in a quickfire round of comics drawing, and then have a go yourself! Paper and pens will be provided. Please note that this is NOT a "Learn to Draw" workshop, but rather serving as a relaxing drawing session for anyone who'd like to get some creative juices flowing in between the panel discussions.
Illustrators involved in the session will be Natelle Quek (One Day At A Time), Emma Farrarons (My Hair is as Long as a River), Sojung Kim-McCarthy (The Girl Who Became a Fish) and The Mollusc Dimension (The Weird & Wonderful Surviveries of Squid Horse). |
| 2:30pm-3:30pm | Panel 3: ESEA Women in Crime - Unwriting Those Galling ESEA Stereotypes | Whether set in glitzy Hollywood or the domestic home, the commercial crime genre allows us to discuss some very real issues. Meet some ESEA women authors whose page turners will have you reading long into the night.
Chaired by Winnie M. Li (Complicit), with Tania Tay (The Other Woman), Callie Kazumi (Cuckoo), Ivy Ngeow (The American Boyfriend). |
| 3:30pm-4:00pm | Coffee/Tea Break, Book Sales, Book Signings, and Networking | |
| 4:00pm-5:00pm | Panel 4: Everything Everywhere All At Once - Navigating Multiple Heritages and Identities | Multiple and mixed heritage in storytelling – how do you depict the experience of multiple ethnicity and growing up mixed race? How do you navigate rejection and inclusion? How do you market your author identity when your multiple selves are not easily categorised? Chaired by Mina Ikemoto Ghosh (Hyo the Hellmaker), with Alex Barrow (If I Had a Dragon), Lui Sit (Forthcoming Book), Anna Sulan Masing (Chinese and Any Other Asian) and Emma Farrarons (My Hair is as Long as a River). |
| 5:15pm-6:15pm | Panel 5: Dragon Dragon, Burning Bright - Hear Some of the Finest Poetry About the ESEA Experience in the UK | Living in diaspora, experiencing the colonial paradox, these poets find the words to represent the ESEA experience in the United Kingdom.
Chaired by Christina Juan (Editor, The 1762 British Invasion of Spanish-Ruled Philippines : Beyond Imperial and National Imaginaries), with Hongwei Bao (The Passion of the Rabbit God) and Khairani Barokka (Ultimatum Orangutan). |
| 6:15pm-7:00pm | Book Sales, Book Signing, Goodbyes |
Registration
The event will be held onsite at SOAS. To guarantee a place for the panels, you must get a ticket for each panel. Tickets are free but donations are appreciated. Please register using the link above.
Organisers
This event is organised by authors from The Bubble Tea Writer’s Network with Dr Cristina Juan and Philippine Studies at SOAS.
