AustLit

'Jessica speaks to Leah Jing McIntosh about digressions, internal weather, and ekphrastic thinking.' (Introduction)          

'Dr Tseen Khoo speaks to Leah Jing McIntosh about the history of Asian Australian activism, growing the Asian Australian Studies Research Network, and the joy of seeing Asian Australians become more politically and creatively visible.' (Introduction)

'A few years ago, I fall down two flights of stairs, and during a CT scan I can’t remember, I am told that I have a concussion. I return home to my housemates loading in speakers, setting up for a party. Still vomiting, dizzy, mind adrift, I climb into my car, drive forty minutes down the M1, and stumble down the pathway to my mother’s house. I collapse at the door before I can get my keys out. For over a month I lie in my old childhood bedroom, unable to move, my head sore and empty. I become, for these weeks, simply a body.' (Introduction)

'As a frantic March rolled into an accepting April, sliding into a complacent May, the “apocalypse”, now boring, has disappeared into June. The “new normal” became old in the time it took to say the phrase; in supermarket aisles, I’m the only person wearing a mask. As if becoming bored of a virus could make it vanish.' (Introduction)

'This collection of short stories showcases some of the best work that Australian literature has to offer in this new decade. Featuring work from both emerging and established writers of colour, the stories in Collisions transcend genre and experiment with style. They are necessary reading for everybody with an interest in the future of fiction and our planet. Although many of these visions are dystopic, the quality of their writers is something the future has to look forward to.

'What does the future hold? Collisions prods at what it means for each author, and while many will come to expect speculative fiction at surface level, the breadth of imagination transcends these boundaries. From an account of a tense dinner party amidst impending signs of climate catastrophe, to a playful fable about a father turning his family backyard into a graveyard; and an irreverent yet thoughtful tale of a gang of activists planning an attack on ASIO drones in a Kyle Sandilands government, these stories are experimental, genre-bending and lucid. 

'Collisions presents a diverse collection of work too often ignored or elided in a time where marginalised voices are still unheard. It exists to re-centre the voices of writers of colour and to encourage dynamic narratives, to bring about a more robust literary landscape in Australia’s future.' (Publication summary) 

'Sasha Beekman is a Thai-born writer who grew up in Darwin. She moved to Melbourne to study writing and editing at RMIT University. When You’re Going to the Moon is her first picture book.'

'Stephen Pham is a Vietnamese-Australian writer from Cabramatta.

'His work has appeared in Meanjin, Overland, Sydney Review of Books, The Lifted Brow and SBS Life. In 2018, Stephen received the NSW Writer’s Fellowship from Create NSW to commence work on his debut manuscript Vietnamatta.

'Stephen Pham speaks to Leah about SWEATSHOP, embracing the hyphen, and destabilising hierarchies of culture.'

Source: Abstract.

'Jean Tong is a Melbourne-based writer and director creating politically irreverent works about the untidiness of cultural identification, structural inequality, and Otherness. Her work makes explosive statements using dark humour and vivid imagery. In 2018, Jean presents Hungry Ghosts (Melbourne Theatre Company) and Romeo Is Not The Only Fruit (The Coopers Malthouse). She has previously presented at the Emerging Writers' Festival and published in Peril Magazine.'

Source: Abstract.

'Jessica Yu is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne. She was selected as one of Melbourne Writers Festival’s 30 under 30 in 2015. Her writing has been published in The Best Australian Poems, Overland, Cordite, The Saturday Paper and more. She has received a ROSL Arts Scholarship to present her writings with Edinburgh Art Festival 2017. She is writing her first novel.

'Leah talked to Jessica about faith and doubt, reclaiming one's racial identity, and her novel in progress.'

Source: Abstract.

'Beverley Wang is a journalist and radio producer. She makes and hosts the ABC RN podcast, It's Not A Race. From Canada, she has lived in Australia since 2009.'

Source: Abstract.

'Madison Griffiths is a freelance writer, artist and poet whose work has been published in VICE, SBS, Daily Life, Overland, PEDESTRIAN.TV, Catalogue Magazine and Broadsheet. She started self-publishing her poetry at the start of 2016, and has performed spoken-word at a number of events over the last year.

'We talked to Madison about writing poetry, using anger productively, and demanding attention.'

Source: Abstract.

'Viet-My Bui is an emerging illustrator and recent Communication Design graduate. She decided to pursue a creative vocation after seven years of studying and working in law.

'We talked to Viet-My about about defying expectations, imposter syndrome, and drawing what you know.'

Source: Abstract.

'Diana Nguyen is an actress, performer, theatre maker, writer and comedian. She has written, produced, directed and performed her own shows for the Melbourne Fringe Festival, World Fringe Perth, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe, Orange County California and soon, Edinburgh Fringe. Diana is also a community development project coordinator who works with young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds to provide innovative drama programs in Melbourne.

'We talked to Diana about acting, five ways to disappoint your Vietnamese mother, and supporting young POC to tell their stories through theatre.'

Source: Abstract.

'Michelle Law is a writer of fiction, non-fiction, theatre and film and TV. She is the co-author of the comedy book Sh*t Asian Mothers Say, and her writing has appeared in numerous books as well as publications including Frankie magazine, Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Life and Junkee. Her debut play Single Asian Female was staged at La Boite Theatre Company in 2017.

'We talked to Michelle about daring to be seen, making sense of the world through writing, and animal-themed Korean beauty masks.'

Source: Abstract.

'Roj Amedi is an editor, writer and strategist. She writes and speaks on a range of issues including politics, the arts, culture, public policy, gender and race. She is a columnist for Right Now and has recently published pieces in The Saturday Paper and Assemble Papers. Roj has spoken at the Emerging Writers’ Festival, Footscray Community Arts Centre, Human Rights Law Centre, Castan Centre for Human Rights, The Wheeler Centre, and is a regular host for Cross Pollinate on PBS Radio.

'We talked to Roj about finding freedom through education, valuing ethos over politics, and the complexities of pan-POC community.'

Source: Abstract.

'Robert Wood is a poet and essayist living in Redgate, Western Australia. His writing focuses on our relationship with the natural world and draws on his experiences of country, suburb and city to create mythic landscapes informed by history and philosophy. Wood has worked for Australian Poetry, edited for Overland, Peril and Cordite, been a columnist for Cultural Weekly and was the first poet on the faculty of The School of Life. He just signed his first official book contract for History and the Poet which is a book of essays and will be available before the end of the year.

'We talked to Robert about writing Australia, being an ally to oneself, and sites of literary activism.'

Source: Abstract.