Bright Fear, Chinese Fish and Backwaters

Named a Guardian Best Poetry Book of 2023, Hong Kong-born UK queer poet Mary Jean Chan’s collection Bright Fear navigates their parents coming to terms with their sexuality. Christchurch-raised Australian poet Grace Yee recently won the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry at the 2024 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards for her book Chinese Fish, which examines ideas of family and citizenship. And Emma Ling Sidnam’s 2024 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction longlisted novel Backwaters is a bittersweet look at belonging and Chinese heritage. They come together for a dynamic and wide-reaching conversation chaired by Nathan Joe.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body