Sep 5 - 7
9月5 - 7日
12:00 PM - 6:00 PM
About the Program
Engage in a cultural dialogue through literature! Check out a specially curated collection of Chinese-language and English books focused on themes of gender equity, feminism, diasporic experiences, cultural identity, and more.
Swing by to chat about stories and share your perspective. We’ll also be joined by writers from the ACWW sharing their work in live readings.
ACWW Reader Schedule:
Sep 5 @ 12:00 pm — Antoinette Cheung
Sep 5 @ 1:00 pm — Francis Chang
Sep 6 @ 12:00 pm — Cynthia Chan
Sep 6 @ 3:00 pm — Alyssa Sy de Jesus
Sep 6 @ 3:30 pm — Allan Cho
Showcase recent publications from Taiwan.
In the island without censorship, writers can freely express themselves and explore new ideas. Come and immerse yourself in a colourful world created by free spirits.
Books recommended by Nowhere Bookstore:
Nowhere bookstore serves as an ark for the diaspora community, safeguarding their shared values in a free, offshore realm. It also acts as a rest place for the wandering souls, so “Nowhere” becomes “Now Here”.
The Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop Society (ACWW) is a community-focused literary organization in Canada that champions Asian Canadian writing and writers — nurturing voices, building connections, and helping stories thrive. ACWW provides a space for Asian Canadian writers of all backgrounds and experience levels to connect, learn, and grow together. Since 1995, ACWW has built a vibrant literary community and lifted up voices that historically haven’t been represented in Canada’s literary scene. One of its core activities is organizing writing workshops and mentorship opportunities that help writers sharpen their craft, receive feedback, and navigate the manuscript development process. ACWW has been involved in producing literary anthologies and supporting emerging writers through awards and showcases. Over the years, it’s helped launch or amplify many writers who have gone on to publish novels, memoirs, poetry, and more. ACWW hosts and helps organize events that celebrate stories and bring people together, from open mics like Words on Rice to larger festivals like LiterASIAN Festival, which spotlights contemporary Asian Canadian writing with panels, readings, workshops, and conversations about culture, identity, and storytelling.
Antoinette Cheung (張冬眉) is on a mission to rewild her imagination after spending too many years immersed in corporate speak. As an immigrant from Hong Kong whose main language has become English, she is energized by the voices of writers embracing their hyphenated identities. She writes primarily short-form poetry and personal essays. Her poetry has been awarded Top Winner in the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Haiku Invitational (2023, 2025) and Honourable Mention in the Muriel’s Journey Poetry Prize (2026), and has appeared in Ricepaper, Poetry Pause, and international haiku journals/anthologies. Antoinette was previously co-editor for the online journals Prune Juice and confluence, which celebrate the art of Japanese short-form poetry within a contemporary English-language context.
Francis Chang was born in Tokyo, grew up in Vancouver and has lived in Montreal, New York, Toronto and Hong Kong. Francis returned to Vancouver at the end of 2019, retired and recovering from his 25-year legal career. He is a graduate of the Writer’s Studio program at SFU, and his work has appeared in Ricepaper, CBC First Person, The Fiddlehead and WordWorks. He is also an impassioned supporter of live theatre, currently serving as Board President of Urban Ink Production Society and Board Vice President of the Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre.
A graduate of SFU's Writer's Studio, Cynthia C. Farley's work spans poetry, fiction, and nonfiction stories. Her short story has appeared in Emerge 24, and you can find some of her stories curated on Medium.com, Vocal Media, Vancouver on Ink, and most recently in The New Canadian Stories. She has just completed a thriller novel.
Alyssa Sy de Jesus is a poet in search of the worded-artefacts of her family’s five-generation settlement in the Philippines from Fujian, and eventual migration to Canada. She has ancestral roots in Taiwan via her mother’s lineage. Her work has been featured in: Chinatown Stories, ACAM Tributaries, Living Hyphen, Ginger and Smoke, Liars of Orpheus, Jane’s Walks, the Diasporic Writers Salon, Mashed Poetics, and the Jade Music Festival. She was co-editor of de-comp Journal’s “Translate Me Not” issue and is a graduate of the SFU Writers Studio. She was a programmer and community consultant on “Kuwentong Pamamahay”, an oral history project with members of the Filipino Canadian community. This November, she will be doing a writing residency at the Banff Centre for Arts on Treaty 7 Territory, traditional home of the Niitsitapi from the Blackfoot Confederacy. She lives on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ Nations.
Allan Cho is a Vancouver-based writer, editor, librarian, and community organizer. He is the Executive Editor of Ricepaper Magazine, the Executive Director of the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop, and the Festival Director and co-founder of the LiterASIAN Writers Festival. Through his literary work, Allan has helped build platforms for Asian Canadian writers and expand the visibility of Asian diasporic literature across Canada. His writing explores cultural identity, intergenerational trauma, and belonging, and his work has appeared in literary journals and anthologies.
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TAIWANfest Vancouver is grateful to be held on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish Nation), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). We acknowledge our privilege to be gathered here, and commit to work with and be respectful to the Indigenous peoples of this land while we engage in meaningful conversations of culture and reconciliation.