NYWF 2021

Still reflecting and dreaming about National Young Writers' Festival (30 Sep - 3 Oct).

NYWF 2021 was thoughtful, exciting and fun. It pushed the idea of a writers festival and held space for care, vulnerability, sharing, dreaming, and working towards possibilities.

I feel so grateful, humbled and happy to have been an artist at this year's festival.

Thank you Lur Alghurabi, Haneen Mahmood Martin, Merryana Salem, Isobel Marmion, Saoirse Nash,  Michael Louis Kennedy, Jack Gow and the NYWF Board.

Thank you to all the artists and everyone who attended.

You can re-watch events via Facebook or YouTube.

Photo: Leila Lois

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I first attended NYWF in 2015. I remember fangirling Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, Zoya Patel, Roz Bellamy and Hera Lindsay Bird from afar. I didn't know a single person but met Sonia Nair and her friends as we waited outside a venue. NYWF was hectic but welcoming.

The Late Night Readings were wow... just wow. 

I will forever remember squishing into the Royal Exchange. Those who got in early sat in booths; the rest of us made do with beanbags or hovered in the foyer. There was a cat on the stairs. The owner sold drinks downstairs. The stories washed over the audience, causing us to hold our breath, laugh and cry. After, we made our way to the Ocean Baths.

This year, my dream of being part of a Late Night Reading came true. It was an honour to read alongside Gloria Demillo, Travis De Vries and Aline-Mwezi Niyonsenga.

I was nervous for "On Boba Activism", with Gloria, Patricia Arcilla, Martyn Reyes, and Pavan Dutta, as it's a HUGE topic and we had only 50 minutes! I worried I hadn't said anything "new" but on reflecting, our panel is part of a larger, ongoing conversation. It complements two panels: Anticolonial Asian History and Imagined Homelands: No More Cardamom.

I recommended writing by Danny Silva Soberano and Donnalyn Xu. I also admire the work of Xen Nhà, Eleanor Jackson, Nikki Lam, Sophia Cai and Leah Jing McIntosh.

Language is so deeply bound up in family, histories, politics, culture and identity. I've been thinking a lot about multilingual writing and translation, so was super-excited to be part of "English is Cancelled" with Natasha Hertanto, Dženana Vucic, Anita Solak and Noemie Huttner-Koros. My heart brims and I look forward to more conversations x 

Shout-out to Australian Multilingual Writing Project, Cham Zhi Yi (I mistakenly said Zhi's poem, 'Soak', includes Hokkien, instead of Teochew), Nina Mingya Powles, Rose Lu (Rose's essay, '穷人店, 富人店', includes Chongming and Mandarin), and Zou Mat Je, a multilingual zine from Cantonese-speaking writers and artists (I love Grace Chan's piece, oof!).

I loved how the online festival mirrored the rhythm / "feel" of an in-person festival. Thursday and Friday - nervous energy. Saturday - referencing each other's panels. Sunday - relaxed and "YAY new friends" vibes. I hope NYWF continues in a hybrid form, so we have the accessibility (physical and financial) of online events and the warmth of IRL events.

My last panel was on Sunday afternoon with Aline, Rafeif Ismail and Cindy Jiang. I'm so, so lucky to be friends with Rafeif, Aline and Cindy. We discussed what "seizing the means" looks like and what gives us hope. Our panel became a celebration of each other <3

I can't wait for Unlimited Futures: Speculative, Visionary Blak+Black Fiction, which is co-curated with Djed Press and edited by Rafeif and Ellen van Neerven, and Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, which includes Aline's "Housewarming for a Lion Goddess".

Shout-out to Djed Press, Peril Magazine, Liminal, dichōtomi, Mascara Literary Review, Overland, Voiceworks, Red Pocket Press and Bitter Melon Press.

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NYWF gives me hope for the present and future of Australian writing.

Looking back on my 2015 post, I've ticked all my writing goals from 2014. It's been amusing, comforting, and touching to reflect on the baby writer I was (and still am). While the last goal on my list was "Write / publish own book", this was never my true aim.

My aim was to make others and myself feel less alone, whether this be online journals, readings, zines or other forms. (A book is just a vessel.) I'm so grateful for the friends I've met through reading, writing and art. Our lives would not have intersected otherwise.

I hope NYWF 2021 sparks and feeds a similar flame for other baby writers x

P.S. I loved Grandmothers and Other Bottomless Wells of Inspo, Queer Joy, and The Nail Salon: Migrant Mums in New Worlds, Beyond Bookshelves: Interrogating Libraries, Late Night Reading: How To Make A Molotov Cocktail and Panda and Haneen present The Real Deal: Laksa Masterclass 2021. So many brilliant events to catch up..... Full program here.

P.P.S. Here are my posts on NYWF 2016 (1 | 2 | 3), and NYWF 2019 (1).