Chinatown Ghosts: The Poems and Photographs of Jim Wong-Chu

--Jim Wong-Chu, who passed away on July 11, 2017 at the age of 68 from complications of a stroke, was a tireless promoter of the Asian Canadian writing community. As founder of the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop and Ricepaper magazine, he helped to launch the careers of many well-known writers, including Madeline Thien, Evelyn Lau, Paul Yee, SKY Lee, and most recently, Catherine Hernandez (Scarborough).

--Before this, however, he was best known as the author of Chinatown Ghosts in 1986, the first Chinese Canadian poetry book ever published. He never published another book of his own (in addition to Ricepaper, he edited acclaimed Asian Canadian anthologies such as Many Mouthed Birds and Swallowing Clouds). As a tribute to Jim, we are publishing this new edition of Chinatown Ghosts (which has been out of print for 25 years) which includes his never-before-published photographs of Vancouver’s Chinatown taken during the 1970s and 80s. The photos document the once-vibrant area that has now given way to condos and trendy shops – an homage to Chinatowns across North America that no longer exist.

--The book also includes tributes to Jim from many of his literary colleagues, including Paul Yee, SKY Lee, Fred Wah, Rita Wong, Terry Watada, and Catherine Hernandez.

--The poems (which have been used in many school and university classrooms) are touchstones on the Chinese American experience, from those who worked on the railways to instances of heartbreaking racism to moments of quiet fortitude.

--A tribute to Jim appeared in Canada’s national newspaper The Globe and Mail in July 2017: https://www. theglobeandmail. com/arts/books-and-media/jim-wong-chu-was-a-tireless-promoter-of-asian-canadian-writing/article35840509/

--The market for this book will be Asian American and those interested in Asian American literature and/or history, as well as those interested in poetry and photography in general.

© 2019 Arsenal Pulp Press (Ebook): 9781551527499

Release date

Ebook: 2 April 2019