Chinese Fish and Backwaters

Christchurch-raised Australian poet Grace Yee won the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry at the 2024 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards and the both the Victorian prize for literature and the poetry category at this year’s Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards for her book Chinese Fish, becoming the first poet to win the overall award in a decade. Exploring ideas of family and citizenship,  judges praised Chinese Fish for how it “intelligently … braids its modes and forms, its feminist vision, and its literary and conceptual sophistication.”

Emma Ling Sidnam’s 2024 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction longlisted novel Backwaters is a bittersweet look at belonging, Chinese heritage, self-discovery and sexuality, and follows fourth-generation Chinese New Zealander Laura, as she investigates the rich backstories of her ancestors. Grace and Emma come together for a dynamic and wide-reaching conversation chaired by Nathan Joe.

Note: Due to unforeseen circumstances, Mary Jean Chan is now unfortunately unable to visit us here in Aotearoa. All ticket holders have been contacted.

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