Seven Canadian authors and poets will take Taiwan by storm next week on a five-day tour of nine universities. According to Sylvia Yan at the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei, they'll be "projecting Canadian excellence, values, and a Canada that is `intellectually sexy.'"
Their sex appeal aside, the writers are of diverse ages and literary and ethnic backgrounds -- "hyphenated Canadians" as one trade office representative put it. But it is their diversity that has brought them together in Taiwan, where they plan to discuss the issue of identity in an evolving multicultural setting and the questions of ethnic versus national identity. Local writers and literature enthusiasts are encouraged to attend, as is anyone interested in issues of ethnic identity.
The writers are: African-Canadian poet Wayde Compton; Monkeypuzzle poet and professor Rita Wong; Commonwealth Writer's Prize-winner Hiromi Goto; novelist Larissa Lai; poet, teacher, editor, writer and photographer Glen Lowry; Roy Miki, who has written extensively on the Japanese-Canadian redress movement; and Fred Wah, author of 15 books of poetry and recipient of the Governor-General's Award for Poetry for Waiting for Saskatchewan.
Sound sexy? Check out one of their tour dates or the special event at the end of their stay, "Taiwan Through Canadian Eyes: Canada Through Your Eyes" from 7pm to 9pm next Friday, Nov. 18 at the Visual Education Center Theater at National Taiwan University.
Nov. 14
10am to noon, National Chengshi University, 12:30 to 2pm, National Taiwan Normal University 7pm to 9pm, Kingstone Bookstore, 201, Chienkuo S Rd Sec 2, Taipei (北市建國南路201號)
Nov. 15
National Central University (with Roy Miki, Larissa Lai, Rita Wong and Glen Lowry), National Donghua University (with Fred Wah, Hiromi Goto and Wayde Compton)
Nov. 17
9:30am to 11:30am, National Chinan University (Roy Miki, Larissa Lai and Rita Wong), 10am to noon, National Tsinghua University (Hiromi Goto and Wayde Compton)
Nov. 18
8:10am to 10am, National Kaohsiung Normal University, 2pm to 4pm, National Sun Yat-sen University
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