''Ricepaper'' is a Canadian literary magazine with a focus on

Asian-Canadian Asian Canadians are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to the continent of Asia. Canadians with Asian ancestry comprise both the largest and fastest-growing group in Canada, after European Canadians, forming approximat ...

arts and culture. Based in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, it is published quarterly and features articles, literature, poetry, artwork and photography written by or written about writers and artists of primarily Pacific Asian and mixed Asian descent. It was in circulation between 1995 and 2016, before becoming online-only.

History

''Ricepaper'' was created in 1995 by Jim Wong-Chu, founder of the Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop, as a newsletter for its members. Much of the early editorial content explored the marginalized Asian experience in Canada. Over time, the newsletter grew into a full-fledged magazine which has evolved along with its reader base to provide a forum for creative works, interviews, profiles and reviews of the contemporary

community. The content of each issue is informed by a "theme". Recent issues have focused on space/culture/place, aesthetics, language and cities. In April 2016 the magazine ended its print publication and went fully online. Prominent artists that have been featured include Wayson Choy,

Joy Kogawa Joy Nozomi Kogawa (born June 6, 1935) is a Canadian poet and novelist of Japanese descent. Life Kogawa was born Joy Nozomi Nakayama on June 6, 1935, in Vancouver, British Columbia, to first-generation Japanese Canadians Lois Yao Nakayama a ...

Kid Koala Eric Yick Keung San (born December 5, 1974), better known by his stage name Kid Koala, is a Canadian scratch DJ, music producer, theatre producer, film composer, multimedia-performer and visual artist. His career began as a scratch DJ in 1994. K ...

, and

Sook-Yin Lee Sook-Yin Lee is a Canadian broadcaster, musician, film director, actress and multimedia artist. She is a former MuchMusic VJ and a former radio host on CBC Radio. She has appeared in films, notably in the John Cameron Mitchell movie ''Shortbus' ...

,"10 Years of Ricepaper"
Canadian Magazines. as well as cultural producers and figures such as

David Suzuki David Takayoshi Suzuki (born March 24, 1936) is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster, and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a PhD in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department at the ...

Bing Thom Bing Wing Thom, (Traditional Chinese character, Chinese: 譚秉榮; 8 December 1940 – 4 October 2016) was a Canadian architect and urban designer. Born in Hong Kong, he immigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with his family ...

and

Roy Miki Roy Akira Miki (10 October 1942 – 5 October 2024) was a Canadian poet, scholar, editor, and activist most known for his social and literary work. Life and career Born in Ste. Agathe, Manitoba to second generation Japanese-Canadian parents, ...

. ''Ricepaper'' also supports emerging artists; those who have worked or written for ''Ricepaper'' magazine have gone on to become notable writers and cultural activists such as

Madeleine Thien Madeleine Thien (; pinyin: Dèng Mǐnlíng; b. 1974) is a Canadian short story writer and novelist. ''The Oxford Handbook of Canadian Literature'' has considered her work as reflecting the increasingly trans-cultural nature of Canadian literature ...

, Kevin Chong, Craig Takeuchi, Alan Woo and

Rita Wong Rita Wong (born 1968) is a Canadian poet. Biography Wong grew up in Calgary, Alberta, and currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is the author of multiple books of poetry, including ''monkeypuzzle'', ''forage'', and ''undercurrent ...

Asian Canadians and Asian Americans featured in ''Ricepaper''

Asian Canadians and Asian Americans featured in Ricepaper include

Tommy Chong Thomas B. Kin Chong (born May 24, 1938) is a Canadian-American comedian, actor, musician and activist. He is known for his role/inspiration in the marijuana industry, his Cannabis (drug), marijuana-themed Cheech & Chong comedy albums and movie ...

, Wayson Choy,

Lixin Fan Lixin Fan (範立欣, Fàn Lìxīn; born March 1977, Wuhan, Hubei, China,範立欣
覓趣 (Miqu)) is a Montreal, Que ...

Ann Marie Fleming Ann Marie Fleming is an independent Canadian filmmaker, writer, and visual artist. She was born in Okinawa, USCAR (nowadays Japan), in 1962 and is of Chinese, Ryukyuan and Australian descent. Her film '' Window Horses'' was released in 2016. ...

Larissa Lai Larissa Lai (born 1967) is an American-born Canadian novelist and literary critic. She is a recipient of the 2018 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction and Lambda Literary Foundation's 2020 Jim Duggins, PhD Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist Pr ...

, Fiona Tinwei Lam, Joyce Lam,

Evelyn Lau Evelyn Lau (; born July 2, 1971) is a Canadian novelist, poet, and short story writer. Biography Evelyn Lau was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, on July 2, 1971, to Chinese-Canadian parents from Hong Kong. Lau attended Templeton Secondary ...

Harvey Lowe Harvey Lowe (30 October 1918 – 11 March 2009) was a Canadian radio presenter and world yo-yo champion. Early life Lowe was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in 1918, the youngest of eight daughters and two sons of his parents. Wanting ...

Lily Hoy Price Lily Hoy Price (January 14, 1930 – February 16, 2021) was a Canadian memoirist. She grew up in Quesnel, British Columbia and was the ninth daughter of twelve children in the Hoy family. She lived in England, Nigeria, Uganda and Nova Scotia. At 7 ...

Andy Quan Andy Quan (born 7 July 1969) is a Canadian author who now lives in Sydney. In his writing, he frequently explores the ways in which sexual identity and cultural identity interact. Quan is openly gay. Quan was born in Vancouver Vancouve ...

Tetsuro Shigematsu Tetsuro Shigematsu (born 1971) is a playwright/performer, filmmaker, comedian, and Canadian radio broadcaster. He was the final host of CBC Radio One's former afternoon series '' The Roundup'', where he replaced Bill Richardson in 2004, making hi ...

Adrian Tomine Adrian Tomine (; born May 31, 1974) is an American cartoonist. He is best known for his ongoing comic book series ''Optic Nerve'' and his illustrations in ''The New Yorker''. Early life Adrian Tomine was born May 31, 1974, in Sacramento, Califo ...

Terry Watada Terry Watada, born in 1951, is a Toronto writer with many productions and publications to his credit. His publications include Light at a Window (manga, HpF Press and the Greater Toronto National Association of Japanese Canadians 2015), The Game o ...

, Milton Wong,

, Tobias Wong, and Norman Yeung.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Ricepaper magazine website
1995 establishments in British Columbia 2016 disestablishments in British Columbia Online magazines published in Canada Defunct literary magazines published in Canada Magazines established in 1995 Magazines disestablished in 2016 Magazines published in Vancouver Online literary magazines Online magazines with defunct print editions Defunct magazines published in British Columbia