When Railways Were Highways: Remembering Jim Wong-Chu’s Legacy

June 27, 2026

June 27, 2026

$5

Chinatown Storytelling Centre, 168 E Pender St., Vancouver

Website

Events Description

 

This panel brings together writers whose creative lives were shaped by the mentorship, advocacy, and generosity of Jim Wong-Chu.

Featuring: Evelyn Lau, Yasuko Thanh, Jessica Gin-Jade Chan, moderated by Julia Lin

This panel brings together writers whose creative lives were shaped by the mentorship, advocacy, and generosity of Jim Wong-Chu, who is a foundational figure in Asian Canadian literature and cultural organizing. Long before Asian Canadian writing was institutionally recognized, Jim and the pioneers of his generation built pathways where none existed, transforming railways, symbols of exclusion and labour, into highways of connection, storytelling, and belonging.

This panel of writers reflect on how Jim nurtured emerging voices, insisted on the importance of community over individual acclaim, and modelled a literary practice rooted in care and cultural memory. Through personal stories, reflections on mentorship, and discussions of their artistic lineage, this conversation honours Jim’s belief that writing is not only an act of expression but also a responsibility to the history and community of those who come after.

The panel invites audiences to consider how mentorship can be a form of resistance and how literary communities are built.

Who is it for?

All ages

HOW MUCH

Tickets : $5

How to get tickets?

Buy online

WHEN & WHERE

 

Date: Saturday June 27, 2026

6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Venue & Address

Chinatown Storytelling Centre, 168 E Pender St., Vancouver, BC, V6A 1T3

Wheelchair accessible

Accessible by Public Transport

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