Category: 2026 Entries
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Never Finish Making Refuge: Mai-Linh Hong’s Continental Drift” by Anna Nguyen Click HERE to read all entrieson Continental Drift. Mai-Linh Hong. Continental Drift, Trio House Press, 2026. 108 pgs. There…
![[REVIEW] “Never Finish Making Refuge: Mai-Linh Hong’s 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐷𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑡” by Anna Nguyen](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mai-linh-hong.-continental-drift.webp)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “River of Time: Maitreyee B. Chowdhury’s I Walk Instead” by Mani Rao Maitreyee B. Chowdhury. I Walk Instead, Red River Press, 2026. Maitreyee B Chowdhury’s fifth book I Walk Instead…
![[REVIEW] “River of Time: Maitreyee B. Chowdhury’s 𝐼 𝑊𝑎𝑙𝑘 𝐼𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑑” by Mani Rao](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/maitreyee-b.-chowdhury.-i-walk-instead-red-river-press-2026.jpg)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Christopher Cheung’s Very Vancouver: A City in Everyday Voices” by Raymond K. Nakamura Christopher Cheung. Very Vancouver: Uncovering the Soul of a West Coast City, ECW Press, 2026. 328…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Christopher Cheung’s 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑉𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑣𝑒𝑟: A City in Everyday Voices” by Raymond K. Nakamura](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/very-vancouver-uncovering-the-soul-of-a-west-coast-city.jpg)
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[FICTION] “Three Travelling Portraits: India” by Matt Reeck Also read “No Moral at Its End”, Matt Reeck’s essayon “Three Travelling Portraits: India” Preeti (Delhi) I FLEW INTO INDIA on December ninth. I was going to stay at the Fulbright House…
![[FICTION] “Three Travelling Portraits: India” by Matt Reeck](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/screenshot-2026-07-10-at-18.33.52.png)
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[ESSAY] “No Moral at Its End” by Matt Reeck Also read Matt Reeck’s story “Three Travelling Portraits: India”. When I wrote “Three Travelling Portraits,” I was interested in depicting some of the sexual tension that I had experienced and witnessed…
![[ESSAY] “No Moral at Its End” by Matt Reeck](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/screenshot-2026-07-10-at-19.06.38.png)
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[ESSAY] “The Internet Cafe That Died During The Pandemic” by Laurehl Onyx B. Cabiles There was a well-known internet café in our municipality. Like all other small businesses, it was located at our public terminal since there were no complex…
![[ESSAY] “The Internet Cafe That Died During The Pandemic” by Laurehl Onyx B. Cabiles](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/screenshot-2026-07-11-at-11.40.29.png)
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[FICTION] “The Room After the Typhoon” by Christian Wilken Christian Wilken on “The Room After the Typhoon”: “The Room After the Typhoon” began with a memory from my year as an exchange student in Okinawa, from 2013 to 2014: the…
![[FICTION] “The Room After the Typhoon” by Christian Wilken](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/christian-wilken.png)
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[INCIDENTAL] “Bear, Boar, Monkey, Mouse, and Cat” by Marsha McDonald Bear © Dima Solomin and Marsha McDonald I am returning this year to Japan for a month mid-November, staying near Osaka, and visiting friends, doing my creative work. I will…
![[INCIDENTAL] “Bear, Boar, Monkey, Mouse, and Cat” by Marsha McDonald](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/screenshot-2026-07-11-at-14.09.19.png)
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[ESSAY] “Saigon, in a Previous Life” by Yun Li Yun Li’s note on “Saigon, in a Previous Life”: “Saigon, in a Previous Life” was originally written in Chinese and published as “西贡的前世今生” in the Night Light Cup section of Xinmin…
![[ESSAY] “Saigon, in a Previous Life” by Yun Li](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/screenshot-2026-07-09-at-16.04.22.png)
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[CONVERSATION] “Waving Frantically at Life” by Sadie Kaye and Lindsey McAlister Sadie Kaye’s introduction: Accidentally local, Lindsey McAlister’s spent over thirty years as the heartbeat of Hong Kong’s youth arts scene. A powerhouse of creativity, she has written and directed…
![[CONVERSATION] “Waving Frantically at Life” by Sadie Kaye and Lindsey McAlister](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/lindsey-mcalister-cha-f.jpg)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Old Anklets, Modern Cages: What Pakeezah Still Gets Right About Being an Indian Woman” by Swapna Sanchita Kamal Amrohi (director). Pakeezah (Pure One), 1972. 147 min. There are films…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Old Anklets, Modern Cages: What 𝑃𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑧𝑎ℎ Still Gets Right About Being an Indian Woman” by Swapna Sanchita](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/kamal-amrohi-director.-pakeezah-pure-one-.jpg)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Resurrecting the Memories of the Chinese Passengers on the Titanic: Steven Schwankert’s The Untold Story of the Titanic’s Chinese Survivors” by Susan Blumberg-Kason Click HERE to read more about…
![[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] “Resurrecting the Memories of the Chinese Passengers on the 𝑇𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑐: Steven Schwankert’s 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑈𝑛𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑇𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑐’𝑠 𝐶ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑆𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑠” by Susan Blumberg-Kason](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/steven-schwankert-the-six-the-untold-story-of-the-titanics-chinese-survivors-1.jpg)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “The Weight of a Family Name: Mimi Kwa’s House of Kwa” by Hilda Wong Mimi Kwa. House of Kwa, ABC Books, 2021. 368 pgs. 「家家有本難念的經」: “Every family has a scripture…
![[REVIEW] “The Weight of a Family Name: Mimi Kwa’s 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐾𝑤𝑎” by Hilda Wong](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/house-of-kwa.webp)
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[FICTION] “Cool Jazz at the Dragonfly Club” by Jeremiah Dutch Also read “Liner Notes”, Jeremiah Dutch’s essay on “Cool Jazz at the Dragonfly Club”. Late on a Thursday afternoon, at the Yokohama office, Jiro Adachi tapped his feet as softly…
![[FICTION] “Cool Jazz at the Dragonfly Club” by Jeremiah Dutch](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cool-jazz-jeremiah-dutch.png)
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[ESSAY] “Liner Notes” by Jeremiah Dutch Also read Jeremiah Dutch’s story “Cool Jazz at the Dragonfly Club”. “Anyone who understands jazz knows that you can’t understand it. It’s too complicated. That’s what’s so simple about it.” —Attributed to Yogi Berra…
![[ESSAY] “Liner Notes” by Jeremiah Dutch](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/liner-notes-jeremiah-dutch.png)
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[INCIDENTAL] “Meetings with Hong Kong Buddhist Nuns” by Simon Patton My only close encounter with a Hong Kong nun is something I have never forgotten. I saw her on two or three separate occasions at Tai Po Market MTR station in…
![[INCIDENTAL] “Meetings with Hong Kong Buddhist Nuns” by Simon Patton](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/hong-kong-mountain-trail-cropped.webp)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “The Colonial Gaze at the Dinner Table: Yáng Shuāng-zǐ’s Taiwan Travelogue” by Jennifer Eagleton Yáng Shuāng-zǐ (author), Lin King (translator). Taiwan Travelogue, Graywolf Press, 2024. 320 pgs. Taiwan Travelogue, winner…
![[REVIEW] “The Colonial Gaze at the Dinner Table: Yáng Shuāng-zǐ’s 𝑇𝑎𝑖𝑤𝑎𝑛 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑢𝑒” by Jennifer Eagleton](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/yang-shuang-zi-author-lin-king-translator.-taiwan-travelogue-.jpg)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “How Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies Makes Ordinary Moments Unforgettable” by Abhinav Tulachan Jhumpa Lahiri. Interpreter of Maladies, Houghton Mifflin, 1999. 198 pgs. You will find no shortage of stories…
![[REVIEW] “How Jhumpa Lahiri’s 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑀𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑠 Makes Ordinary Moments Unforgettable” by Abhinav Tulachan](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/interpreter-of-maladies.-jhumpa-lahiri.-houghton-mifflin-1999-p.-page-number-1.jpg)
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Have you never published a short story, in any language? Cha: An Asian Literary Journal is looking for unpublished fiction writers to submit short stories that are set in Asia or explore Asian themes. If this describes you, please email…
![[INVITATION] Seeking First-Time Fiction Writers](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/photography_christopherleibow1.jpg)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Loss, Survival, and Hope: Yuyutsu Sharma’s In God’s Messy Workplace” by Arun Budhathoki Yuyutsu Sharma. In God’s Messy Workplace: New Poems, Nirala Publications, 2026. 110 pgs. The COVID-19 pandemic generated…
![[REVIEW] “Loss, Survival, and Hope: Yuyutsu Sharma’s 𝐼𝑛 𝐺𝑜𝑑’𝑠 𝑀𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑦 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒” by Arun Budhathoki](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/in-gods-messy-workplace-new-poems-by-yuyutsu-sharma-author-.jpg)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “Finding My Own Silent Friends: From the Botanical Garden to Hong Kong’s Streets” by Jennifer Eagleton Click HERE to read all entries in Chaon SILENT FRIEND. Ildikó Enyedi (director), Silent…
![[ESSAY] “Finding My Own Silent Friends: From the Botanical Garden to Hong Kong’s Streets” by Jennifer Eagleton](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/screenshot-2026-06-02-at-10.42.17.png)
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We are very pleased to announce that we have nominated the following two works of creative nonfiction for the 2027 edition of Best of the Net anthology. Congratulations to Teng and Matt. Good luck! — “Reflection on Exile, Impermanence, and Red…
![[BEST OF THE NET 2027] Cha’s Nominations—Works of Creative Nonfiction](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/screenshot-2026-07-02-at-22.58.36.png)
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We are very pleased to announce that we have nominated the following two stories for the 2027 edition of Best of the Net anthology. Congratulations to Sajita and Kathy. Good luck! — “The Eighteen Steps Home” by Sajita Nair— “Sweating Labour,…
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We are very pleased to announce that we have nominated the following six poems for the 2027 edition of Best of the Net anthology. Congratulations to these wonderful poets and good luck! — “Winter Approaching” by Jonathan Chan— “Noodle Insurrection or…
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [ESSAY] “What Lingers: On Babitha Marina Justin’s The Way Madmen Smell” by Ankush Banerjee Babitha Marina Justin. The Way Madmen Smell, Red River Press, 2026. 149 pgs. Noted Trivandrum-based academic, poet,…
![[ESSAY] “What Lingers: On Babitha Marina Justin’s 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑎𝑦 𝑀𝑎𝑑𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑆𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑙” by Ankush Banerjee](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/the-way-madmen-smell-by-babitha-marina-justin-.jpg)
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[CONVERSATION] “speak easy” by Kathy Ngoc Nguyen and An Tran Kathy Ngoc Nguyen’s introduction: Before meeting and getting to know An Tran, I was a fan of his collection of short stories, Meditations on the Mother Tongue (C&R Press, 2017),…
![[CONVERSATION] “speak easy” by Kathy Ngoc Nguyen and An Tran](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/screenshot-2026-07-01-at-13.11.43.png)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Between the Rabbit and the Not-Rabbit: Yoo Heekyung’s Surrealism in Winter Night Rabbit Worries” by San Kwon Yoo Heekyung (author), Stine An (translator). Winter Night Rabbit Worries, Ugly Duckling Press,…
![[REVIEW] “Between the Rabbit and the Not-Rabbit: Yoo Heekyung’s Surrealism in 𝑊𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑁𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑅𝑎𝑏𝑏𝑖𝑡 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠” by San Kwon](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/winter-night-rabbit-worries-1.jpg)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Insignificant Moments, Significant Lives: Xu Xi’s Horizon Hong Kong” by Jennifer Eagleton Click HERE to read all entries in Chaon Horizon Hong Kong. Xu Xi. Horizon Hong Kong: Selected Stories, Gaudy Boy, 2026. 288…
![[REVIEW] “Insignificant Moments, Significant Lives: Xu Xi’s 𝐻𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑜𝑛 𝐻𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝐾𝑜𝑛𝑔” by Jennifer Eagleton](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/horizonhongkong122925.webp)
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茶 FIRST IMPRESSIONS 茶 REVIEW OF BOOKS & FILMS [REVIEW] “Horizon Hong Kong: Xu Xi’s Hong Kong in Words and Pictures” by Susan Blumberg-Kason Click HERE to read all entries in Cha on Horizon Hong Kong. Xu Xi. Horizon Hong Kong: Selected Stories, Gaudy…
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[REVIEW] “Does Rabbit God Dream of a Queer-Asian Hot Pot?” by Felicia Jiang Click HERE to read all entries in Chaon Hot Pot. Hongwei Bao (playwright) and Namoo Chae Lee (director). Hot Pot: A Queer East Asian Play About A Meal, Four Friends and What…
![[REVIEW] “Does Rabbit God Dream of a Queer-Asian 𝐻𝑜𝑡 𝑃𝑜𝑡?” by Felicia Jiang](https://chajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/hot-pot-53-photo-credit-brett-kasza.jpg)