Rethinking Genre, Form, and Narrative Structure: A Chinese (and East Asian) Perspective

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Step into a world where genre divides–like those between fiction and non-fiction, or between literary and speculative fiction—fade and give way to numerous “micro genres.” Learn about the Four Act Structure and others like it that predate conflict-driven narratives. Explore ideas from Chinese narrative theory and popular fiction/media that encourage a multiplicity of protagonists, subplots, and timelines rather than a single “hero’s journey” and consider how these frameworks can serve as alternatives to more traditional Eurocentric/Western approaches to storytelling.

Yilin Wang (she/they) is a writer, poet, Chinese-English translator, and editor. Her debut book, The Lantern and the Night Moths, has been called “an exceptional book of translations and literary criticism" (in a starred review by the Quill & Quire) and been featured in anticipated book lists from Electric Literature, The Toronto Star, and CBC Books. Her writing has appeared in Clarkesworld, Fantasy Magazine, The Malahat Review, Contemporary Verse 2, Words Without Borders, and the anthologies The Spirits Have Nothing to Do with Us and Asian Ghost Short Stories. Yilin has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and is a graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop. For more info, see www.yilinwang.com.

Presented in partnership with City of Burnaby’s Deer Lake Artist Residencies.