CHA Issue#10 Goes Live

Cha: An Asian Literary Journal #10 is HERE.

We are very pleased to announce that the February 2010 issue of Cha has now been launched. We would like to thank Gillian Sze, our first ever female guest editor, for reading the submissions with us and helping put the issue together. We would also like to thank our Reviews Editor, Eddie Tay, who has brought us a fine selection of reviews. The issue features a new editorial by Jeff Zroback titled "Thoughts of Trains; Trains of Thought". The following writers/artists have generously allowed us to showcase their work:

Poetry: Anuradha Vijayakrishnan, Elizabeth Schultz, Daniel Bowman Jr., Michael O'Sullivan, Lucy Lu, Ocean Vuong, Mariejoy San Buenaventura, Papa Osmubal, Jean YeoJin Sung, Rocco de Giacomo, Selina Libi Bjorlie, Chris Tse, Angela Eun Ji Koh, Greg Santos, Lyn Lifshin, Marc Vincenz, Wena Poon and Richard Luftig

Fiction: Kimarlee Nguyen and Alka Khushalani

Photography & art: Steven Digman, Roberutsu (Cover artist), Papa Osmubal and Rohith Sundararaman

Reviews: Katherine Foster, Martin Alexander, Moira Moody, Hilary Chan Tsz-Shan, Michael Tsang, Alice Tsay and Phoebe Tsang who review the following books: Wena Poon's The Proper Care of Foxes, Felix Cheong's Sudden in Youth: New and Selected Poems, O Thiam Chin's Never Been Better, John Biggs' Tin Dragons, Gillian Bickley's China Suite and Other Poems, Rocco de Giacomo's Ten Thousand Miles between Us, C. P. Stewart's Taking it In, The Chicago-Kunming Poetry Group's on the no road way to tomorrow, Vera Schwarcz's Brief Rest in the Garden of Flourishing Grace: Poems of Remembrance and Loss by the Manchu Prince Yihuan, Kim Cheng Boey's Between Stations and Kim Echlin's The Disappeared

"Lost Teas": Ken Chau

Our eleventh issue is due out in May/June 2010. Poet Sam Byfield and writer E.K. Entrada will lend us their expertise in the role of guest poetry editor and guest fiction editor respectively. If you are interested in having your work considered for publication in Cha, please read our submission guidelines for details.

Tammy Ho Lai-Ming & Jeff Zroback

Cha

http://www.asiancha.com

ASIAN CHA Issue#10 Editorial

Thoughts of Trains; Trains of Thought

There are two conflicting images of train travel. The first is of a train journey as romance, an unhurried and meandering trip through exotic lands—a luxurious ride eastward on the Orient Express, the slow epic of the steppes from a Trans-Siberian window, the freedom of rooftop riders in India. The other is of the daily commute: monotonous, stressful and soul-destroying. Think of the crush of the Tokyo Subway, the delays and inefficiencies of British Rail, the suburban professional's long, tired ride to retirement.

My daily ride to work is a combination of the two, having little of the romance of the earlier and all of the inconveniences of the later. My office is located in the commuter belt between London and one of its many airports, and the train I catch operates primarily as an express service for air passengers heading to and from the city. Nothing makes you feel like you are always travelling, while never going anywhere, quite like a daily commute shared with returning holidaymakers and excited visitors. Navigating their wheelie-luggage and watching them struggle with the door switch, I am torn between the annoyance of an aggrieved local (Push the button next to the door! They have buttons in Barcelona, don't they?) and deep jealousy (I wish I was in Barcelona.). I guess I should be thankful. The food vendors have it worse. They spend their days pushing carts the length of a train that is itself bouncing between two terminals. That is travel without romance, work as a commute. And they probably have to take the train home after their shift.

In the forty minutes the trip affords, I tend to read the paper, listen to my ipod and, when an issue is approaching, work on Cha. Or I just sit and watch the scenery go by. At moments like these when I find myself staring blankly at the fields and housing complexes, I wonder if I should put my commute to more productive use—maybe learn to knit or study for a realtor's licence or something. For those set on self-improvement, the train has obvious advantages over other forms of travel. Unlike driving, your attention is free; unlike the bus, you have space, maybe even a table. Come to think of it...time, open attention, a table...these conditions are perfect for one activity in particular: writing. Perhaps I could write a train novel, a successor to Strangers on a Train or Murder on the Orient Express. I could follow the lead of others who have written on the rails—Langston Hughes, who penned "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" on a ride from Mexico or those Japanese school girls who thumb out entire cell phone novels on the subway. I could find stories in the seats, inspiration in the scenery, rhythm in the swaying of the carriage. I wouldn't even mind the delays—they would give me time to finish difficult passages. Let my train be a train of thoughts; thoughts I would follow along entire networks of imagination, changing at junctions, making connections, before terminating in the great commuter novel.

A romance. At least in my case. I think, for the time being, I will settle for the occasional working commute, remind myself that even if I am not writing the great train novel, much of this journal has been the product of time spent travelling to and from work. I have managed to type out a few editorials on my daily journey, found rhythm in the rails and inspiration out the window. I found inspiration out the window—a good reminder that not every moment should be spent in productive activity or electronic distraction. Through the glass, I have seen much which is beautiful and dramatic: flooding tracks, snow covered fields, hunting foxes. There is romance in our commutes, if we just take time to look.

Cha Number 10 with services to stations in Asia and beyond has now boarded. Enjoy the trip.

Jeff Zroback / Co-editor
Cha
25 February, 2010

Read Tammy Ho's train poem, "Inside the Train" here.

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Arlene Ang in Staccato

Arlene Ang's "On the Last Known Destination of a Missing Person" is published in Staccato.

Arlene Ang's poetry has been published in issue #1 of Cha.

Iris Law in Asia Writes

Iris Law's two new poems, "Walking Home with Groceries" and "On Being Far Away, In January: a Love Letter", are now published at Asia Writes.

Iris A. Law's poetry has been published in issue #7 of Cha.

Gillian Sze's poetry reading

[Click the image for a larger version.]

Gillian Sze is a regular Cha contributor and guest editor of issue #10 of the journal. See more here.

Chris Mooney-Singh and Ng Yi-Sheng performing at The NUS Literary Society's Evening of Poetry & Music 2010

[click image to see a larger version. More details can be found here.]

• Chris Mooney-Singh's poem "After the Lion Dance" was published in issue #2 of Cha.
• Ng Yi-Sheng's poetry has been published in issue #8 of Cha.

Arlene Ang and Reid Mitchell in Up The Staircase

Arlene Ang's new poem "On Leaving" and Reid Mitchell's new poem "All Her Household Are Clothed in Scarlet" are now published in the latest issue of Up The Staircase. Do also check out the journal's 'challenge'; it sounds interesting.

• Arlene Ang's poetry has been published in issue #1 of Cha.
• Reid Mitchell is consulting editor of Cha.

Cha: An Asian Literary Journal Call for Submissions

Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, the first Hong Kong-based online literary publication, is now calling for submissions for its May 2010 issue. Please send in poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, reviews, photography & art for consideration. Submission guidelines can be found here. Deadline: 10 April, 2010.

Former Cha contributors Sam Byfield (poetry) and E.K. Entrada (prose) will act as guest editors and read the submissions with co-editors Tammy Ho and Jeff Zroback. Please contact Reviews Editor Eddie Tay at eddie@asiancha.com if you want to review a book or have a book reviewed in the journal.

If you have any questions, please feel free to write to any of the Cha staff at editors@asiancha.com.

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Cha contributors in The Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival 2010

Cha contributors Martin Alexander, Andrew Barker, Blair Reeve, Jason Lee, Ouyang Yu, Kate Rogers, Viki Holmes and Xu Xi will be featured in the 2010 Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival (11-19 March). More details can be found here.

Read Martin's "Smashing Up the Grand Piano" [and an anslysis of the poem], Andrew's "Welded to Reason by Brittle Metals" [and a review of his Snowblind from My Protective Colouring], Blair's "Of Horologists & Jazzologists" and "Periplaneta Maldiviana", Jason's "45 Belgrave Square" [and an analysis of the poem], Ouyang's "Bad English" [and an analysis of the poem], Kate's "Sai Ying Pun Sestina", Viki's "smoking double happiness at the grand stage dinner & dance" and Xu Xi's "Confucius and Hair" in Cha.

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Kristine Ong Muslim and Lyn Lifshin in Melusine

Kristine Ong Muslim's three new poems "Mr Flip as a Flock of Flour", "Mr Flip as a Hearing Disorder" and "Still on Schedule"; and Lyn Lifshin's new poem "There was a Girl" are now published in the latest issue of Melusine. Enjoy!

• Kristine Ong Muslim's poetry was published in issue #9 of Cha.
• Lyn Lifshin's poems were published in issue 4 and issue 10 of Cha

Carry A Poem

Is there a poem you always carry with you? Tell Carry A Poem your story.

Introducing Branch Magazine

Branch Magazine
co-founded by Gillian Sze and Roberutsu

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Asian American Literature Symposium

A day-long celebration of eight of today's most accomplished and exciting Asian American writers. Come to any or all of the readings; stay for the Q&A sessions, and don't forget to get your books signed by the authors.

As a part of Maryland Day 2010, sponsored by the University of Maryland, College Park, the Symposium will be held on April 24th, 2010, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Ulrich Recital Hall, Tawes Hall. Free to the public.

Schedule:

-Introductory remarks by AALR editors-in-chief Lawrence-Minh Bui Davis and Gerald Maa and Asian American Studies Program Director Larry Shinagawa

-10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Peter Bacho and Ru Freeman

-11:30a.m.-1 p.m. Ed Lin and Srikanth Reddy

-1 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Kyoko Mori and April Naoko Heck

-2:30 p.m.-4 p.m. Karen Tei Yamashita and Sonya Chung

-4 p.m.-5 p.m. Book Signing

Sponsored jointly by The Asian American Literary Review and the University of Maryland's Asian American Studies Program, Writer's House, and English Department.

Please direct any questions or inquiries about press coverage to asianamericanliteraryreview@gmail.com.

Bob Bradshaw in The Driftwood Review and The Orange Room Review

Bob Bradshaw's three new poems, "Li Po Thanks the Moon" (p. 12), "Beethovan's Pianos" (pp. 16-17) and "The Night Sky" (p. 31) are now published in the latest issue of The Driftwood Review. You can read the entire issue here. Bob also has a new poem, "Talking About Boys to My Daughter" in the new issue of The Orange Room Review.

Read Bob Bradshaw's Cha profile.

Expecting CHA

Cover art by Roberutsu

The tenth issue of Cha will go live at the end of February.

Gillian Sze (Guest Editor) lent us her expertise and read the poetry and prose submissions with us, while Eddie Tay (Reviews Editor) brought us a fine selection of book reviews. The issue also features new photography and a cup of "Lost Tea". Stay tuned.

Lantern Review speaks to Tammy Ho

Poet and Cha co-editor Tammy Ho has a conversation with Lantern Review staff writer Ada Yee. You can read the interview on the Lantern Review blog. You can also read Lantern Review's conversation with Luisa A Igloria here.

CHA contributors in QLRS

Cha contributors Reid Mitchell, Philip Holden and Yew Leong Lee have new creative works published in the latest issue (January 2010) of Quarterly Literary Review Singapore. Read Reid's poem "Never Give a Clock to a Dead Person", Philip Holden's story "Host" and Yew Leong Lee's "Faith".

• Reid Mitchell is consulting editor of Cha.
• Philip Holden's fiction has been published in issue #4 of Cha.
• Yew Leong Lee's fiction has been published in issue#6 of Cha.