For ESEA people, East Side Voices is a testament to the little piece of Britain that our communities have carved out for ourselves. It reminds us that we are not alone. For all readers - not just ESEA people - this book is a fantastic insight into the experiences of what it means to be ESEA in a country that has by and large overlooked us. May East Side Voices be the first of many works dedicated to our peoples, our cultures, our struggles, and our triumphs. East Side Voices is a thoughtful, painful reminder of the grand narratives that get buried under belittling stereotypes, of how progress can also regress and how self-actualisation, self-discovery and personal excellence still grate against the perceptions of strangers. Listening to other people debate your origins in your presence is a disconcerting experience, but it’s one that I’ve become accustomed to over nearly three decades of living in Europe. I’ve observed how these discussions have attempted to be more reflective, more self-interrogative, as people travel and read widely, and pride themselves upon being culturally engaged…trying to explain being Chinese-Malaysian to anyone in Europe is a curiously dispiriting experience in which the simplicity of one’s identity – which feels so clear and obvious – suddenly becomes torturously complicated, a source of confusion and even, in these days of cultural sensitivity, a cause of anxiety.’

East Side Voices by Helena Lee | Hachette UK East Side Voices by Helena Lee | Hachette UK

Slowly regretting putting this off for so long because this was amazing and it took me less than a day to finish. The bookshop Foyles is to partner with a publishing network to launch a new festival featuring writers from east and south-east Asia, thought to be the first in the UK focused wholly on writers from the region.

It’s difficult to put into words how I felt when reading East Side Voices. To my knowledge, there has never been a book like this - one dedicated to the experiences of East and South East Asian people in Britain. For so long we have looked, with yearning, at the nonfiction titles coming out of the US, such as those of Cathy Park Hong, Eleanor Ty and Judy Tzu-Chun Wu. The fact that this was a historical first was a little daunting. As a British person of Vietnamese descent, I must admit that I felt somewhat apprehensive to read and review this book. What if I was disappointed? What if I didn’t feel seen? This was more than just another book in my list of 2021 reads. Its publication suddenly became about my whole identity, my whole sense of belonging in a country with which I have had a difficult relationship my entire life. Members get the first chance to book our entire programme of events, including go-down-in-history gigs, concerts with world-class orchestras, and talks from cultural icons and political giants. The group was founded in 2022 by publicity director Maria Garbutt-Lucero, who works at Hodder & Stoughton, and commissioning editor Joanna Lee, who works at independent publisher Atlantic Books. Its aim is to amplify the voices of east and south-east Asian writers and promote ESEA talent working across the UK publishing industry.

East Side Voices | Belfast Walking Tours and Museums East Side Voices | Belfast Walking Tours and Museums

I have not rated this 5 stars because, whilst I found myself connecting with the authors and their stories, I wanted - if not needed - more every time each story ended. Although upon reflection this may be unfair, given that the book purports to be, and is, a collection of short stories. Despite this, I just can’t help wishing there was more. The essays are sharpest when various forms of objectification intersect – for example when sexual and racial abuse combine, as with novelist Sharlene Teo’s excellent, self-lacerating piece on exotification: “Once, a man followed me down a platform at Paddington station, chanting ‘ ni hao, konnichiwa, sexy sexy’ and I told him to get lost – only for him to start shouting and running after me.” Gemma Chan on the truth about her father’s life at sea: ‘He knew what it was like to have nothing’ Publishing in January 2022, EAST SIDE VOICES is a first-of-its-kind essay anthology that showcases the brightest East and Southeast Asian voices in Britain today. It is a testament to the quality of each author’s writing that despite the brevity of each account, I became deeply invested in their stories. I also found myself reflecting on my own experiences and difficulties as an Asian immigrant with greater clarity and understanding. I’d love to read something simmer form a Middle East viewpoint because believe me, it’s be very different but also very similar.

In the aftermath of the second world war, Britain forcibly deported hundreds of Chinese seamen who had served in the merchant navy, deeming them an “undesirable element” of British society. These men had helped keep the UK fed and fuelled on highly dangerous crossings of the Atlantic (approximately 3,500 vessels of the merchant navy were sunk by German U-boats, with the loss of 72,000 lives). Edited by Helena Lee, founder of the East Side Voices cultural salon and Acting Deputy Editor of Harper’s Bazaar. Featuring writing from: Romalyn Ante, Tash Aw, June Bellebono, Gemma Chan, Mary Jean Chan, Catherine Cho, Tuyen Do, Will Harris, Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, Claire Kohda, Katie Leung, Amy Poon, Naomi Shimada, Anna Sulan Masing, Sharlene Teo, Zing Tsjeng and Andrew Wong. Will Harris is the winner of the 2020 Forward Prize for Best First Collection, poet and author of RENDANG and Mixed Race Superman.