First Word

First Word #4: Yen-Rong Wong

May 16, 2021 Sam George-Allen Season 1 Episode 4
First Word #4: Yen-Rong Wong
First Word
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First Word
First Word #4: Yen-Rong Wong
May 16, 2021 Season 1 Episode 4
Sam George-Allen

Brisbane writer Yen-Rong Wong and I caught up over Zoom to talk about how and why to write about race and identity, addressing your younger self with your creative practice, and her idiosyncratic writing and editing style. 

I highly recommend checking out Yen-Rong’s curated selection of her writing here - it deals with growing up, race, culture, parents, and sexuality, in a really broad range of forms, from brief op-eds to lyrical reflections (and you should read her excellent reviews too - we love to see confidence borne out by talent!). The essay Yen-Rong mentions about her childhood and her parents’ approach to physical punishment is ‘The Trauma of Discipline’, published by Griffith Review - a long read, and a must-read. 

Show Notes

Brisbane writer Yen-Rong Wong and I caught up over Zoom to talk about how and why to write about race and identity, addressing your younger self with your creative practice, and her idiosyncratic writing and editing style. 

I highly recommend checking out Yen-Rong’s curated selection of her writing here - it deals with growing up, race, culture, parents, and sexuality, in a really broad range of forms, from brief op-eds to lyrical reflections (and you should read her excellent reviews too - we love to see confidence borne out by talent!). The essay Yen-Rong mentions about her childhood and her parents’ approach to physical punishment is ‘The Trauma of Discipline’, published by Griffith Review - a long read, and a must-read.