I’m really delighted to be able to contribute to the writing community through this position, as I’ve so often received creative and professional help from the people around me. As a confirmed introvert, it can sometimes be difficult to know how to give back (if I have ever said I would make it to your book launch and didn’t – I am so sorry!), so I’m looking forward to supporting the mission and valuable work of the ASA.  

It was apparent from a very young age that I loved language, stories and books. I was a classic bookworm as a child – every Saturday I went to the local library and borrowed the maximum number of books allowed. From an early age I wrote morbid stories about the death of everything: pot plants, my neighbours, whole civilisations. Despite this, my path to becoming involved in writing and books was not clear or easy. I had a fairly humble suburban upbringing where there was no expectation that creative leanings could lead to a career. I had no inkling that someone like me could become an author, and there was a dearth of Asian-Australians in the stories I consumed through books and screens. 

Still, somehow, I’ve cobbled together a winding career with words. Around publishing four novels I’ve worked as a bookseller, digital content writer, in rights and permissions at an educational publisher, for a charitable foundation focussed on literacy projects, as an assessor, judge and mentor – and I’m currently stumbling down the final straight of a PhD. I thought my search for ways to balance employment and creative goals would be over by mid-career, but I can see now that the cultural, commercial  and political environment for authors is always transforming and often precarious. 

More than ever we need organisations like the ASA. Thank you for your trust in me, and I look forward to serving you!