Kathryn Gwun-Yeen Lennon’s debut poetry collection Duckweed 浮萍 launches with a Canadian tour
The cover of Duckweed 浮萍, the debut poetry collection by Edmonton writer Kathryn Gwun-Yeen Lennon 姚君妍, published by NeWest Press.
Photo credit: Cover design by Céline Chuang / Courtesy of NeWest Press
Edmonton poet Kathryn Gwun-Yeen Lennon 姚君妍 has released her debut collection, Duckweed 浮萍, through NeWest Press, with a series of Canadian readings and launches scheduled through November. Her next Edmonton appearance is Oct. 17 at LitFest, where she will share a double-book launch with fellow Edmonton poet Nisha Patel.
Published Oct. 1, the collection moves between English and Cantonese as Lennon considers family history, migration, cultural identity and relationships to place. NeWest Press describes poems that travel between Hong Kong and Alberta, Edmonton’s and Vancouver’s Chinatowns, and the kitchens of different generations of Lennon’s family. The publisher traces the book’s title to a Chinese proverb associating duckweed with wandering and a life without firm roots.
Lennon was born and raised in Edmonton, where she continues to live and work. On her website, she identifies her background as mixed Hong Kong Cantonese and Irish settler ancestry. Alongside her poetry, she works as an editor and publisher and is a co-creator, co-editor and co-publisher of Hungry Zine with Kyla Pascal. NeWest calls Duckweed 浮萍 her debut collection after years of writing, publishing and performing poetry across Canada.
The book’s Edmonton launch was scheduled for Oct. 8 at Paper Birch Books, with music by Jyn-Ting Ying and a conversation moderated by Wendy McGrath. Céline Chuang, who designed the cover, was also listed among the evening’s participants. Lennon identifies Chuang as a friend and co-owner of the independent bookstore.
Lennon and Patel will appear together Oct. 17 for “Liminality,” a LitFest double launch at the Muttart Theatre in Edmonton Public Library’s Stanley A. Milner Library. The event is scheduled from 2 to 3:30 p.m., with doors opening at 1:30 p.m. Writer Sandra SG Wong will moderate. General admission is $20, with $10 tickets for students and people with low incomes.
Patel’s new poetry collection, For the Record, is scheduled for release Oct. 20 through Arsenal Pulp Press. The two writers have planned a series of joint appearances that continues after LitFest.
Lennon also has a Vancouver Chinatown launch on Oct. 25 at Mon Keang School with Donna Seto and Alyssa Sy de Jesus. Her subsequent joint dates with Patel are Oct. 29 at Enabling Arts in Vancouver, Nov. 12 at Shelf Life Books with Single Onion in Calgary, Nov. 16 at Another Story Bookshop with Living Hyphen in Toronto, and Nov. 27 at McNally Robinson in Saskatoon. Readers planning to attend should check each organizer’s latest listing for admission and registration details.
Duckweed 浮萍 was published by NeWest Press on Oct. 1.
