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Students, English, World Languages and Literatures, Departments & programs
Language barrier and family pressures no obstacle to student's writing dream
Although Isabella Wang is only in the first year of her and world literature double major program, she is already making a name for herself in the literary community.
Wang, an emerging Chinese-Canadian writer whose work has been met with critical acclaim, will have her first poetry chapbook, On Forgetting a Language, published by in October 2019.
While Wang is excited about her first chapbook publication, this collection of poems carries a deeper significance for her. "These poems have come a long way, and they mark a really big transition in my life," says Wang. "In that sense, I鈥檓 glad to have the chapbook out as a way of capturing that."
"I immigrated to Canada at the age of seven, not knowing a word of English," says Wang. "I struggled so much with the language and I was bullied a lot for that."
Wang never thought she would one day study English literature at a university level, let alone see her written work published and celebrated.
When Wang decided to pursue writing as a career path, she faced pushback from her family.
"Being the only child of two immigrant parents and being the only person in the family to be given a Western education, I was under immense pressure to pursue sciences or medical school鈥攖ypical of a family with conservative outlooks and very high expectations."
"However, looking back now, pursuing this route is the only thing that has ever made sense. Through writing, I found a form of expression."
Having found her calling, Wang has been actively involved in the literary community. She is currently an assistant editor at Canada's oldest feminist literary magazine, , and she is on the programming committee for the magazine's annual . She also serves as the Youth Advocate for the , and as a coordinator for the bi-monthly .
On top of school and work, Wang actively participates in writing events throughout the Lower Mainland鈥攚hether it be speaking at a literary festival in New Westminster, acting as an academic associate for 丁香园AV's World Literature Undergraduate Conference, presenting at the , or teaching a youth poetry workshop in Gibson.
Connect with Isabella Wang
Website: Twitter/Instagram: