The School of Creative Writing is pleased to congratulate Emily Chou, MFA. Emily’s graduate thesis is a graphic novel entitled Strange Stories from a Chinatown Studio.
Emily earned a BFA in Creative Writing and Anthropology from UBC in 2015 and, after running away from Vancouver for four years to live in Japan and Italy, finds herself back where she started: frantically searching for the right classroom in Buchanan. Emily does a little bit of everything. She served as the Poetry Editor for PRISM international Magazine, TA’d for Graphic Forms, and discovered a new love for speculative fiction during her time in the program. Her work often explores the complexities of identity, belonging, and place using humour, pop culture references, and rigorous research. Find her work in Geist, Room, SAD, and many others.
Strange Stories from a Chinatown Studio is a graphic novel that tells the parallel stories of two Chinese-Canadian teens as they each navigate the gulf between their own desires and their families’ expectations. In 1998, wallflower Allison learns to speak up for herself with the help of a gang of teenage misfits and guitar lessons from a ghost. In 1971, studious Katherine resents that she stands in the shadow of her charismatic older brother, but a chance encounter with a minor god presents her with an opportunity that changes her life forever. Though decades apart, their lives are linked by magic, tragedy, and a music-loving young man.
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Request more information about Emily’s thesis project using our Grad Showcase Contact Form.