In commentary on her work, Chin writes, “If you peruse the news for recent reports on Malaysia, you will get a sense of the topics I’m compelled to write about: rampant corruption, detentions without trial, and the crackdown on dissent and artistic freedom. “Feminist Press publishes classic and new writing from around the world, creates cutting-edge programs, and elevates silenced and marginalized voices in order to support personal transformation and social justice for all people.”Īn event celebrating Chin’s prize-winning work is scheduled for March 28. In its self-descriptive material, Feminist Press says that the company was founded “to advance women’s rights and amplify feminist perspectives. The winner receives $5,000 and a publishing contract with Feminist Press. The eponymous Louise Meriwether published Daddy Was a Number Runner in 1970 at the founding of Feminist Press, and the prize today is a partnership between Feminist Press and TAYO Literary Magazine. Chin is a software engineer who today lives in New York City.Īccording to eligibility details, the prize is open to, “women and nonbinary writers of color (or those who self-identify as other than white) who are residents of the fifty (50) United States, the District of Columbia, and US territories and possessions 18 years of age or older at time of entry and who have not had a book published or have a book under contract at the time of submission.” In press materials, Chin’s work is described as exploring “oppression, dissent, artistic freedom, and the human condition through a series of interconnected vignettes,” set mostly in her native Malaysia. Submissions for its 2017 competition open May 1.Īuthor YZ Chin is the 2016 winner for her short story collection Though I Get Home, to be published in spring 2018.

By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | ‘Changing and Challenging Circumstances’ Feminist Press at City University of New York (CUNY) has announced its 2016 Louise Meriwether First Book Prize winner.

Though I Get Home by YZ Chin