Chinese on the Beach: A Conversation and Reading

Important info: This event is part of Bornholm’s Culture Week. Everyone aged 15+ needs a Culture Week wristband (100 DKK) for event access. All proceeds go directly to organizers and events.

Author Vanessa Fabiano will discuss her debut short story collection, Chinese on the Beach in conversation with filmmaker and writer Fatema Abdoolcarim.

Chinese on the Beach is set in the brief, electric window when China threw open its doors and the world came rushing in. Spanning the 1990s into the early 2000s, these stories track expats, locals, and returnees as they chase opportunity, reckon with history, and try not to fall through the cracks. A power struggle in a Beijing media empire, a love triangle shadowed by the SARS pandemic, the ruthless choreography of Shanghai’s social scene—each story explores the tensions of a country speeding toward the future.

We'll explore the collection's genesis and and Vanessa’s personal connection to China, as well as the broader themes that run through the book—from socio-economic upheaval to the enduring impact of Tiananmen. We'll also examine what it means to write about a recent past that already feels historical, and how a multicultural, immigrant lens shapes writing and perspective.

The event is in English and includes selected readings.