Edmonton Heritage Stories
A Celebration of Crossings, Courage, and Community
The Edmonton Chinese Writing Club has spent 16 years writing, reading and sharing stories, mostly in Chinese. With support from our HCIP Project Accelerator Grant, they have published their first English-language book: Edmonton Heritage Stories: Crossings, Courage, Community.
Club president Ying (Cathy) Shi, a former ESL teacher of 35 years, saw that stories written only in Chinese rarely reach neighbours from other communities. “I think we have to integrate into the mainstream society by writing in English,” she says. The project was also practical. As a volunteer-run club with modest membership fees, it needed a way to cover basic costs, and book sales now support that. When Shi became president in 2021, she brought a new vision: expanding beyond Chinese language to connect with Edmonton’s broader multicultural community.
The book features stories from writers representing diverse backgrounds; Chinese, Ukrainian, Filipino, Japanese, Indo-Canadian and others. Each author brings their unique voice and perspective on Edmonton’s heritage, focused around themes of crossings, courage, and community.
Collecting these stories wasn’t without challenges. “I had to chase, lots of emails, phone calls, in person at events,” Shi recalled about her recruitment efforts. Despite initial difficulties connecting with various cultural organizations, Shi and the club members persevered, leveraging personal connections to build an inclusive collection of authentic Edmonton experiences.
What makes this anthology special is the editorial approach. Drawing from her own experience as an ESL teacher for 35 years and having faced editorial decisions that stripped away her cultural identity in academic writing, Shi ensured that each writer’s authentic voice remained intact.
“When I read my stories, I lost some identity, because how you phrase, how you say, how you write, you use words,” Shi reflected. This understanding influenced the book’s editing philosophy, preserving each author’s unique expression while making their stories accessible to English readers.
One of the book’s unexpected delights came through a chance connection with the Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts. When an author wrote about their mother who had become disabled and later found a creative outlet through the Nina Haggerty Centre, it opened the door to artistic collaboration. The book now features artwork from the Centre’s artists, adding visual dimensions to the written stories.
This synergy exemplifies what Shi considers the project’s greatest achievement: collaboration. “We couldn’t believe we could do it in English. I couldn’t believe that a product could be so professional,” she said. “The only reason is not because we’re strong... it’s because of collaboration. The editors, the people who collaborated, like the Nina [Haggerty Centre], the artists and the book designer and the editors.”
This collection is just the beginning. Building on this success, the Edmonton Chinese Writing Club has ambitious plans for four additional books in the series:
“Edmonton Hidden Heritage: Lost and Found” - focusing on forgotten or neglected history and culture
“Edmonton Uplifting” - featuring stories of inspiration and triumph
A collection of seniors’ memories
A youth-focused anthology
With each volume, the club aims to amplify voices that aren’t often represented in mainstream narratives, including those from racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ communities, Indigenous peoples, and working-class perspectives.
At its heart, this project celebrates the transformative power of storytelling. As Shi shared her own contribution to the anthology, “Finding Happiness in Edmonton,” she revealed how teaching immigrants helped her find purpose and belonging in her adopted city.
“This book gave me a chance... I found my happiness as an immigrant,” she reflected. “I found it here through teaching immigrants.”
Through these stories, readers gain insight into the diverse experiences that shape Edmonton’s cultural landscape—stories of crossing borders, finding courage in new circumstances, and building community connections.