Written by Leona Chen. This article reflects on The Boy from Clearwater, a translated graphic memoir that intertwines Tsai Kun-lin’s life with the author’s own diasporic longing. Through vivid illustrations and intergenerational memory, the graphic novel becomes a conduit for Taiwanese American readers seeking connection, historical understanding, and ancestral intimacy across language, distance, and time.
Written by Chee-Hann Wu. This article shares the rise of Taiwanese BL comics, which increasingly portray ordinary, everyday same-sex relationships without much sexuality-related conflict. These works exemplify comforting, relatable stories that reflect a society where love is simply lived.
Written by I-Yun Lee. This article is an overview that traces Taiwanese comics from Japanese colonial to post-war Taiwan, the rise of rental comics, and the severe censorship that stifled creators from the 1960s to the 1980s. Shaped by colonial importation, market demand, and state control, Taiwan’s comic history emerges as a story of negotiation and constraint.
Written by Lorraine Pan. This article discusses K-pop and the use of lightsticks in the Winter Bluebird Movement in Taiwan in December 2024. Taiwanese K-pop fans used lightsticks to express their political views, drawing inspiration from similar actions in South Korea. Pan argues that the movement showcased the fan community’s power and challenged negative perceptions, highlighting their active engagement in political issues.
Written by Chee-Hann Wu. This article discusses Taiwan Travelogue and its US book tour earlier this year. It highlights the controversial marketing strategy, the extensive use of footnotes to enrich the historical context, and the categorisation of the novel as queer literature due to the evident, though subtle, romantic undertones between the two female protagonists.
Written by Wu Chieh-Hsiang. This article discusses the potential consequences of budget cuts to Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture. It explores concerns about censorship and repression due to these cuts, as well as the impact on cultural institutions and freedom of expression.
