Writing
No Compass is shared space between Asian Australian Studies Research Network; It’s Not a Compliment; Peril Magazine; Teh Cha; and Writing Through Fences.
No Compass builds on the idea of “diaspora as methodology”, deploying diaspora as a political verb rather than administrative noun, to challenge the idea that diverse communities are “hard to reach”, instead considering them “easy to love” and challenging the justice of health, social, community and other systems.
Neither “about the virus”, nor “not about the virus”, No Compass invites perspectives that engage with race, culture and the contemporary challenges of navigating Australian identity in the context of COVID-19, showcasing the lived reality of “Australian” communities, reflecting their dignified, complex and nuanced experiences, their self-defined identities and histories.
"These works come from so many voices: carers, creators, communities and friends. These are stories that talk about, and not about, what it means to be living through the "now". The process of bringing them together has been precious and altering."
Presented as part of MAV’s Ahead of the Curve program.
Supported by The Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.