Public Lecture: One Way Street Magazine (单读) in China

Abstract:

One Way Street Magazine (单读) is a quarterly literature magazine based in Beijing, owned by OW Space, a 14-year independent bookstore. OW Magazine publishes fiction and non-fiction works from young and emerging writers and artists around the world. It also runs social media accounts, produce podcasts and documentary films, hold book readings and literature awards, aiming to become the leading literature magazine for current and next generation of readers in modern China. OW Space was established in 2005 by six journalists. It has been considered as a cultural landmark in Beijing since its debut. Mr Wu Qi, Editor-in-chief of OW Magazine, will share the stories behind this independent bookstore and literature magazine which has stepped into various fields such as independent publishing, online media, product making and events organising in order to maintain its business and visibility. In his first talk in Australia, Mr Wu will provide a glimpse of public space and the possibilities and alternatives that an independent cultural organization has in modern China.

Biography:

Wu Qi grew up in a small town Leng Shui Jiang in the south of China and graduated from Peking University. He was a journalist at Southern People Weekly and Across, both belonging to the most out-spoken Chinese media Southern Weekly in the beginning of 21st century, where he wrote long-form portraits and features, interviews and travel stories. He currently works at One Way Space, a leading independent bookstore in China, where he curates and hosts public events, and serves as the chief editor of One Way Street Magazine. OW Magazine is a multi-media publishing platform to introduce and support emerging writers, journalists, scholars and artists world widely. He was also one of the Chinese jury member of 2018 Global True Story Award in Bern, and international delegate of Momentum Literature Fellowship in 2018 Edinburgh Book Festival and 2017 International Literature showcase in Norwich. He also writes essays and cultural criticism and is currently translating James Baldwin