Inspired Beginnings is a very apt start to this book: the stories swing from Ryan Lacanilao’s celebration of his son’s birth in the McCauley neighborhood to Marvin Cao’s story of deciding to leave Beijing and having to start all over with an Engineering degree at NAIT; to Cynthia Palmaria’s move from Montreal to Edmonton for a new career, then to Oliver Rossier relating the story of his mom, Ulrike Rossier’s recovery from an aneurysm to become the 2021 Artist of the Year for the Nina Haggerty Center.

From various perspectives, the works of Jesus Tigulo, Yanjian Luo, Manna Liu, and Rong Guo are included in the Meaningful Connections section. These stories expound on the difficulties of immigrants having to grapple with a new place, weather, and language, while delighting in discovering the bonds and bridges formed by making friends and finding a connection with the new city. The last piece is Rong Guo’s powerful story written during China’s one child policy which navigates family dynamics, and the difficult decisions and deep emotions surrounding having children.

When someone has more than one heritage background, the sense of belonging is fraught with hardships and complexities. The next section, Discovering Belonging, shows the complications and nuances of belonging in the stories and poems from Goldwin McEwen, Paul Fujishige, Ting Pimentel-Elger, and Roxanne Riemer. The History Lesson from Paul Fujishige, for example, invites one to reflect on why have we not learned from the past to be inclusive and welcoming, instead of continuing to repeat mistakes of exclusion.

My Roots, My Community consists of five stories from various cultural perspectives on finding affirmation and strength from being actively involved in one’s cultural communities. Launa Linaker, Pravatika Rai, William Wang, Dan Li, and Khrystyna Zalutska all provide captivating narratives and poems about fending off isolation and apprehensions by being rooted in their heritage, recognizing their ancestors, participating in community building, and appreciating city services like the ETS.

The concluding section is Awareness and Insights. Emily Tworek narrates how the story of her Bapci inspire and strengthen her to deal with challenging work situations and decisions. Mila Philipzig and Candice Joy Oliva write about love for land and nature, and question why Community Gardens are being overtaken by concrete. Ying Shi writes about her journey in seeking happiness and raising new awareness what happiness means. Wai-Ling Lennon, Wang Xu, and Yuzhen Li write about the cultural richness in Edmonton Chinatown, the beauty and

inspiration in Chinese art, and the optimism and hope evoked by people and organizations actively keeping Chinatown and Chinese culture thriving in Edmonton.

This book is enhanced by artworks from The Nina Haggerty Centre, home to one of Edmonton’s most interesting art collectives, made up entirely of artists with developmental disabilities. The Nina is a unique and precious presence in our city and its motto “Changing Lives through Art” also deeply resonate with the vision of this book project.

A city is not alive without its people. Where there are people, there are stories and art. Where there are stories and art, there are opportunities to learn from each other, and expand our knowledge and experiences.

May this anthology make you more curious about your neighbors and your city and inspire you to be more connected with them.