Matthew Byrne | Writer, Founder, Digital Marketer

A New Format

“Nonfiction strikes me as endlessly more interesting and holds more possibilities in writing in the 21st century.” — David Shields

In September 2020, Spittoon launched a new bi-monthly event — Spittoon Non-Fiction, hosted by Daniel Vuillermin. The format covers all forms of non-fiction: essays, journalism, memoir, biography, travelogues, popular science, philosophy, history, book and film reviews, art criticism, and diary entries. The launch event took place at The Hutong on Sunday 20th September, 4pm to 6pm.

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The Launch Lineup

Huang Rong — Peking University

A postdoctoral fellow at the School of Health Humanities at Peking University, researching life writing. On her reading list: Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis, The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston, Maus by Art Spiegelman. On choosing subjects for biography: “Every cat has a unique life story and felinality, which would be interesting to write about.”

Jeremiah Jenne — Writer and Historian

Writer, history teacher, and proprietor of Beijing by Foot — organiser of educational walking tours of Beijing. Based in Beijing since 2002, he has written for The Economist, South China Morning Post, Journal of Asian Studies, and The World of Chinese. On what draws him to China history: “I tend to be more interested in the history of empires and imperialism generally. The history of the Qing as an expansive, multi-cultural empire that gave way to successive attempts to impose a nation-state on the boundaries of that former empire has obvious — and controversial — relevance today.”

Kuang — Creator of Beijing Lights

Beijing-based freelance writer and creator of Spittoon’s Beijing Lights bilingual interview series. On her process: “I will just put aside an afternoon and kind of wander around, find random people to talk to. I find that I’m usually more likely to bump into interesting people and to have authentic conversations in the hutongs and old compounds.” Her ambition: to collect enough stories for a book collection.

Anthony Tao — SupChina

Poet, member of Poetry x Music, and managing editor of SupChina. On commissioning China stories: “The best pieces I receive are ones that put us on the ground and reveal deeper truths through small moments, like a snippet of dialogue. In the end, I want China stories to make sense to a reader halfway across the world, and that ultimately means speaking to our commonalities.”

Mads Vesterager Nielsen

A Beijinger and explorer who had just returned from a four-month, 18,500km motorbike trip through the heartlands of China. His advice to other travellers: “Choose an unconventional way to travel and travel for the people. In Sichuan I was invited to a Tibetan wedding and in southern Shaanxi I stayed for a couple of days at a Daoist temple in the clouds after bumping into a monk.”

Daniel Vuillermin — Host

Lecturer at the School of Health Humanities at Peking University, coordinator of Spittoon Beijing, and musician. On the medical humanities: “The increased focus on the science of medicine has brought us extraordinary benefits, but along the way the humanistic aspects of the healing process have diminished. Medical humanities aims to be a counterweight to the medico-scientific dimensions of healthcare.”

Liane Halton — Music

Classical guitarist and co-creator of Poetry x Music with Anthony Tao. Graduate of Rhodes University in South Africa in classical guitar performance and composition. Two albums available: Here to Stay and The Last Tribe on Earth.

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Originally published September 2020 on the Spittoon WeChat channel. The launch event took place at The Hutong, 1 Jiudaowan Zhongxiang, Beixinqiao, Dongcheng District, Beijing.

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