Meet the curators

Jennifer Wong is a Chinese-Australian writer, comedian, and MC based in Sydney. She is the presenter of ABC’s Chopsticks or Fork?, a columnist for The Guardian and SBS Food, and the curator of OzAsia Festival’s In Other Words.

"It’s an incredibly exciting time to be a fan of writing by Asian Australians and Asian authors internationally. Distinctive new voices are making themselves heard alongside established writers, and I’m thrilled that you’ll encounter both up close at In Other Words. Whether you’re into fiction or non-fiction, memoir or politics, romance or food, pop culture or poetry, there’s something to delight, enlighten, and challenge you at our celebration of storytelling and big ideas. Join us for a weekend of thought-provoking and unforgettable conversations!"

Durkhanai Ayubi is an Afghan-born refugee-migrant to Australia. She is a scientist by training, a writer, restaurateur, public speaker, and an advocate of Afghan voices in arenas spanning socio-cultural and political realms. She is author of Parwana: Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen.

"I’m delighted to be a Guest Curator for In Other Words! My involvement over the past couple of years has solidified for me just how unique and necessary a platform like In Other Words is – within OzAsia Festival, but also within the broader public discourse. By bringing in and elevating often negated but critical voices, it is a space that pierces and generates alternatives to the dominant narrative that sits at the core of much of our collective limitations. I’m looking forward to fostering dialogue and exchange that, through the multiplicity of representations it holds, creates room for us all and shifts us towards more expansive possibilities." 

Sami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster. Sami previously co-hosted the ABC Radio Melbourne Breakfast program with Jacinta Parsons and presented RN Saturday Extra. He produced and hosted multiple documentary series on ABC RN’s Earshot on race, free speech, and religion. Sami’s autobiography, I, Migrant, was nominated for various national literary awards.

"Australia’s future is a future of migrants from all over Asia making this country home, and adding to its identity and culture in ways that will enrich it greatly. In Other Words is a celebration then, of not just the stories of Asian Australians who have been here for a generation or more, but those arriving newly to these shores, bringing with them their food, art, music, languages, and voices. This is a festival for anyone connected by a tradition of leaving their shoes outside the front door and bringing their joy and love inside with them."