The Quiet Mic

Explorations of migration, identity and creativity can take us into less comfortable territory - and in this second instalment of my conversation with Manchester-based researcher and educator Clare Courtney, we explore these themes while sometimes sitting with this discomfort.Building on the counterpoints we uncovered in part one - including Clare's childhood in Hong Kong, mine growing up in the UK to Hong Kong immigrant parents - we move into more difficult terrain: how perceptions of "Chineseness" can range from the lighthearted, like the TikTok trend of Chinamaxxing, to serious questions of bias and systemic harms. We unpack some of the stereotypes that shape how Chinese and East and Southeast Asian people are often seen - hardworking yet passive, in contrast to notions of originality and creativity. As the conversation unfolds, hear how such perceptions can bear out in work, in academia, and beyond.We also explore the concept of liminality and the range of emotions and situations that can arise from occupying the in-between spaces. And Clare turns an unflinchingly honest eye on her own positionality, co-founding Heart and Parcel, asking herself difficult questions about privilege, whose experiences count, and whether good intentions equate to good outcomes.Tune in for a candid, honest conversation that invites us to reflect alongside Clare on these challenging questions - as well as lightness and moments of shared laughter along the way. Thank you to Clare for her generosity in sharing her own experiences.

What you look like doesn't reliably tell you - or anyone else - where you're from, what you've lived, or who you are. To launch The Quiet Mic, I am thrilled to share the first instalment of my conversation with Clare Courtney, a Manchester-based researcher, educator, and co-founder of the Heart and Parcel community project.I met Clare at a kitchen-themed creative writing workshop called ‘You meet me at a very Chinese time in my life’ at Manchester Museum two weeks prior to recording this conversation. You’ll hear us talk about the characters we cooked up: Nina the Blender and Colin the Colander. As we got talking further through our shared stories, we quickly discovered the commonalities and inverse experiences of our very different lives - acting as the catalyst for this podcast idea to come to fruition.In this episode, we reflect on the workshop as well as our respective childhoods where questions around identity first emerged.We learn of fascinating counterpoints in our lives: Clare spent her early years in Hong Kong, while I was born and raised in the UK to Hong Kong immigrant parents. My formative years were defined by the British Chinese takeaway experience, and Clare's by the British Handover of Hong Kong back to China. De/colonisation and movement playing out in our individual lives.Clare lands on a sense of home as something closer to movement than place, and the small, everyday things - a bowl of noodles eaten with chopsticks, and a kitchen object given a voice of its own - that end up carrying more of who we are than we realise.Part two is coming soon. Clare and I go into more challenging terrain - from questions around the TikTok trend of 'Chinamaxxing' and cultural appropriation, to difficult experiences of bias and systemic harms - but we still find lightness and laughter along the way.Thank you, Clare, for your trust, openness and candour.