Introduction

Alice Pung is a lawyer and writer who lives in Melbourne. Her first novel, Unpolished Gem, tells about the life of her Chinese-Cambodian family and of her experiences growing up in the western suburbs of Melbourne. The book was shortlisted for several literary awards and won the 2007 Australian Book Industry Awards Newcomer of the Year. It was also chosen for the 2007 Books Alive Great Reads Guide.

Alice has also recently compiled and edited a collection of short stories, Growing up Asian in Australia, with contributions from Shaun Tan, Jenny Kee and Anh Do amongst many others.

Alongside writing, including short stories and articles for newspapers and magazines, Alice works as a solicitor and tutors at Melbourne University’s Ormond College. She has also worked with primary and secondary school students. Alice ‘has a deep passion and empathy for youth issues, and believes in the power of good humour (and not-so-good puns) to help surmount adversity’ ( http://alicepung.com).

In an interview with Christine McGuigan from Sydney Distance Education High School, Alice answers questions about her writing.