Spittoon Dives Into Truth With the Launch of Its New Non-Fiction Night, Sep 20

Last month, Beijing bade farewell to Mathew Byrne, founder of the Spittoon collective, the city’s premier grassroots literary magazine and community that services both English and Chinese speakers in the capital. While Byrne will be missed, the literature, much as is true of the proverbial show, must go on.

As events in Beijing have been allowed to resume, Spittoon was among the first organizations to get back on the horse, holding fiction readings, poetry readings, and freeform storytelling nights akin to what you might hear on the Moth Radio Hour. But Daniel Vuillermin, the new head literatus in town now that he has inherited the role of organizing Spittoon events, wasn’t satisfied to simply carry on the flag. Rather, he is endeavoring to expand the collective by introducing a new non-fiction night into the fold – a monthly or possibly bi-monthly event that showcases journalists, travel writers, historians, and anyone else who dares to put truth on the page.

“Non-fiction is a really ugly and somewhat daft term that some publisher thought up,” says Vuillermin explaining the event’s breadth. He goes on to tell the Beijinger that it was his own career that allowed him to see the gap in Beijing’s literary events that could be filled by a non-fiction night. “My own background and work are in history, and I never really felt I had much to contribute, so when I got the chance, I pitched the idea of a dedicated non-fiction event.”

The first night will be held 4-6pm, Sunday, Sep 20 at The Hutong, so once you’ve gotten your fill at the Burger Fest, the event will be a lovely way to round out the night with talks from a stellar lineup of speakers that includes the likes of Huang Chenkuang, creator of Beijing Lights, historian Jeremiah Jenne, cross-country motorcyclist, Mads Vesterager Nielsen, and Huang Rong of Peking University who will discuss the ethics of biography. Don’t expect it to be a dreary night of readings, either (sorry, fiction night), but rather, a switched-up format of both lively and loose presentations and semi-structured interviews.

Followers of local poetry and literature may also know Tao for his Poetry X Music project in collaboration with Liane Halton among other works, but as he told us, “I’ll be wearing my editor's cap for this one, talking about commissioning and the role of the media.” Ever the creative soul, however, he added, “But events like this always make me want to do more writing. Even answering questions motivates me to do so, ad listening to other people’s perspectives is very helpful, no doubt.”

Tao laments that his job has kept him from working on his own writing as of late, but he praised Spittoon for keeping the torch of creative writing alight in Beijing and expressed hope that this new event would help non-fiction writers to inspire one another.

He also, in a bit of a preview of the discussion you might expect if you turn up at The Hutong, shared a few thoughts on what sets good non-fiction writing apart, from an editor's perspective:

There might be competing philosophies. Lots of editors will advocate for simplicity, a straightforward story or an essay that argues one point very well, as opposed to a winding narrative. Then there are those who'll encourage writers to be ambitious, even experimental. In the end, the ones who can truly set themselves apart will probably find more gratification from the process, though possibly at the short-term cost of actual paid work.

Meanwhile, Huang told us that after her presentation of Beijing Lights, an interview series with off-the-street, everyday Chinese citizens at Camera Stylo last week, she is excited to talk about her interview series again at the event. "I appreciate the opportunity to share my work and discuss it with the audience. We talked about the subtext behind the stories and about what I want readers to get out of the series, which has helped me to better understand what kind of direction I want Beijing Lights to go." She also says that working on the series has taught her that "Everyone is trying so hard to better their life, no matter if they succeed or not."

Of course, Vuillermin hopes that this is will be the first of many non-fiction nights, so even if you can't make it out for this one, keep an eye out for special non-fiction nights with a twist in the future. Next up on the docket, for example, will be a collaboration with World of Chinese Magazine. As for the rest of the Spittoon events, keep up to date by following them on WeChat. Find them by searching official accounts for Spittoon, and keep up with the cultural goings-on at The Hutong by searching official accounts for TheHutong.

Join non-fiction fun Sep 20 at The Hutong, 4pm-6pm

READ: Spittoon Presents: I Don’t Want Him to Smell

Images: Nick Hillier (via Unsplash), Jeremiah Jenne