Hi =)

I’m Charmaine and I write about culture, social justice, and mental health among other things.

Self-portrait provided by author.

[Updated: October 2021 — I am back to posting roughly once a month. To read my stories with no paywall, please subscribe to my monthly newsletter!]

You may have arrived at my Medium profile from a comment I left on your article. Or you may have seen one of my original pieces. Whatever way you found me, thank you for visiting and checking me out!

I write about culture, social justice, mental health, and the craft of writing among other things. If you are interested in my work, please check out these highlights.

Culture — Media, Pop Culture, Art, etc.

As an avid consumer and creator of media, I am fascinated by what we binge, what we deem high/low-brow, and of course, diversity and representation in narrative.

When You Don’t Get a Pop Culture Reference

When Your Best Friend Is a TV Character

Was I Racist for Hating Rap?

Social Justice — Identity, Race, LGBTQ+, etc.

As a queer woman of colour, activism informs my writing and I believe in using my voice and platform to amplify conversations we should be having. Here are some of my strongest pieces on social justice.

On Safety as an Asian Woman

Queer and Quarantined Apart

How It Feels to Lose Your Native Language

Mental Health — Wellness, OCD, Relationships, etc.

Like many people, I live with mental health issues. I have OCD — a diagnosis that many people still don’t understand as a real and painful condition.

Guilty Until Proven Ill

When You Start Dating Later Than Most

I Got Fat During Lockdown and I Don’t Care

Writing — Craft, Creativity, Productivity, etc.

I’ve been writing in some shape or form ever since I could pick up a pencil. I have a degree in creative writing and it is both my day job and my moonlighting gig. So, hopefully you’ll find something helpful here.

What It Means to Be “Writing a Book”

5 Easy, Passive Activities for Creatives Who Don’t Feel Productive

5 Things I Want to Tell My Younger Writer Self

More About Me

I am Canadian and of Chinese (Hong Kong) descent. My pronouns are “she” and “they” and I live on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples (otherwise known as Vancouver, British Columbia).

For a full biography and what informs my writing practice, read this:

About Me — Li Charmaine Anne

If you’d like to support me, keep in touch, and have an impact on what I write, please sign up for my newsletter! It goes out on the first of every month and includes the following:

1. Friend links to read my stuff (which means no paywall for you)
2. Curated links to interesting stuff to read around the internet
3. A poll to vote on what I should write next

You can also contact me through Twitter (@ChartheShark304) and my website.

Thanks again for stopping by. Happy reading and writing :)

Li Charmaine Anne (she/they) is a Canadian author and freelance writer on unceded Coast Salish territories (aka Vancouver, Canada). Her work has appeared in literary journals and magazines and she is at work on her first novel, a contemporary YA about queer Asian skater girls. To read Charmaine’s articles for free (no subscription required), sign up for her newsletter.