http://www.juniperbythesea.com/

Juniper by the Sea, 24 Old Gloucester Street, London (2026)

23/02/2026

Instead of a pop-up bookshop for LNY this month, I spent my free time on a different but very meaningful ESEA project - we made a magazine-anthology called Golden, and you’re all invited to its launch in London this Sat Feb 28th 3-5pm!

Last year told me her vision of making an annual to celebrate and document the ESEA community in the UK. I was really excited when I heard this because I think we have so much to discover and celebrate about each other. For a long time I consumed content coming from our Asian American counterparts, which was eye-opening and comforting - the shared culture and experiences of being Asian, and of being Asian in a Western country. A small part of me always wondered, what did that look like for those of us based here? How similar (or not) are we as Brits/in Britain in relation to our Asian American cousins across the pond?

Our ESEA community here is so precious, and I mean community in the broadest sense, including those who don’t have access to all the ESEA groups and activities seen on social media. This commitment to platform British ESEA drove me to join from and from on this ambitious project to make something for the community, from the community. So together with over 50 ESEA contributors from around the UK, we present to you our first volume of Golden!

Golden is a hardback magazine spanning over 200 pages (!!) of original and commissioned pieces in fiction, poetry, interviews, essays, feature articles, photography and art. Subjects range from the 50th anniversary of the end of the war in Vietnam, to the invisibility of brown-ness in ESEA; on the rise of ube and kape culture, to reflection (and a recipe) on the Koryo Saram dish morkovcha; from ESEA solidarity with Palestine, to the role of artists in fascism. This is a breathtaking volume of work, straight from the community, and it’s a non-profit production.

I’m truly proud of the work we’ve done. So come support us by attending our launch party this Saturday. For the price of a copy (£30) you can pick up Golden AND enjoy some drinks with us to celebrate this momentous occasion. Booking link in bio!

18/02/2026

Happy lunar new year to all who celebrate it. I used to approach this time of year with mild apprehension, because I didn’t come from a household with a tradition of doing anything special. I’d get nervous when ESEA folks shared their experiences with me expecting me to relate, or non-ESEA folks asking me what I was going to do. There was a self-imposed fear of disappointing all of them if they knew the truth - that I didn’t do much and only superficially knew about what it involved. I mean, what kind of Chinese am I if I don’t know how to do Chinese New Year?!

There are so many wide-ranging experiences, including the act of not-celebrating. Some of us might centre heritage and tradition as a big part of our identity - particularly when it still feels joyously radical to openly celebrate the very practices that historically (and sometimes presently) ‘other’ us. But where family and community may not be a positive or even neutral thing, it can be painful and confusing, a ripe opportunity for imposter syndrome to rear its head.

Since the emergence of the ESEA community as a collective, I like to use this occasion to acknowledge the richness of the diaspora, like the range of feelings around new year. I personally enjoy using the term lunar new year rather than Chinese new year when in the bookshop, as it gives me room to acknowledge that more than one ESEA culture celebrates lunar new year (I’m aware that technically it’s based on a lunisolar calendar, but I’m happy to keep using ‘lunar’). My own British Chinese experiences are after all intricately woven with my existence within a broader ESEA diaspora.

At a time when being Chinese is currently trending, I want to share these brilliant non-fiction ESEA reads published in the UK in 2025. I’ve been offline and on reduced activity for over a year now due to illness (I sincerely apologise to all the people whose messages I haven’t replied to) but my enthusiasm for this space has not diminished. Go celebrate the new year by picking up one or all of these excellent books. 🧧

11/11/2025

With only 13 days to go to my London fundraising event ‘Refugees from the Sea’, I’ve emerged from my hibernation and I’m posting content everyday in posts and stories, in the hope that I can persuade you to come join me for the event.

I actually wrote this just under a year ago, but kept it in my folder of things to share, back when I thought I had the whole year of 2025 ahead of me. Some of you may know that I took a step back from the bookshop project and social media in the past year for health and personal reasons. I’m pleased to say that I’m intending to return, though perhaps sometime next year. I’m not in a rush and I hope that you will stay with me.

What struck me on re-reading my reflections on this book was how relevant it felt to my present state of mind. ‘If I could reclaim the privilege I lost somewhere between childhood and adult life, it would be the unyielding belief that I, and those around me, have the power to change things and make them better.’ Sometimes I don’t feel brave enough to believe this. Self-doubt, anxiety, fear of looking foolish, fear of failure, fear of futility, the fear that ultimately no one else cares. The list goes on.

There are so many things that make me afraid when I look at the world around me. I know that this sense of despair and hopelessness doesn’t just affect me. But I do believe that we have the power to change things. Sometimes it may not be obvious how that can happen, but I’m happy to imagine that my superpower is my steadfast belief that change is possible, and my determination and grit to achieve that. So I’m calling upon my fierce belief in strong civil society and its ability to transform circumstances, and I offer up my contributions through this bookshop project. It’s important to me that I try and keep on trying.

You can find out more about my event in my pinned post. Thank you all for staying in touch and reading this.

08/11/2025

Hello friends, we want to share the news about a very special event that we are organising. On Mon 24th Nov we will have a panel conversation on storytelling around boat crossings, migration, and sea rescue. Boat crossings have become one of the most politically charged issues in contemporary Britain. We want to look beyond the headlines to explore who tells these stories, how they are framed, and what is at stake when they are told.

Leaning on the personal and professional insights of our panel, we will consider a historical and wider European perspective through to the present day. Together we will discover how storytelling can cut through polarised rhetoric and bring us back to the human truths at the heart of these crossings.

This event is of extra significance as one of our panelists, Seán Binder was arrested 7 years ago for humanitarian work in civilian search and rescue for refugees, and he, alongside 23 other volunteers, are finally going to stand trial in Greece next month. They face 20 years of prison if found guilty, on charges which have been internationally denounced by human rights groups as criminalisation of humanity.

We are fundraising for , which is raising money for their legal defence for the trial. Thanks to support from , 100% of ticket sales (excl. booking fee) will be donated to Free Humanitarians.

Come and join us for our event. Join our conversation on how we can cut through political rhetoric to go back to the humanity at the heart of these issues, and at the same time listen to and bear witness to Seán’s story. Ticket booking via link in bio or bit.ly/rftsnov25

Please share with your friends.

26/09/2025

Hi friends, it’s been a while. Sorry for the radio silence, I’m still in quiet mode at the bookshop due to personal and family health reasons, but I’m pleased to share that friends at invited me back to do a pop-up at this year’s .united festival, and it’s TOMORROW IN LONDON!
united is a festival celebrating Alternative ESEA culture, and I’m so honoured to bring a pop-up bookshop as part of their Eternal Market. I’ll be there from 3pm, last entry for the festival is at 8pm, but they have an AFTERPARTY session 11pm-5am. It was the best experience last year, they still have tickets so make sure you book a ticket if you want to come. (I mean, a festival that has a pop-up bookshop is ✨✨✨✨✨)

Come talk books or life with me tomorrow at the festival. Link to festival tickets in bio or via .united page 🫰🏼

22/04/2025

Our Manchester May bookclub pick is Who Wants to Live Forever by !

Apply the discount code ‘bookclubcode’ for 15% off at www.juniperbythesea.com

Sign up for free at the link in bio, and the exact meeting place in the Northern Quarter will be released via email two days before the event. FAQs and details for the next bookclub pick can be found on the booking page

About the book:

This is the greatest romance you will ever read without the happily ever after.

Yuki and Sam are soulmates.
They are destined to spend the rest of their lives together.
They are supposed to love one another, forever.

But when a miracle drug is released which can extend a human’s life indefinitely, Sam chooses to live forever, instead of loving Yuki forever – and the world they know is spun inside out.

WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER plunges into a parallel universe where forever is on sale to the highest bidder. What comes next is a world-building epic narrated by an intersecting cast of characters that will drive you to the edge of reality and leave you to answer biggest questions of all: What is life without death? What is life without love?

27/03/2025

Thank you so much for all the interest in joining our in person book club! Our next read is Fathomfolk by !

It’s perfect timing as the sequel to Fathomfolk, Tideborn, was published this week! Both books are currently on promotion at 10% off on the bookshop website for interested readers.

Sign up to next month’s bookclub via the link in bio, more details about the bookclub are on the page. We’re currently changing café meeting points every time, and the next meeting place will be in the Northern Quarter, the exact location will be shared to attendees via email closer to the time.

“Welcome to Tiankawi - shining pearl of human civilization and a safe haven for those fleeing civil unrest. Or at least, that’s how it first appears. But in the semi-flooded city, humans are, quite literally, on top: peering down from shining towers and aerial walkways on the fathomfolk - sirens, seawitches, kelpies and kappas - who live in the polluted waters below.

For half-siren Mira, promotion to captain of the border guard means an opportunity to help her downtrodden people. But if earning the trust and respect of her human colleagues wasn’t hard enough, everything Mira has worked towards is put in jeopardy when Nami, a know-it-all water dragon - fathomfolk royalty - is exiled to the city. When extremists sabotage the annual boat race, violence erupts, as does the clampdown on fathomfolk rights. Both Nami and Mira must decide if the cost of change is worth it, or, if Tiankawi should be left to drown.”

21/02/2025

Book club is tomorrow! It’s been a chaotic start to the year so this is mainly to remind those already in book club and have been reading it. Newcomers are of course so welcome, please DM me for the exact meeting location - we’re going to be in a cafe near Manchester Chinatown 🍵🥰

The book is currently available on kindle for 99p if anyone wants to binge read it last minute - thanks to for the tip! (I read it in one sitting!🌶️🌶️🌶️)

Content warnings in pinned comment - they’re not really a spoiler as the themes are introduced within the first chapter.

See you at bookclub tomorrow!

01/02/2025

Maps for this weekend’s bookshop pop-up, courtesy of the festival’s organising committee! See earlier reel for more details 📖

Over 300 books by East and Southeast Asian writers
New releases, underrated backlist titles, books from indie publishers, and more. Don’t forget to bring a tote bag!

Really looking forward to it, see you all soon 📚📚📚

28/01/2025

We recently collaborated with Sunday Times bestselling author Eliza Chan () for a commissioned short ghostly tale, as part of the community screening of new horror film Presence. To celebrate the paperback release of her debut fantasy novel “Fathomfolk” that’s out today, we are pleased to be working together again to bring you a giveaway!!

There are 5 SIGNED copies of Fathomfolk up for grabs, 5 winners will each receive a paperback copy of the book as well as a MILKTEA PIN!

Read below on how to enter, we’re really looking forward to sharing this book with all of you!

HOW TO ENTER:
📚Open to those with a UK postal address
📚To enter, please 1) like this post 2) make sure you are following all three of us and , and 3) comment with your favourite ESEA-inspired mythology story/book/character/adaptation.
📚Bonus entries if you tag a friend in a separate comment who you think would be interested in reading this book. Unlimited entries.
📚Giveaway closes at 11.59pm GMT on 31 Jan 2025. 5 winners will be picked at random and contacted via DM within 24h of the giveaway closing date by . The winners will each receive a signed paperback copy of Fathomfolk and a MilkTea pin with free shipping to a UK address.
📚We will never ask anyone for money or their bank details (beware scammers). This giveaway is not affiliated with instagram.

Fathomfolk is now out in paperback, and can be purchased from www.juniperbythesea.com or your local bookshop!

24/01/2025

To celebrate the release of Presence in cinemas today, we are delighted to share with you an original piece of flash fiction that we commissioned for this occasion - “Ah Gor”, written by Sunday Times bestselling author !

Inspired by the film Presence and its new take on the haunted house, we wanted to draw upon the rich heritage of ghostly tales from the East and South East Asian community - so we invited Eliza Chan to write a short story for the and community.

Eliza Chan is the author of Sunday Times bestseller FATHOMFOLK, a fantasy novel that blends sea mythology and contemporary political themes in a semi-submerged city called Tiankawi. TIDEBORN, the sequel, is coming out in March 2025, and she has another duology in the works for 2026 - HARBOUR OF HUNGRY GHOSTS, a historical fantasy set between the two O***m wars in Hong Kong, featuring monster hunting, colonialism and hopping vampires.

Presence is out in cinemas now, be sure to check it out with your friends and family!

*
MilkTea shows the best of East & Southeast Asian cinema in the UK. Our work begins with screenings, but our goal is to build inclusion, communities & audiences.

*
Juniper by the Sea is the UK’s first East & Southeast Asian (ESEA) online bookshop.

Juniper by the Sea

23/02/2026

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08/11/2025

26/09/2025

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