Meet the Author - Samantha W. L. Lee

Next date: Thursday, 02 July 2026 | 06:30 PM to 07:30 PM

Spanning a century and four countries, Bound is the story of three generations of women trying to escape the legacy of their past. Each wants to escape to a better life. Bound to tradition but with a dream for their future, their lives interweave across time.

China, 1923. With the cultural revolution sweeping across the country, four-year old Huan-Ju has her feet unceremoniously unbound. She is the first woman in her family without lotus feet. As she grows up Huan-Ju longs for a life beyond the confines of her small village.

Malaysia, 1968. Growing up in poverty, teenage Shui-Tu is unable to understand her mother’s choices. Dreaming of the cold of an English winter, she realises education will be her passport to a better, and different, life.

Australia, 1980. Lauren grows up leading a privileged life in suburban Western Sydney. But she feels void of connection as she struggles to find her place in the world and unravel the ties that bind her to a past she doesn’t understand.

Samantha W. L. Lee is a Chinese-Australian writer of literary fiction, essays and poetry. She was shortlisted for the WestWords/Ultimo Prize for her manuscript and completed the WestWords Fellowship in 2023.

Samantha will be in-conversation with Joachim Li. Joachim Li is a nonbinary poet and event producer born and raised on China’s east coast and now based in Gadigal. They believe in the power of naming and mythologising the ordinary.