Additional information
by Joseph Trinidad (Author), Alexander Chee (Introduction by)
Winner of the inaugural 2024 Sarabande Prize in the Essay, selected by Alexander Chee and excerpted in Adi Magazine
Lucky Creatures is a bold and playful collection about rebuilding life after migration, queerness and the transnational experience for readers of Ocean Vuong's The Emperor of Gladness
In his debut essay collection, award-winning Filipino-Kiwi essayist Joseph Trinidad explores the lessons of his grandmother's chicken farm and his grandfather's lucky fish, Ara the golden arowana; the vibrancy of his home country and its rites of passage such as tuli, beauty pageants, and national Boy Scout jamborees; the contradictions of Aotearoa-New Zealand, his adopted country, which demands his family's labour and insists that they leave their mother tongues at the border; and his own journey of coming out, along with the hard work of actualization that follows as he and his partner grapple with the desire to have a baby.Inspired by the creatures of Filipino folktales and immigrant touchstones such as FaceTime and "that one cousin from the States," Lucky Creatures answers every immigrant's question: "Was the move worth it?" Each resulting essay is an unforgettable exploration of life as a queer, Brown, transnational hybrid--filled with warmth, grace, and humour of the lucky creatures who can hear the call of home.
Author Biography
Joseph Trinidad is a Filipino writer who lives in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington. His work has been featured in Landfall, North & South, Te Papa, The Spinoff, Turbine Kapohau, and Migrant Zine Collective. He is the winner of the 2023 Adam Foundation Prize from the International Institute of Modern Letters and the 2023 Asian Ink from Playmarket.
Number of Pages: 236
Dimensions: 0.8 x 8.1 x 5.2 IN
Publication Date: June 16, 2026
