Five Questions: Camha Pham

Tell us about a typical day?

As a freelance editor, each day/week/month is already varied according to projects and deadlines that are constantly shifting. Add a toddler into that mix and the notion of ‘typical’ flies out the window. There is a lot of juggling involved, but somehow it works! Multiple Vietnamese coffees and sniff kisses from my little one throughout the day all help.

What is your future hope?

That status, wealth and material possessions will no longer be held up as the highest indicators of worth. That we, as a society, are able to give up some of our existing power and privilege to allow a more equitable and sustainable future. And that I’ll get to discuss these and other ideas with my son someday over a big bowl of bún bò Huế.

If you could invite one person to dinner, who would it be and where would you take them in your city?

My ông nội so he can finally meet his great-grandson. I would take them both down to the Maribyrnong River in the western suburbs where I grew up to the History of the Lands Garden in Pipemaker’s Park. It’s a beautiful, serene area to take a walk or sit and lose yourself in a book.

What is your favourite bookstore?

A recent favourite is Amplify Bookstore, an online bookshop that stocks only BIPOC books. I’m hoping a physical store is in the works!

What does a port culture look like to you?

To describe a port culture is to draw on all the senses. It looks like a pulsing panorama awash with blues; it smells of salt and stickiness; it tastes of freshly caught seafood; it sounds like generations-old stories, passed on and untold; it feels like a community bound and connected.