The new issue of Asiatic published by the IIUM English Department is out and includes articles about local literature, book reviews, new poetry fiction and even a short play by Kee Thuan Chye!If you’ve got the knack of telling a good story and want a challenge, you might want to try your hand at writing radio drama for the BBC World Service - British Council International Radio Playwriting Competition. The winner will receive £2500 and a trip to London to see their play being recorded! Closing date: 31 March 2009.
For those of you eligible and with a manuscript ready to go, the deadline for this year's Man Asia Literary prize is 31 March. (All you need to know about submitting is here.)... remains a South/East Asian rather than truly Asian literary prize.and also links to Sheela Reddy's interview with prize-head Peter Gordon in Outlook India.
Matahari Books seeks entries for New Malaysian Essays 2!
Yes, we aim to publish maybe 8 people this time. The cover art has been chosen. Each essay, either in English or Malay, should be between 5,000 to 15,000 words.
Among the stuff I wanna see:
- National Service, written from the POV of someone who just went through it
- Contemporary architecture
- Life in a Malaysian jail or drug rehabilitation centre
- Dating rituals (urban or rural, straight or gay, or maybe all together).
- An essay that can be told mainly through pictures
- A biography of someone you think we should all know about
- A comparative thingamajig between Malaysia and a neighbouring country
- An extended, perhaps investigative, rumination on a single local song, film, painting, poem.
... but I am open to suggestions.
Absolute deadline 31 August 2008. But email me much earlier ( matahari.books at gmail.com ) if you are working on something :-)
The book is due in stores in early 2009. The good news is that some stores have already placed advance orders.
Remember Damazine, the online literary magazine for the Muslim world which was calling for submissions last year? Well the first issue is now up for you to enjoy, and Shakeel Abedi has had one of his poems (entitled Together) selected. Congrats!
Also accepting submissions is Cha: An Asian Literary Journal based in Hong Kong. This new online literary journal is dedicated to publishing quality poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, photography, graphic fiction and reviews from and about Asia, and submissions are welcomed. Guidelines here.
And then of course there is the Asian Literary Review, published quarterly in paperback form. This one is Nury Vittachi's baby, and publishes work of a very high standard. Information about submissions is here.
Quarterly Literary Review Singapore (QLRS) have their latest edition up with much good stuff in it, including an interview with Malaysian playwright, Huzir Sulaiman. The site, which hit major technical problems last year, as Toh Hsien Min explains, has now been upgraded. Submission guidelines are here.
And finally, there's Softblow, a Singapore-based poetry journal updated at the beginning of every month. More about it, and submission guidelines in the editorial.
How nice it was to see my good buddy and MPH senior editor Eric Forbes in Starmag talking about the often search for local writing talent. He gives sterling advice about the necessity for writers to make sure their work is carefully proofread before submission - an obvious fact that seems to elude many wannabes:Not having to plough through bad grammar and poor punctuation helps tremendously. The fact is, the editing process can be very monotonous and people who submit manuscripts are often not open to criticism, no matter how constructive. ...He adds:
Being good at language is not good enough. You have to stretch yourself further before your writing sings and shines. The great writers of the world struggle every day with what they produce. And they have doubts all the time.And he once again hammers home that much-repeated piece of wisdom which too many wannabes close their ears to:
Read as widely, deeply and omnivorously as possible, both fiction and non-fiction.Omnivorously. Got that?
The first is a collection of short fiction and creative non-fiction tentatively entitled Urban Odysseys: KL Stories. Writers should focus on life in the city, specifically Kuala Lumpur, with works that show images of the new juxtaposed against the old, urban living with contrasting bright lights and shadowy realities and other short fiction or creative non-fiction that best encapsulate the spirit of the national capital.Guidelines for submission can be found here.
Stories must be original and between 3,000 and 5,000 words. The deadline for this anthology is Jan 31, 2008.
The second anthology is of short fiction that will be published under the tentatively title Chinese Stories. The theme is Chinese life in Malaysia, Singapore and elsewhere, with writings that explore questions of fate and destiny, culture, spirituality, language, human longing and its consequences, ironies of life, identity and family. And love, of course. Stories could be sweet or sour. Or a combination of both. Or they could explore issues that have not been addressed before.
Stories must be original and between 3,000 and 7,000 words. The deadline for this anthology is March 31, 2008.
I received an e-mail from Serene Taleb-Agha, the chief editor of a new online literary journal based in Damascus, Syria.... whether it forms the background of the writer, or an aspect of the piece itself. Within that space, we strive to present a rainbow of themes and writing styles. Our biggest criterion is quality. We are looking for powerful, well-crafted pieces that throb with meaning.The first issue is due to be published on January 31, and details of how to submit your work can be found on the website.
MPH GROUP PUBLISHING is pleased to announce an open call for submissions of short fiction and creative non-fiction for an anthology tentatively entitled Urban Odysseys: KL Stories. We aim to publish the anthology in 2008, depending on the number of submissions that we receive.
The theme of the anthology will focus on life in the city, specifically Kuala Lumpur, with writings that show images of the new juxtaposed against the old, urban living with contrasting bright lights and shadowy realities and other short fiction or creative non-fiction which best encapsulate the spirit of the national capital. This is not a travel book but an anthology of literary writings about the city.
Stories must be original, between 3,000 and 5,000 words, and must not have been previously published. We invite submissions from both emerging and established writers. Stories for children are not eligible for this compilation. Manuscripts must be edited, typed double-spaced with 12pt font and e-mailed to mphpublishing@mph.com.my. Please include your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. You may submit as many stories as you wish. Faxed or handwritten submissions will not be entertained and manuscripts will not be returned. We will contact you only if your short story has been selected for inclusion in the compilation. Writers whose submissions are selected will be expected to work with the editors to fine tune their stories.
Deadline: 30 November 2007
Payment: A small flat fee and two copies of the anthology
Many good writing things coming your way from those good people at KLue, including a competition for the best 16 words story. Click the poster to enlarge and read.
... engaging plays that explore and define issues of the Malaysian experience, in all its social, political, historical, spiritual and emotional complexity. Each play must run for duration of around 10 minutes, plus or minus two minutes. Submissions can be plays written in either English or Malay -- or a combination of both -- and must thematically touch on issues concerning Malaysia.Closing date is Tuesday 31 July 2007 and all the details are here.
Call for entries: South-East Asian creative writing anthology for young writers
Publisher: University of Santo Tomas (UST) Publishing House, The Philippines.
Works Needed: Open to South-East Asian writers and translators below 40. Poetry, prose (fiction, travelogues, essays, blogs, etc), 1-act plays, short screen/teleplays, comics (not over 30 pages long), and everything in between--literary experiments as well as genre works (horror, sci-fi, fantasy, etc, or combinations thereof). Past published works are also welcome. Shorter works will have their originals as well as their English translation printed. No overriding theme(s) as yet. As the first installment of a hopefully ongoing series, the main focus now is establishing sustainable networks among writers and translators in the region.
Deadline: 1 August 1, 2007. Going to press by December or the first quarter of 2008.
Editor: Mervin Espina (The Philippines). There might also be a co-editor from a different South-East Asian country.
Editor's Biodata: Mervin Espina spent his childhood shuttling between the southern suburbs of Metro Manila and Brunei Darussalam. At age 4, his life's ambition was to become a garbage collector. To his parent's relief he studied philosophy, literature, and Spanish at the University of Santo Tomas and the University of the Philippines. When he turned 18, he got a break freelancing as a writer and photographer for Philippine dailies and magazines, eventually gravitating to more music and film-related activities. He's been actively documenting and participating in the Philippine indie film scene and has done production and translation work for numerous projects, like The Family That Eats Soil (2004) and The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (2005). He also helps program and organize film screenings and festivals in the Philippines and abroad. As for dreams of being a garbage collector—one needs only to look at his room. He's a vegetarian and has two silver goldfish.
Editor's contact: geneticleftoversoup@gmail.com / skype: merv.espina.
Nic Wong wrote to tell me about Malaysian political and pop culture magazine the CICAK's second annual writing competition.50 Years, 50 Heroes: Young Malaysians You Need to Knowand it is:
.. a global search for 50 young Malaysian heroes in conjunction with the country’s 50th Independence Day.For a full list of rules, a tasty list of prizes, and more info click here.
Participants will write about and photograph an unsung Malaysian hero who has persevered against all odds to succeed, or has helped his or her friends, family, society or country in unique ways. Be sure to include the challenges your hero faces, and how he or she will overcome them. Make your hero REAL to readers by including his or her goals, passion, ambition and life-experiences. And be creative!
The top 50 stories will be published in a book. Prizes worth RM1,000 will also be awarded to the winners.
theCICAK is collaborating with The Star and Inkyhands, an online Malaysian literary magazine. The competition is supported by Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat (KOMAS), an organization that promotes community and public education through documentary film-making. A US$2,500 grant from the Swarthmore Foundation at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania will fund the competition.
The 2007 Commonwealth Short Story Competition is now accepting enties. Ist prize - a cool £2,000! Deadline 1 May 2007.