Wena at Bedtime

Singaporean author Wena Poon's first novel Alex y Robert is published on 24th August in the UK.  The Salt Publishing blog captures the behind the scenes excitement.

And this is especially great - the BBC is featuring it as a Book at Bedtime.:

The book has been abridged and turned into a 5-part script and auditions are underway to find a reader (the programme’s Producer, Jeremy Osborne from Sweet Productions, says that this process isn’t the easiest from a technical point of view. Read the book and you’ll find out why!). The recording studio is booked for the week of the 16th August (Wena and I are hoping to pop along to see how it all works) and — diaries out now, please, pens poised — broadcast dates are set for the 6th – 17th September, Mondays – Fridays on BBC Radio 4.
It will also be available online on the BBC iPlayer, so wherever you are in the world, you’ll be able to tune in and be guaranteed sweet dreams.

All this activity is so exciting; as Wena says: ‘Imagine actors auditioning, producers producing, casting directors casting!’ Add to that, millions of people lying in bed listening and readers reading. Wonderful!
Share and Enjoy:

The premise of the book sounds very interesting :

In 1959, two famous Spanish matadors, who were best friends, died. Alex y Robert is the witty, modern fable of their grandchildren: Alejandra, a young American woman determined to become a matador, and Roberto, a reluctant star Spanish bullfighter whom she recruits to help her. Part travel adventure, part cultural critique, the novel portrays man’s complex relationship with animals and a new generation’s surprising take on an ancient and controversial spectacle.

I'm sure we all wish Wena - and Salt - good luck with the book.

Three Friends on Frank O'Connor Longlist!

Biggest congrats to friends longlisted for the Frank O'Connor short story award : Wena Poon for The Proper Care of Foxes; David T.K. Wong for Chinese Stories in Times of Change and O Thiam Chin for Never Been Better. (All three books are sitting on my dining table been read in rotation! And if you should want copies of your own, they all should be in our local bookshops.) 

The total longlist is 54 strong this year (comprising 26 women/ 28 men; 21 Americans, 12 British, 6 Indians, 3 Canadians, 3 Irish, 2 New Zealanders, 2 Singaporeans, and one each from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bulgaria, China, US Virgin Islands. 

David TK Wong, incidentally, is appearing at Readings@Seksan this Saturday and reading an extract from the new novel he is working on.

Postscript :

The longlist for the Edge Hill Short story prize has also just been announced.

Wena Wins Willesden

Congrats to Singaporean author Wena Poon who has won Willesden Herald's Short Story Prize with a piece called The Architects. The results were announced at a special event last night Charles Dickens' house, 48 Doughty Street, London, and equal runners-up were Willie Davis and Henrietta Rose-Innes.

I like this quote by author/poet Richard Peabody from the back of the collection of finalists' stories (left) :  

In my next life I'm coming back as the brainy talented author of "The Architects." Talk about brazen, submitting a story about a contest to a writing contest. Does it work? Check. The focus might well be on writers—the same dynamics of love, jealousy, sex, and mentors, applies. New York City is captured in amber. Check. Foreign-born exiles get their due. Check. Authentic dialogue squeezes out sparks. Check. Jokes? Check. Do the juggled balls remain in the air? Check. Yes, I want to be this author, who like a sly child with an Erector Set creates miraculous buildings out of thin air."

Am quite impressed that the prize is a mug!  (I love mugs and always drink my tea from them.)

When Is Buying a Book Like Buying an Organic Tomato?

Encouraging Writing in English on Both Sides of the Causeway

English matters. As a medium of communication, we reach the world with it and the world reaches us. That’s a fact we can’t ignore. Hence, Malaysians writing in English is a bridge for us to connect with the global audience. ... And, since English is a widely spoken language in the country, it’s a medium for us to connect with each other as well. ... Malaysian literature in English is unique to us. We wrestle with demons uniquely our own and our works reflect that. But are we seeing enough Malaysians write in English?

asks Rizal Solomon in today's New Straits Times. He says that he was stung into feeling guilty by Wong Phui Nam's words at the Singapore Writers' Festival KL press launch : wasn't he himself guilty of not really paying attention to local writing talent? He took the opportunity to talk to writers from both sides of the causeway at the festival.

Veteran novelist K.S. Maniam says (and I personally really applaud this) :

I think they have to break down this wall between writing in the national language and writing in English, Tamil and Chinese. We have to say all writing is Malaysian.

Maniam mentions some of the factors which will really help and encourage local writers - much more translation, workshops, competitions and awards.

Singaporean Wena Poon tackles an attitude problem:

Many Singaporeans complain there is no point producing art because there is no audience in Singapore; people won’t buy tickets or books. They assume the readers’ lack of sophistication and everybody gets depressed. That’s a non-constructive view ... Even in America, the typical layman doesn’t give a damn about the arts, poetry, theatre or novels; so don’t expect a heartlander to shell out for a book. You play to a certain audience, in every society. If you, as an artist, care about ticket or book sales, then it’s your job to figure out what readers want ...

Writer/artist Sonny Liew (whom I am ashamed to say has slipped beneath my own radar despite being nominated for the prestigious Eisner Award, while the recent French translation of his graphic novel Malinky Robot won the 2009 Prix de la meilleure BD award), quite rightly points out that things are changing for the better for writers with the Internet :

... which allows easier networking and online publishing, means there’s less isolation and less dependence on traditional forms of distribution and publication

Amir Muhammad says :

I never believe in ‘scenes’, just in individual writers. And on that note, there are a few rather strong writers indeed. Among fiction writers, Brian Gomez and Shih-li Kow are world-class and inimitably local.

As Rizal says at the end of his column, really it is up to all of us to give out local authors a chance!

I must add that I find it greatly encouraging to see space given to this discussion in the NST and hope there will be much more to come. Now that's a great way to boost local writing!

Wena and Co for Southbank

It was very nice to hear this morning (via Twitter) that Singaporean author Wena Poon is going to be appearing with novelist Isa Kamari (left) and Edwin Thumboo at Level 5 Function Room at the Southbank centre in London on Monday 28 September 2009, 7.45pm. The event is called Writing Singapore and here is the blurb about it :

In a first for Southbank Centre, we welcome a group of Singaporean writers to read from their work and share insights about the literary culture of their nation. Isa Kamari is an experimental novelist and playwright whose most recent work is Tawassul (Nearness). Wena Poon writes from the diaspora experience of living in the US. Her fiction looks at Singaporean and American life in her latest novel Lions in Winter. Edwin Thumboo is a leading figure in Singaporean poetry, who edited some of the earliest anthologies of Singaporean and Malaysian literature in English.

Do hope some of you who are living in London will be able to make it. I wish I could be there!

Foxy Wena

Wena Poon has just launched a website for her new collection of stories, The Proper Care of Foxes, which is published by Ethos in Singapore. the book will be avaialble from September and will be launched at this year's Ubud Writers and Readers Festival.

Wena Poon’s first book, Lions In Winter, was longlisted for the Irish Frank O’Connor International Award (there was no shortlist) and shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize. I do hope that she enjoys similar success with this one.

Literary Singapore

When I went down to Singapore last week for the talk at The Arts House with Wena Poon, one of the best things about the trip was meeting writers and book lovers.

Among them was one of my Facebook buddies, blogger Jason Lundberg, who writes here about the event (and echoes my own feelings about it) and also about Tash Aw's Singapore book launch.

Other lovely literary people I had a chance to meet - R Ramachandran of the Singapore Book Council; poet, playwright, novelist Robert Yeo; and poet Alvin Pang.

Afterwards a group of us went to an excellent restaurant called Charcoal for dinner, and there was much talk about cross-causeway exchanges ...

The Writer's Journey

If you're in Singapore, you might like to pop along to the Earshot Cafe at the Art House tomorrow, Friday 22nd May at 7 p.m.. I'm going to be in conversation with Wena Poon, talking about her first collection of stories Lions in Winter, which is also going to be published by Salt Publishing in the UK (hurray!!).

Wena has now completed a second collection The Proper Care of Foxes. We'll also be talking about writing and publishing in Malaysia and Singapore, and the problems of getting international distribution, and I'm sure, putting the world to rights (writes?) in general.

The event is presented by the Singapore Book Club and is part of the Singapore Writers' Festival. The talk is free but advanced registration is required. Email info@bookcouncil.sg with your full name and contact details.

Art Chose Wena

Shirley also sent me scan of this article written by Wena Poon from the local edition of Marie Claire. Do read it because there are some lovely words of encouragment for local writers! (Click to full size.)

Sad I actually am indeed that she didn't win the Singapore Literary Prize, because I feel such a strong connection to Lions in Winter (as you will understand if you read this).

Wena's Irish Adventure

Despite being excited about the opportunity to read from my book at Cork, I had my reservations. I've always had a horror of "lit fests." I was, however, relieved to find that the Frank O'Connor Short Story festival wasn't about writers preaching about "Literature" into microphones, or groupies lining up to get their books signed. It was about taking small, intimate workshops and learning from some of the most talented and generous writers in English fiction today. It was about chattering with writers and editors and getting pissed in the Long Valley, an old literary pub with faded lamps, night after night. And, best of all, it was about endless readings—which were really, at their best, performances—and screaming and giving high fives to the writers whenever they delivered a gut-wrenching, one-two punch performance of a story that just slew everybody. Together we rediscovered the oral tradition of storytelling, and for five days we experienced what the old bards already knew: the simple happiness of huddling together and telling each other stories over a pint or two.

By the end of the first night, I was delighted to find that the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Festival wasn't highfalutin. If anybody had any corners, they were knocked off. If anybody had any doubts, they were dispelled. We had—after many rounds of Beamish and Guinness—distilled the Frank O'Connor Short Story Festival to its very essence. It had become, as the American writer Jon Boilard calls it, the "Frank O." And whether we were world-famous, or not famous, or editors, or publishers, or literary agents, or writers, or poets, we had become a fellowship. It was as if Pat Cotter, the organiser, aimed to replicate in five days what a community of writers in Cork, Ireland, would have naturally formed in five decades. And he came very close to doing so. Good literary festivals inspire readers. Great literary festivals inspire writers. Thank you, City of Cork, and thank you, Pat. Old Frank O himself would have been proud..

Wena Poon's account of the Frank O'Connor Short Story Festival is published in Starmag today.

Wena also wrote a lovely email to Eric Forbes which I'm sure neither of them will mind if I quote from :

I hope your business people know that Lions was very successful at this festival, that editors asked for my next book, that the audience loved the story I read, and wanted to buy copies of this book that sold out, and what a great publicity this event has been for both Lions In Winter and MPH. I told everyone what a great publisher MPH has been in terms of taking the risk and promoting this work in Singapore and Malaysia.

To me Wena wrote:

I feel like I'm standing right at a live volcano of contemporary fiction watching the red hot lava flow past. The writers that I got to know are all amazing.

And then she asks the big question :

How, how can we create this in Malaysia?

(Top pic is from Wena's blog, bottom pic is of Wena flanked by fellow short story writers Carys Davis and Vanessa Gebbis)

Wena in Cork

I'm excited for Wena Poon all over again.

Longlisted for the the Frank O'Connor Short Story Award, she had no chance of being shortlisted for the same ... because, of course, there wasn't a shortlist in the end.

But Wena has been invited to read her work at the Frank O’Connor Literary Festival in Cork, Ireland, on September 17-21, 2008. Also appearing will be Jhumpa Lahiri, Yiyun Li, Clare Wigfall and ZZ Packer. You just don't get bigger names in short fiction than these.

As Wena reminds us on her blog :

This is the first time a Singaporean author, and MPH, a Malaysian publisher, appeared on the FOC longlist. The longlist had a preponderance of authors from the West: 36 out of 39 authors. Only 3 authors were not from the West - they were from Singapore (Wena Poon), Nigeria and Taiwan.

What I hope for most now is a way for Wena's book to find it's way into the hands of a wider readership overseas ...

(Pic above is Wena being interviewed recently on Channel News Asia.)

Lahiri Leapfrogs List

Jhumpa Lahiri has won this year's Frank o'Connor Short story prize with Unaccustomed Earth. As Lydsay Irvine in the Guardian points out, the book has been something of a publishing sensation, immediately hitting number one spot in the New York Times's fiction charts. Her first collection of short fiction Interpreter of Maladies won the Pulitzer in 2000. (Is any publisher going to spin the tired line about short fiction not selling, after this?)

So no surprises there, really.

The shocker though is that the judges, unanimous in their decision decided to go straight to the announcement, without bothering with a shortlist.

The reason :

With a unanimous winner at this early stage, we decided it would be a sham to compose a shortlist and put five other writers through unnecessary stress and suspense. Not only were the jury unanimous in their choice of Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth as the winner, they were unanimous in their belief that so outstanding was Lahiri’s achievement in this book that no other title was a serious contender.

Nicholas Lezard on the Guardian blog calls it :

... the unpardonable sin of failing to cater for that section of the literary public - and indeed the non-literary public - that likes a flutter.

And I have to agree. The whole point of literary awards is the exposure that they bring to new writing and often hitherto unheard of authors. Cut out the shortlist and you cut out a lot of potential publicity, not to mention a lot of fun for the reader. In other words, perlease bring on the sham!!

But looking on the bright side, Wena can now at least put a sticker on her book saying "nominated for ..." and in that sense stand proudly alongside authors like Anne Enright and Roddy Doyle.

Now to rush out to buy Unaccustomed Earth which just has to be that good!

Believing in Your Story Collections

One of the things that Kunal Basu said to me the other day which really struck home. :

I'd like to debunk once and for all the notion that short stories don't sell. All publishers need to do is believe in their short story collections. If you start out saying I don’t believe this book will sell, then it won’t. But if you believe in it passionately, then you can convey that passion to readers.

I got news today that made my day! Eric Forbes sent me an SMS to say that Wena Poon's Lions in Winter has been nominated for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Prize, the world's richest award for short fiction. (Other nominated authors include Anne Enright and Jhumpa Lahiri.)

The book is there because Eric and Janet Tay* of MPH believed in the book, not only enough to publish it, but also enough to promote it overseas. (This could be the first time that a work of fiction published by a local publisher has been listed for an international award.)

Update :

More on this year's Frank O'Connor prize at the Guardian.

*How nice if those guys could start their on literary imprint with MPH!

As Others See Us

The Literary Saloon, the blog of The Complete Review, and my first port-of-call for information on the literary scene worldwide has picked up the news of the The Star-Popular Readers Choice Awards which were announced last Sunday :

Not our favourite kind of set-up -- readers get to vote, and they get to do so as often as they like (and there's an incentive to vote for the book you think is likely to win, rather than the one you think is best, because voters who 'get it right' are also eligible for prizes ...), and the prize is limited to the ten bestselling titles (in fiction and non-fiction) at the local Popular stores. But at least that leads, for example, Elizabeth Tai to briefly describe what were the 10 bestselling fiction titles last year, in her Guide to the prizes, which gives us some idea of what's popular in Malaysia (and these are, after all, book you probably haven't seen at your local bookstore).

But as Louise Adler notes in The Age (another piece I found via Saloon.com) :

Prizes that attract publicity inevitably also attract criticism ...

But it can't be anything but good if word of local books and authors gets out into the wider world, and if Malaysian readers are encouraged to pick up the books. The award has also put a smile on the faces of the nominated authors I've met spoken to over the past few days, every single one of them saying that they aren't bothered if they win, and are just happy to have been recognised.

And talking of wider attention for our local publishing scene, Wena Poon's Lions in Winter (published here by MPH) is reviewed by Neel Chowdhury in Time magazine.

Quill in Orbit

The latest edition of MPH's Quill magazine is out, complete with astronaut on the cover and some good content which editor Eric has listed here. The magazine is free to MPH card members and RM8 for non-members.

Tan Twan Eng's article about how to get an agent and improve the chances of your book being published is absolutely invaluable to anyone who plans to take that route.

I also loved Preeta Samarasan's review of Wena Poon's Lions in Winter :

Poon writes about the Asia I know, and she does so with grace, insight and compassion. In these eleven stories, East and West do not inhabit one dimensional roles - submissive versus dominant, traditional versus modern - but mingle to produce the knotty realities of globalisation.

And of course, Deepika Shetty interviews one of the deities in my literary firmament, Vikram Seth.

I didn't blog about the previous issue because I forgot to pick up my copy until just the other day, and then some poor sales assistant had to dig round in a back room to see if any were left! It was nice to see that the front cover pin-up boys were Amir Muhammad and Shahril Nizam. Much more alluring than the politicians who graced (?) previous issues.

Wena's Wet Weekend

Then, after lunch and a quick rush round the supermarket to get survival rations for the afternoon with Chet's help, dashed over to Seksan's and the heaven's opened.

I was drenched even before I had unpacked the car, and the inclement weather didn't let up the whole afternoon. (What is happening to the weather? It doesn't seem like the monsoon ever went away?) But fortunately our loyal audience turned up in decent numbers. (Thank you!)

Wena Poon read a passage from her story The Shooting Ranch, my favourite story from Lions in Winter. Again, it was beautifully dramatised, and really showed how much she gets into the skin of her characters to write about them. (Not all authors - even some very big name ones - are good readers of their own work!)

Wena sadly had to rush off early as she had another appearance at Borders. I'm so glad she came, but sorry we couldn't have arranged better weather for her.

Animah Kosai (above right) dragged friends Dina Zaman (above left) ...

... and actor Na'a Murad (here getting his photo taken by a member of the press) along to read a couple of scenes from a new play she's working on called 100 Stones, which featured a woman married to a guy who has just become an elected representative. He doesn't seem to be too interested in sex, and there she is, desperately frustrated trying to seduce him with every trick in the book including sexy negligees.

It was interesting talking to Na'a in the break who reckons that the changed political landscape and the greater openness and willingness to engage in issues that has followed, is making it easier for artists of all kinds, but especially playwrights. It's early days yet ... but really, let's hope he's right.

I've been looking forward to Sufian Abas' first book for a very long time ... ever since we both got out first short stories published in Silverfish New Writing 1, in fact. Kasut Biru Robina is a collection of short shorts, some short short shorts just a few lines long. Bite size and snackable.

Sufian read a piece called Malam Mailakat Tidur (The Night the Angels Slept), and modest chap that he is, was going to end there but we encored him back for a second piece - Kisah Cinta (Love Story), a very amusing little tale about the fickleness of women.

Priya K. made an appeal for funds for the forthcoming Malaysian-UK exchange project, and illustrator Shahril Nizam brought some of his pictures along to be auctioned. The bidding is still ongoing and I'll post more about this later.

The break was extra long because the rain overhead was nosiy, but no-one seemed to mind too much as they were busy partying, networking, selling books ...

Ted Mahsun read a story, Pak Sudin's Bicycle I'd read on an e-group earlier and liked very much. He read it for the first time at Kata Suara the other week and had been surprised at how well it had gone down with the audience. Ted's writing is warm and whimsical, and it's really nice to see him developing as a writer. (He has a review of the new Stephen King book in the Star today, by the way.)

George Wielgus, poet, performer and writer describes himself as :

... a refugee from the wastelands of suburban England.

Slipping into the persona of her alter-ego, Mighty Jah-J, he gave us some hard-hitting poems, including Liberation and Death No. 1, which left us in little doubt why he had won the last KL Poetry Slam.

He was also selling his recently self-published limited edition zine for the price of a teh tarik (cup of "pulled tea"). You can read his poem Inside-Outsiders here.

We ended with a short tribute to Lloyd Fernando who passed away recently, and Priya K. read an extract from Green is the Colour.

Thanks : to all those who braved the rain, those who read, those who sold books, those who auctioned art, those who helped set up and put away and wash glasses, Shahril Nizam who designed the blogposter, and of course Seksan for the use of his beautiful space and the stunning visual backdrop provided by the current exhibition.

Our next readings is on April 19th and among the writers appearing will be author Kunal Basu.

Enjoying Dog Hotpot in Bangsar

Yesterday was another of those literary Saturdays in Bangsar.

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MPH's Breakfast Club at Bangsar Village 2 brought together the authors of two recently published collections of short stories, Wena Poon (above) and Chuah Guat Eng (below).

I was very excited to meet Wena at last, after reading her work and exchanging emails with her, and I thoroughly enjoyed her reading of Dog Hotpot, which also appears in Silverfish New Writing 7. She really brought out all the nuances and little touches of irony in this story about cultural values. (Wonder if there's scope for an audiobook? Wena clearly enjoys acting out her characters.)

< After that, Guat read from her story Two Pretty Men - one of my favourites from The Old House and we had a pretty interesting discussion about the gender of some of the characters, where their short stories come from :

... a special place (said Wena) ...

Guat told us that she had had a lot of pleasure writing her stories, although in many ways writing short stories is harder than writing a novel, and she often works on them over a long period of time. She also talked about the little seeds that had started the story she had been reading to us (the title of a nursery rhyme, a puppy which had come into her garden and died in a pool of blood though there was no mark on his body ...).

Wena added her thoughts about writing from a distance - being overseas, she said, enabled her to look back on Singapore more objectively, and she quoted Peter Carey saying that moving to New York had enabled him to write about Australia.

Both seemed quite amused when recalling the difficulty some local readers have with accepting that a writer isn't always putting their own life on the page in fiction, thinking everything in the stories must also have happened to the readers.

(This has happened to me too when a "friend" of mine blabbed the rumour far and wide that one of my characters was actually an ex-boyfriend who broke my heart!)


We didn't actually have dog hotpot for breakfast, but thanks MPH for the curry puffs and sandwiches!

Wena's Oscar Dress

Wena Poon is thrown some searching questions by Intan Maizura Ahmad Kamal in the New Sunday Times.

On where she gets her ideas :

Like many writers or film directors, I observe people. Something poignant would occur in my daily life – I would notice a stranger on the street and think, “There is a great story behind this person.” I love the dramatic possibilities of ordinary life. I spend a lot of time writing down interesting monologues that ordinary people deliver in my presence, unconscious of the fact that they are actors on a stage of their own design. For example, I think cab drivers, when they go on a rant, are absolutely hilarious.

On her literary hero :

E.M. Forster. He didn’t write many novels, but they were all elegant and sympathetic observations of the human condition. He’s also easy to read.

On her writing style :

I shoot straight from the hip. I try to communicate simply, effectively and elegantly. I don’t mix metaphors, I don’t try to strive for effect. I write exactly the way I think. As Keats said, “poetry should come as naturally as leaves to a tree.” If you push yourself too hard, you’re doing it wrong.

On Singapore :

It’s a question of the heart. I’m pretty sentimental about Singapore as I grew up there for the first 17 years. I want more people to know about Singapore, that it’s not just a tropical touristy place, that it’s not just about the chewing gum ban and caning, but that it is a unique, diverse, complex and amazing place. But we can’t do that until we believe in it ourselves first. Ironically, many Asians think Americans do not have moral values, but it was the Americans who taught me to be proud of my roots. They taught me patriotism, to treasure what I have instead of saying it’s not good enough.

Her ultimate dream she says is to have one of her novels made into a film that would win an Oscar, and she says:

I already have an Oscar gown picked out. Very important, you know! You don’t want to be caught not having anything to wear at the last minute!

Can't wait to meet her on Saturday.

Eric tells me that her collection of short stories is going into a reprint of 5,000 copies to cope with the demand from Singapore, and I think that is truly fantastic.

Wena and Guat for Breakfast Club

A quick plug for MPH's Breakfast Club this coming Saturday. The focus is on the short story with two authors whose anthologies have recently been published. Appearing will be Wena Poon author of Lions in Winter and Chuah Guat Eng, author of The Old House. More details on Eric's blog.

So your whole day is taken care of. You come along for this. Have a nice relaxed lunch. And then proceed to Seksan's in the afternoon.