Literature at the Equator

One of the great ironies about trying to blog literary stuff here, is that news floods in from the UK, the US and Australia about what's happening there via the litblogs and via the online book pages of the major newspapers. But we don't hear too much about what's happening in the region. (And often what we do hear comes to us via the west!).

It's such a pity that the South-East Asian Literary Project died a quiet death as it was a very useful blog with great potential.

The Asian and Pacific Writers Network is well worth taking a look at (and I found this poem by Nicholas Wong there!)** but there is still little communication between writing communities in different parts of SE Asia, and mores the pity.

Having said that, today I received this invitation from Indonesian publisher Richard Oh to the 8th Khatulistiwa Literary Award 2008. This is an award which Richard, book lover extraordinaire, initiated with QB World Books . (This is the bookshop to visit in Jakarta.)

I pass it on to you just in case you can make it, but mostly because, well ... it's just nice to know, isn't it?

Date: Thursday, November 13, 2008
Time: 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: At the Atrium of Plaza Senayan
Street: Jl. Asia Afrika, Senayan
City/Town: Jakarta, Indonesia
Contact/ Info Phone: 628111552269
Email: richardoh2007 at gmail dot com

Description :

This is the 8th Khatulistiwa* Literary Award 2008, continuing a tradition for excellence in Indonesian writing. The award has been won by Goenawan Mohamad, Remy Sylado, Hamsad Rangkuti, Seno Gumira, Linda Christanti, and many more.

This year's short list (in random order):

Prose:

Glonggong by Junaedi Setiono, Hubbu by Mashuri, Kaca Piring by Danarto, Rahasia Meede by ES Ito, Bilangan Fu by Ayu Utami

Poetry:

Orgasmanya by Hasan Aspahani, Jantung Lebah Ratu by Nirwan Dewanto, Sajak-sajak Menjelang Tidur by Wendoko, Pandora by Oka Rusmini, Teman-Teman dari Atap Bahasa by Afrizal Malna

And a prize for a writer under 30 years old.

The purse money for prose and poetry this year is Rp 100 millions. And Rp 30 for the winner of Writer Under 30 Years old

*Language note : Khatulistiwa means Equator btw.
** Sorry, not our Nic Wong as Dreamer Idiot points out in the comments.

Nic for Tea

Young poet Nic Wong has been doing a writer's residency at Rimbun Dahan, working on pieces about Malaysian flora and fauna, as part of his first poetry collection. (I will demand a percentage of any profits from the sale thereof, having been Nic's personal library service!)

Tomorrow afternoon (Monday 25 August) at 4p.m. he will be reading his work at a tea and poetry event held in the underground gallery, and you are all invited. More about both Nic, Rimbun Dahan and the event here.

Pneumatic Drills, Talking Books, and Subversive Chocolate Brownies

For last month's Readings@Seksan's we had the gentle accompaniment of the cutting of tree branches, this month we had the sound of the delightful melody of pneumatic drills as the pavement down below was torn up. Is there a conspiracy?

Then we couldn't open the wine bottle and had to send out an emergency call to the guy who sold them to us to come with a better bottle opener.

Then the microphone was giving grief, screeching away and soundman Reza, who has no idea of priorities, was away at his sister's wedding. I shudder to think how we will be jinxed next month.

Still, once we got going things began to go well. We kicked off with Dr Shih Toong Siong was first talked very interestingly for a few minutes about his his book Foochows : A Historical Perspective and told us plenty we didn't know about this community which settled Sitiawan in Perak. Want to know how Sitiawan got its name, or how its most infamous son Chin Peng became a communist? Buy me a coffee and I'll tell you (and probably more besides because I bought the book!)

Robert Raymer read from his beautifully observed short story Transactions in Thai which is included in the new edition of Lovers and Strangers Revisited and also appears in Silverfish New Writing 7. Torn between desire and conscience, expat men negotiate with a hotel owner for women to take with them to Pucket.

Kathleen Choo, a young poet who is working so hard at her craft and mobilising other versifiers through Poetry Underground read us a series of poems, moving between very lively pieces like her excellent slam poem about dead white males, and Jesus was a Black Man (a piece about skin colour and prejudice) to quieter more sensual pieces like the one about the "serpentine" sea.

This is Zain who is trying to rope us all in to take part in his wacky Read While Waiting project. I have a feeling we might just succumb to his charm!

Someone snuck in and left a plate of delicious brownies. Someone told me that they were from Amir Muhammad. Subversive brownies then, although fortunately not banned.

After the break Sheena Baharudin read a poem Keling about being taken for an Indian. Will give her a longer slot further down the lien because the poetry is bursting out of her and I am afraid she will explode if I don't. I am sorry I don't have a decent picture of her. She always turns out blurry in my photos!

Jason Leong was almost the one who got away. Advice to self when you invite someone to appear at an event make doubly sure you actually have invited them and then confirm it! Luckily his other appointment for the afternoon was a reading at MPH Megahell so I was able to persuade him to come along afterwards and read to us from his new book The Twisted Stethoscope about his experiences as a first year medical student in Dublin.

Young Nic Wong, on holiday at the moment from Columbia University has added another poetry award to his list - the 2008 American Poets award. His poems are complex and you sense layers and currents underneath the surface images.The first was Takemitsu's Kitchen, named for the composer, then Wu Gui ("after Kungfu Panda"), then The Arsonists and a new four page poem about the wonderful sex-changing clownfish.


Singer-songwriter Azmyl Yunor and actor (and much more besides) Fahmi Fadzil gave us their Wayang Buku performance (which I first saw at an event organised by KLue). It's a quirky sequence of sketches which begins with a version of the traditional puppet play with books as the protagonists, then has Fahmi as a talk show host interviewing celebrities represented by books (How do you concoct the Malaysian recipe for harmony?) and then has a hilarious dialogue in which Azmyl tries to persuade Fahmi to buy a thick book which can be used for every reason it seems ... apart from reading. Their performance ended up with a very laid back piece of A4 paper getting interviewed!

So, it was a very varied afternoon in all. My thanks to all who read and all who came and supported. Thanks Shahril Nizam for making the poster. Biggest thanks are due to Sek San for the use, once again, of this beautiful space.

I hope to organise readings next month for August 30th and already have a very strong list.

More pictures on Readings' Facebook page.

Preeta at Columbia

Preeta Samarasan's novel Evening is the Whole Day is now out in the US and is now on tour promoting it. (Chet has details here.)

Nic Wong organised the reading at the Columbia University bookstore, and here he is with Preeta (sitting), and friends Evelyn Phan, Amanda Yap, and Louis Ho.

Nic says Preeta read most of Chapter 14 and then there was a discussion (among other things) on the value of history in political fiction, and the problems facing a Malaysian novelist in finding a language that fits.

All I can say is, I wish I'd been there!

Sunday Night at No Black Tie

Missed most of the live lit events this weekend but did manage it to make it to No Black Tie for the episode of "Readings" Bernice organised, Sunday night.

The lady herself.

Jit read an excellent memoir piece on "sexuality and religiosity". Funny and honest. Beautifully written but with a real Malaysian voice. Hope this material gets collected and published. I still have some of the pages I found on the floor later. Will keep them for posterity.

Canadian Jordan MacVay was a big hit at Seksan's when he read an extract from the non-fiction novel he's working on. He's further along now, and read the complete chapter four in which Rizal and his friend are floating in a raft in the sea after the tsunami, and encounter a group of naked girls drifting in the branches of an uprooted tree. Again, I was very moved by this material and want to shout out to publishers across the world that this novel needs to be put out into the world!

Young Nicholas Wong, now growing his hair back after his National Service stint. Nic will be heading off to Columbia University later this month. He read a poem about a cleaning lady; Nicobar Pigeon; Son-net; and then "a triptych" (lovely word!) of philosophical poems - the first on beauty dedicated to Sharanya. He also played the piano - and he is good, really good. (I feel that it would be fairer if talented were more evenly distributed.) He had his mum, dad and little brother there to cheer him on.

After the break, playwright Ann Lee read a wonderfully surreal peace called Perpustakaan (Library). I never knew that stage directions could be so poetic. She was going to read another piece but it was getting late so we didn't get to hear it. (Another time, I hope.)

I had to leave before midnight as I had to get up very early for work, and so sadly I missed Sharanya and Bernice read.

I must say I like the venue very much ... but why do all cab drivers in that area seem to want to charge three times the fare even before midnight??

Heartache and Laughter at Seksan's

Another Saturday, another "Readings" at that little gallery in Bangsar ...

Balan Moses who is deputy chief news editor of the New straits Times read from his book Brickfields: A Time, a Place, a Memory, and his enjoyment in his own writing really came through as he read about the toddy shop, the hotel that doubled as ... erm ... something else, and the delicious food available in the area. I felt nostalgic even though I've only know Brickfields in more recent times!

Bath-based aromatherapist, mother of two and newbie blogger Pey Colborne's poems were magical. My favourites were: the first poem she wrote when she left Malaysia for Britain about all the things she misses most, another called Thumbs about how her daughters have inherited her thumbs which in palmistry denote a certain stubbornness and desire to travel ... and Totem in which she identifies with the humming-bird.

Noraishah Ismail has had several short stories published in the Silverfish collections under her pen-name Nora Adam. Today she read a heartbreaking story about a woman longing for her husband to make love to her ... she'd even settle for a kiss. Beautiful and brave writing.

Multi-talented (poet, author, photographer, filmmaker, actress, teacher!) Bernice Chauly read a series of heartfelt poems on divorce, death, love and heartbreak from her work-in-progress The Book of Sins. I was very moved by the poem she wrote about her mother's death, which ends with the words "fly, mother, fly" - I can identify with it having been there at the end with my mum.

Nicholas Wong's writer's CV is long and features some impressive literary awards and publications - not bad for someone who turned 18 just a week or two back! I am so happy to see how much more confident Nic has grown in reading his work in public. Methinks the workshop with Jacob Sam-La Rose worked its magic.

Nic began with a hilarious parody of Sharanya Manivannan's best loved poem about how everything in the universe wants to make love to her (and dedicated it to her!). Then he read a very affecting piece about the special children he works with at Bridges EIP in Kampong Kayu Ara, before ending with an extract from his prize-winning play Death Off the Mainland (about Singapore- Malaysia relations) which he read with Eugene Chuah.

I was so pleased that Wong Phui Nam, one of South-east Asia's most distinguished poets had agreed to come along and read. In his humble way he asked to read last "to give the young people a chance". I've been enjoying Phui Nam's collected poems in An Acre of the Day's Glass - and it was a real pleasure to hear his six poems today, all about women.

We hope to host a reading of his latest play at Seksan's soon. It was first read at the litfest but because there was so much else on, many people who wanted to hear it didn't get the chance.

In an interview last year Phui Nam said:

I write in English and how many read in English or are even interested in English poetry?

I hope he left the readings very much cheered that although the poets may not exactly be taking over the world, there is an enthusiastic following for poetry and some very good stuff being written.

Thanks to all the people who supported the event, especially Seksan for the inspiring space, La Bodega for the wine, Kenny for the poster, and all the readers.

Postscript:

Posts on other blogs about the event. BP reckons you should never judge a poet by the way he opens a winebottle. Karsy is glad "readings" isn't as arstyfartsy as she feared it would be. Nic reveals he wrote the parody poem on the LRT. Leon has some excellent photos here. (More to be linked as I come across it.)

May "Readings" - Sticky Post

Our series of monthly readings continue this Saturday with the aim of encouraging new writing talent.

Time: 3.30pm
Date: 26th May 2007
Place: Seksan's, 67, Jalan Tempinis Satu, Lucky Garden, Bangsar

Readers for this Saturday are:

Wong Phui Nam

Balan Moses

Nora Adam

Nicholas Wong

Pey Colborne

Bernice Chauly

"Readings" is organised by Sharon Bakar and Bernice Chauly. We are grateful to Seksan and La Bodega for sponsorship.

Admission free and everyone very welcome. Please pass on the invitation to anyone else you think might be interested.

(For enquiries contact Sharon at 012-6848835, or sbakar@streamyx.com)

This post will remain sticky until the end of the week. Please check below for most recent posts.

Heroic Cicaks

Nic Wong wrote to tell me about Malaysian political and pop culture magazine the CICAK's second annual writing competition.

The theme is:

50 Years, 50 Heroes: Young Malaysians You Need to Know

and it is:

.. a global search for 50 young Malaysian heroes in conjunction with the country’s 50th Independence Day.
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.

For a full list of rules, a tasty list of prizes, and more info click here.

And if you want to catch the mucho talented Nic, he will be reading at Seksan's this coming Saturday. (More info about the event coming shortly.)

The Young Ones

Would you believe our slam has made the papers yet again? This time it's mentioned in a very nicely written piece about our young performance poets by Syarifah Syaliza Alia in the Youth section of today's Star.

Syar interviews Sharanya (photo left, by Leon Wing), as well as Project OMG's Pat Low and Priya K (below) and Nicholas Wong.

I love Priya's can-do attitude, which is really Project OMG's whole attitude:

Anyone can hold a reading, even if I don’t like to admit it ... You just need the commitment, how much you’re willing to put into it.

Just do it lah, don't wait for permission.

And here's a quotable quote from Nic:

I think young writers nowadays are quite self-absorbed in their art ... They see it (their poetry) as a means of expressing themselves primarily and not see it as a collective responsibility to speak for others, to others.

If young guys like these represent the future of poetry in this country, then let's just say, it's in excellent hands.

Poetic Vision Needs Glasses

Hide no more: the inspired now have an outlet, as the KL poetry scene lifts its veil to a surprisingly ready, albeit still stylishly niche, audience. With the increasing popularity of open mic nights, brave singer/songwriters and literary academia amateurs now have the platform on which to hone their art.

Whether it’s organising performance poetry (where poets take on a small but captivated crowd and literally wax lyrical), or creating the poetry that’s performed, one thing’s for sure: what once was an individual self indulgent pastime has now been made public. Malaysian poets take it upon themselves to bring their poetry to the masses.

Nicholas Wong and myself got interviewed for a Vision KL article about the growth of performance poetry in KL, and Nic is the cover boy. (Don't let it go to your head!)

The piece is a nice plug for "Readings", and for Inky Hands, and it does give a flavour of what's happening, but it is a terrible shame that the efforts of the British Council in bringing in poets from the UK to energise the whole scene and run workshops and the main movers and shakers: Jasmine Low, Jerome Kugan, Bernice Chauly and Project OMG don't get a mention.

Still it's nice to see local poetry getting some coverage.

Nic's Nicobar Pigeon

You may have noticed the young man I've been bullying at recent readings, making him fetch and carry heavy loads, put out chairs, sell copies of Elarti and at Seksan's open the wine bottles and wash the glasses. One of these days I'm sure he's going to exact his revenge and that I'll find my big bossy self between the pages of a book. Even though Nic is 17 (and I do tend to be horrible patronising to talented 17 year olds as kG knows), he's already got an impressive writer's CV, and has a scholarship to read creative writing and literature at Columbia University.

When I gave him a lift home the other day, he let slip that he has just had a poem published in what is perhaps the most-prestigious British poetry journal, Rialto in the Young Poets section. I asked Nic to send me a scan from his copy, and here it is below (click to enlarge).*

Will be getting him to read at Seksan's a little down the line. (He's already strutted his stuff at Indie Scene cafe and for Project OMG). But he still has to wash the glasses.**

Meanwhile, Nic's at a bit of loose end between school and university and longing for some local friends to talk deep literary stuff with. (His school friends are all in Singapore and roped in to do their National Service.) Someone please take him out for a cup of poetic coffee. He might be superbright but he's a really nice guy too.

(Literary Lonely Hearts Column ...)

*Some ornitholgical info might help your reading.
**You can also enjoy his poem Carry On on the QLRS site.


(Pic stolen from Project OMG)

Sharanya's Launch at Indie Scene Cafe

There's been a lot going on this weekend. and I'm only just getting round to blogging it!

First Sharanya had a do at the Indie Scene Cafe Fiday night to launch her prety chapbook, Iyari. The event was supposed to start at 7 p.m. but it was a total nightmare to get down there with all the jams and it was after 8 when I arrived ... and that after running from the top of Bukit Bintang because I couldn't stand any more crawling in traffic.

Luckily (for me!) the start of the reading was delayed by the carolling "Santarinas" in the foyer of Piccolo Galleria. Sharanya had got a great crowd of friends there, and the atmosphere was just so warm and supportive. Even before anyone began to read, I was glad I had got my lazy self out of the house.

Sharanya has posted everyone's biodatas on her blog, so please go there for more information on her invited "talents". But here follows the pics I took.

Sharanya looked gorgeous in a black sari with gold trim and with big white roses in her hair. (She had also grown a few inches thanks to her platform shoes!) She did her job as host very well indeed - the open mic readings falling between her own readings. it was very special to hear her read poems that I've only seen on the page before.

Hafiz performed a beautiful song called Dengarkanlah (Please Listen) with lyrics by Nizam Zakaria (below). (You can download a demo version of the song here.) I didn't snap Hafiz because I was busy eating pizza!

Roy read a piece about being stopped at a police road block when neither he or his friend had a valid driver's license and ... er ... coming to an arrangement with a policeman.

Datuk Shan and Faridah Manaf did a nice little duet with a poem they had bounced back and forward by e-mail the night before.

Tshiung Han See read his poems ...

... and Priya K read a short piece ...

Nicholas Wong is distressingly talented for one so young (17) and has already won awards for his writing and had his poetry published. He's off to Columbia University in September to read Comparative Literature and Creative Writing.

Another very talented young man ... known simply as KG! His cousin also read a piece.

Somewhere in there too was me. Sharanya introduced me as the matriach of the local writing scene. Aiyoh, that sounds very scary!

I read a short short about an old couple warring over a dining chair that ends up abandoned and ruined in the garden. I wrote it some months ago and still haven't got polished to the point where I'd feel happy sending it out. Maybe after this I'll revise it again.

Thanks to Sharanya for inviting me and putting such an enjoyable evening together. Thanks too to Jasmine and Nicky for making this excellent little venue available to us. Indie Scene Cafe closes at the end of the month. How nice it would be to have a more permananent home for it ...

Bounteous Book Bargains

Went along to the Pay Less Warehouse Sale and took along a young guy called Nicholas who writes very well and has just finished his A levels in Singapore. I don't think he expected the sale to be so big or for there to be so many must read books going so cheaply. Yes, it is a very good sale - just have the others have been.

But maybe because I've been to so many sales lately and my shelves are groaning under the weight of unread books, I didn't jump into the fray with such gleeful abandon. Was very picky about my choices. (Not so Nicholas who filled a huge carton.)

Warehouse sales are a good place to socialise. Here's poet and artist Rahmat Harun.

And here's another friend and poet, Raja Ahmad. We went for a drink and chat with them at the A&W afterwards.

I'm beginning to realise that there is a breed of folks you can call Kaki Warehouse Sale. Here's Justin, Margaret and Joel with boxes and boxes of books. I got talking to Justin and Margaret at the last Pay Less Sale, and learned how they are building a library ...

... and they're so systematic about it. Justin has the list of books he wants to find with many of the books crossed off!

I also bumped into Tina whom I'd also met at the last sale and I was adding enthuistically to her pile! And Yvonne Lee. And Simran, who has just joined our book club. And Peter who works in pay Less in One Utama, but couldn't resist coming to look for books on his day off! (He used to work for Tower records and we used to talk classical music whenever I went in there.)

I came home with this pile of books for just RM36. Not a big pile, but good stuff to keep me happy.


So ... what did you buy?