28 February 2013
New Book: Out! Stories from the New Queer India
"Here are characters from all over India who break barriers and silences, make their own way, and discover their destinies. ... Entire families, and even casual connections, undergo alchemical changes because of the magic of queerness."
SYNOPSIS:
In Bengalaru, a law student falls in love as the nation’s highest courts decide whether his love is legitimate. In Mumbai, a film star and a parent discuss their own journeys of "coming out" as advocates of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender movement. In rural Kerala, two girls row a small boat and feel their hearts opening, even as they outgrow the village that is their only home.
These are the lives of queer Indians today: poignant, gripping, and occasionally even hilarious. The 30 true and fictional stories in this book give voice to the characters behind the headlines, from a lesbian motorcyclist to an Aishwarya-inspired drag queen, from a closeted CEO to a writer who stages her own murder-mystery.
Through their original and unforgettable stories, penned by the community’s master storytellers as well as emerging writers, OUT offers a glimpse beyond the closet doors — and into the lives and dreams of India’s most misunderstood minority.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For queries/ submissions: books@queer-ink.com
Website: http://queer-ink.com/
Read more
SYNOPSIS:
In Bengalaru, a law student falls in love as the nation’s highest courts decide whether his love is legitimate. In Mumbai, a film star and a parent discuss their own journeys of "coming out" as advocates of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender movement. In rural Kerala, two girls row a small boat and feel their hearts opening, even as they outgrow the village that is their only home.
These are the lives of queer Indians today: poignant, gripping, and occasionally even hilarious. The 30 true and fictional stories in this book give voice to the characters behind the headlines, from a lesbian motorcyclist to an Aishwarya-inspired drag queen, from a closeted CEO to a writer who stages her own murder-mystery.
Through their original and unforgettable stories, penned by the community’s master storytellers as well as emerging writers, OUT offers a glimpse beyond the closet doors — and into the lives and dreams of India’s most misunderstood minority.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For queries/ submissions: books@queer-ink.com
Website: http://queer-ink.com/
10 July 2011
New eBook: SHE'CHINATOWN by Eliyahu Enriquez
PunkTorah has selected a manuscript titled SHE'CHINⒶTOWN by Eliyahu Enriquez for publication in eBook format. Included in the collection scheduled for release in time for Hannukah 2011 are micro prose poems published in previous incarnations, courtesy of Asia Writes (Sunday July 18, 2010).
E2 is the author of GⒶY CⒶMP [Chipmunka Publishing, 2009]. He first received Honorable Mention in Fordham University at Lincoln Center's Robert Nettleton/Ully Hirsh Poetry Prize for his poem, Fu. Since then, he has worked in the Editorial Departments of A Gathering of the Tribes, The Asian American Writers' Workshop, Persimmon: Asian Literature, Arts, and Culture, as well as Creative Writing Instructor for The Philippine American Center. He was the Featured Playwright at The Consulate General of the Philippines - New York and The AAWW with selected readings from The Playground Trilogy [fLiPsIdErS, Salvaged, and Pearl's Kaddish].
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E2 is the author of GⒶY CⒶMP [Chipmunka Publishing, 2009]. He first received Honorable Mention in Fordham University at Lincoln Center's Robert Nettleton/Ully Hirsh Poetry Prize for his poem, Fu. Since then, he has worked in the Editorial Departments of A Gathering of the Tribes, The Asian American Writers' Workshop, Persimmon: Asian Literature, Arts, and Culture, as well as Creative Writing Instructor for The Philippine American Center. He was the Featured Playwright at The Consulate General of the Philippines - New York and The AAWW with selected readings from The Playground Trilogy [fLiPsIdErS, Salvaged, and Pearl's Kaddish].
03 July 2011
New Book: Home, Away, Elsewhere by Vaughan Rapatahana
Home, Away, Elsewhere, a collection of poems by Asia Writes's featured writer Vaughan Rapatahana, is due to be published by Proverse Press in Hong Kong. Vaughan was a semi-finalist in the inaugural Proverse Prize in Literature in 2009 and this collection contains many of the poems from that entry. It also contains poems first published on Asia Writes.Early Praises:
Vaughan Rapatahana's poems make significant patterns out of the randomness of life's events and give succinct and effective voice to the peculiarly modern condition of the global nomad at once home everywhere and home nowhere. - David Eggleton, Editor of Landfall, Aotearoa-New Zealand.
…poems with attitude. … passionate, uncompromising and sardonic. …there is darkness here … also wit in abundance and a playfulness in language and thought … at times laugh-out-loud funny…. a compelling voice and Vaughan uses it skilfully to tell us his stories, make his often pungent points, and take us places few of us have seen. - James Norcliffe, Robert Burns Fellow (2000), Aotearoa-New Zealand.
In Home, Away, Elsewhere Vaughan Rapatahana promises the deep irony/ absurdity/ reality of the new century, where home is really elsewhere and elsewhere is indeed a sort of home. ... These poems are pieces of an intricately interlinked multi-cultural and multi-lingual world, in which the poet must learn to live. In fact the poet relishes this confusing richness. His verses celebrate the graphic possibility of words, their visual appearance and sounds. So one must come to them with big eyes, big ears and a limitless imagination. - Muhammad Haji Salleh, National Laureate, Malaysia.
Get updates on the release of the book at the Proverse website or at Amazon.
New Book: A Waiting Wave by Kulpreet Yadav
Asia Writes's featured writer, Kulpreet Yadav, has released his second novel, A Waiting Wave, published by Pustak Mahal.
A Waiting Wave
The British abandoned their mansions, the Japanese gave up their bunkers and the Dutch departed in a hurry forgetting to ship their cows back to Europe. Any guesses about the place being referred to?
Before going into the details about the setting, the first ever for a novel, there’s the advance praise to consider.
Advance praise for A Waiting Wave:
“It is marvellous how Kulpreet has managed to write this deft and entertaining bit of breezy prose. His touch is surprisingly assured.” - Upamanyu Chatterjee, Author of the cult Indian classic ‘English August’
"Kulpreet Yadav's passionate story brings the Andamans to life in such vivid detail that it made me long to drop everything and go there at once." - Indra Sinha, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, 2007 and regional winner, Commonwealth Writer’s Prize, 2008
Kulpreet Yadav is a promising young writer who shows much talent.” - Jug Suraiya, author and columnist, ‘The Times of India’
"Kulpreet Yadav knows how to make a sentence sound at once dignified and youthful, and most of all careful. These pages bulge provocatively with color and sensation. I’m reeled in by a humid, sweet-smelling aggrandizement of the human condition, and I like it." - Natasha Stagg, editor-at-large, Sonora Review, literary magazine, University of Arizona
“If you are a travel freak, this is a must have. Detailed information about the Stone Age tribes of the Andaman Islands, their culture and the ability to converse with their ancestors, it’s all there.” - Sharell Cook, India Travel, About.com, ‘The New York Times’ company
Fast, action-packed and hugely engrossing, ‘A Waiting Wave’ sure is a thumping good read.
Shridhar Raghavan, Scriptwriter of Khakee, Apaharan, Dum Maaro Dum and Bluffmaster
“Kulpreet is gifted with an inventive and graphic imagination that will immerse the readers in this engrossing island saga.” - Sid Khullar, Food commentator and Editor, Chef-at-Large
“Kulpreet Yadav uses a language all his own, a syntax malleable enough to encompass the emotions and thoughts of his truly distinctive protagonist, Harrison Massey. An enjoyable read.” - Steven Miller, fiction editor, Leaning House Press
“The author uses myriad shades to display the essence of true emotions in this promising novel. From separation to self-discovery, the tale drips in the sweet flavour of wanting love between the characters.” - Faraaz Kazi, author of 'Truly Madly Deeply'
“Very riveting and refreshing account. Takes you to Andamans, even if you have never been there. Very enlightening and entertaining.” - Subhash Arora, President, Delhi Wine Club and Editor, DelWine
Now the location! In case you haven’t got it right the first time, the place is the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an Indian territory in the Bay of Bengal, that’s the setting for Kulpreet Yadav’s second novel ‘A Waiting Wave’. Even on this day, alongside others who have settled from mainland India, members of five tribes co-exist. Three are Negrito tribes, the Onges who believe in the ‘spirit of the turtle’, the Sentinelese who inhabit a solitary island and are still in the Stone Age, and the Jarawas who are gentle. While out of the remaining two Mongoloid tribes, the Nicobari and the Shompens, the former have government jobs and the latter live in the jungles.
Though action-adventure in essence, the story is based on modern age relationships. It’s about a couple, who, after having discovered love working together at a corporate office in New Delhi, exchange the wedding wows. But soon differences arise and the two separate. While the protagonist returns to Port Blair, his hometown, his wife stays at Delhi. He is convinced their differences are irreconcilable until a Tsunami consumes him. Lucky to be alive, as he struggles in a wild world he realizes, yet again, he is still in love with his wife. But it is already too late and to live and profess his love once again he will have to fight the savage Sentinelese tribe, besides surviving the deadly salt water crocodiles, the blood sucking leeches and rampant malarial mosquitoes. And, yes, not to forget the ghosts in the Japanese bunkers from WW II and those in the abandoned British mansions as he fights the odds.
The reason to set the story in Port Blair and the surrounding islands, the author feels, is primarily due to the fact that both at the Indian and at the world level, even to this day, Andaman and Nicobar is a strange land, too far away, and meant for, perhaps, domestic Indian tourists. He hopes to change all of that with this book.
The archipelago of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands stretches over 800 kilometers – consider Delhi-Ahmedabad, London-Zurich, or Singapore-Phuket to get the sense of distance – comprises of 570 odd islands, many of which are still pristine in the literal sense, waiting for the humans to come and explore. In terms of flora, fauna and avifauna these islands are a minefield too. On his treks through the thick of jungles, the author says he has come across surveyors on their maiden visits confiding that the expanse of natural wealth that’s home to these islands has the potential to make a significant difference to the natural world, the way the world sees it today.
It’s taken one year to write this book. Though fiction – didn’t want the people to run away from a reference book, is the author’s excuse – the prose is immersed with significant findings, based on what he has physically seen, or read at the state library where, in fairly good condition, a few out of print dissertations and books from the bygone era are available.
About the author
Kulpreet Yadav is an Indian novelist who also loves to write shorter fiction and travelogues. Many of his works have found place in some of the best publications from around the world. ‘A Waiting Wave’, his second novel, was conceived and written at Port Blair where he lived alone for a year researching the islands and imagining ways to sustain love. Contact the author via kulpreetyadav@gmail.com
Read more
A Waiting Wave
The British abandoned their mansions, the Japanese gave up their bunkers and the Dutch departed in a hurry forgetting to ship their cows back to Europe. Any guesses about the place being referred to?
Before going into the details about the setting, the first ever for a novel, there’s the advance praise to consider.
Advance praise for A Waiting Wave:
“It is marvellous how Kulpreet has managed to write this deft and entertaining bit of breezy prose. His touch is surprisingly assured.” - Upamanyu Chatterjee, Author of the cult Indian classic ‘English August’
"Kulpreet Yadav's passionate story brings the Andamans to life in such vivid detail that it made me long to drop everything and go there at once." - Indra Sinha, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, 2007 and regional winner, Commonwealth Writer’s Prize, 2008
Kulpreet Yadav is a promising young writer who shows much talent.” - Jug Suraiya, author and columnist, ‘The Times of India’
"Kulpreet Yadav knows how to make a sentence sound at once dignified and youthful, and most of all careful. These pages bulge provocatively with color and sensation. I’m reeled in by a humid, sweet-smelling aggrandizement of the human condition, and I like it." - Natasha Stagg, editor-at-large, Sonora Review, literary magazine, University of Arizona
“If you are a travel freak, this is a must have. Detailed information about the Stone Age tribes of the Andaman Islands, their culture and the ability to converse with their ancestors, it’s all there.” - Sharell Cook, India Travel, About.com, ‘The New York Times’ company
Fast, action-packed and hugely engrossing, ‘A Waiting Wave’ sure is a thumping good read.
Shridhar Raghavan, Scriptwriter of Khakee, Apaharan, Dum Maaro Dum and Bluffmaster
“Kulpreet is gifted with an inventive and graphic imagination that will immerse the readers in this engrossing island saga.” - Sid Khullar, Food commentator and Editor, Chef-at-Large
“Kulpreet Yadav uses a language all his own, a syntax malleable enough to encompass the emotions and thoughts of his truly distinctive protagonist, Harrison Massey. An enjoyable read.” - Steven Miller, fiction editor, Leaning House Press
“The author uses myriad shades to display the essence of true emotions in this promising novel. From separation to self-discovery, the tale drips in the sweet flavour of wanting love between the characters.” - Faraaz Kazi, author of 'Truly Madly Deeply'
“Very riveting and refreshing account. Takes you to Andamans, even if you have never been there. Very enlightening and entertaining.” - Subhash Arora, President, Delhi Wine Club and Editor, DelWine
Now the location! In case you haven’t got it right the first time, the place is the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an Indian territory in the Bay of Bengal, that’s the setting for Kulpreet Yadav’s second novel ‘A Waiting Wave’. Even on this day, alongside others who have settled from mainland India, members of five tribes co-exist. Three are Negrito tribes, the Onges who believe in the ‘spirit of the turtle’, the Sentinelese who inhabit a solitary island and are still in the Stone Age, and the Jarawas who are gentle. While out of the remaining two Mongoloid tribes, the Nicobari and the Shompens, the former have government jobs and the latter live in the jungles.
Though action-adventure in essence, the story is based on modern age relationships. It’s about a couple, who, after having discovered love working together at a corporate office in New Delhi, exchange the wedding wows. But soon differences arise and the two separate. While the protagonist returns to Port Blair, his hometown, his wife stays at Delhi. He is convinced their differences are irreconcilable until a Tsunami consumes him. Lucky to be alive, as he struggles in a wild world he realizes, yet again, he is still in love with his wife. But it is already too late and to live and profess his love once again he will have to fight the savage Sentinelese tribe, besides surviving the deadly salt water crocodiles, the blood sucking leeches and rampant malarial mosquitoes. And, yes, not to forget the ghosts in the Japanese bunkers from WW II and those in the abandoned British mansions as he fights the odds.
The reason to set the story in Port Blair and the surrounding islands, the author feels, is primarily due to the fact that both at the Indian and at the world level, even to this day, Andaman and Nicobar is a strange land, too far away, and meant for, perhaps, domestic Indian tourists. He hopes to change all of that with this book.
The archipelago of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands stretches over 800 kilometers – consider Delhi-Ahmedabad, London-Zurich, or Singapore-Phuket to get the sense of distance – comprises of 570 odd islands, many of which are still pristine in the literal sense, waiting for the humans to come and explore. In terms of flora, fauna and avifauna these islands are a minefield too. On his treks through the thick of jungles, the author says he has come across surveyors on their maiden visits confiding that the expanse of natural wealth that’s home to these islands has the potential to make a significant difference to the natural world, the way the world sees it today.
It’s taken one year to write this book. Though fiction – didn’t want the people to run away from a reference book, is the author’s excuse – the prose is immersed with significant findings, based on what he has physically seen, or read at the state library where, in fairly good condition, a few out of print dissertations and books from the bygone era are available.
About the author
Kulpreet Yadav is an Indian novelist who also loves to write shorter fiction and travelogues. Many of his works have found place in some of the best publications from around the world. ‘A Waiting Wave’, his second novel, was conceived and written at Port Blair where he lived alone for a year researching the islands and imagining ways to sustain love. Contact the author via kulpreetyadav@gmail.com
28 June 2011
Book launch of "Revolutionary Spirit: Jose Rizal in Southeast Asia" at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (Singapore)
Date: 30 June 2011
Jose Rizal: patriot, polymath, and post-colonial posterchild, as Filipino journalist John Nery describes him in his book Revolutionary Spirit: Jose Rizal in Southeast Asia.
In honor of the 150th Birth Anniversary of the Philippine national hero, the book will be launched at a seminar jointly organized by the Philippine Embassy in Singapore and the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) on 30 June 2011, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, at the Seminar Room II, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), 30 Heng Mui Keng Terrace, Pasir Panjang Rd, Singapore 119614.
Dr. Syed Farid Alatas, head of the Malay Studies Center of the National University of Singapore, will make a presentation together with Mr. Nery, to be followed by a panel discussion.
There will be a musical interlude by Filipino classical guitarist Manuel Cabrera II, including a performance of "Kundiman ni Rizal," before the book is launched by the guest-of-honor, Professor Tommy Koh, Ambassador-At-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Special Adviser of the Institute of Policy Studies, and Chairman of the National Heritage Board.
Contact Information:
Website: register here
Read more
Jose Rizal: patriot, polymath, and post-colonial posterchild, as Filipino journalist John Nery describes him in his book Revolutionary Spirit: Jose Rizal in Southeast Asia.
In honor of the 150th Birth Anniversary of the Philippine national hero, the book will be launched at a seminar jointly organized by the Philippine Embassy in Singapore and the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) on 30 June 2011, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, at the Seminar Room II, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), 30 Heng Mui Keng Terrace, Pasir Panjang Rd, Singapore 119614.
Dr. Syed Farid Alatas, head of the Malay Studies Center of the National University of Singapore, will make a presentation together with Mr. Nery, to be followed by a panel discussion.
There will be a musical interlude by Filipino classical guitarist Manuel Cabrera II, including a performance of "Kundiman ni Rizal," before the book is launched by the guest-of-honor, Professor Tommy Koh, Ambassador-At-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Special Adviser of the Institute of Policy Studies, and Chairman of the National Heritage Board.
Contact Information:
Website: register here
13 June 2011
New Book: A World In Transit by Eric Tinsay Valles
The world is on the move. As a result, people everywhere are increasingly caught in hybridity or cultural mixing even as they assert their individuality. Indeed, migrants, the subject of many of Eric Tinsay Valles’s poems, yearn especially for an escape or exile from the messy present. But they and their motivations are not always understood. Eric Tinsay Valles’s poetic reflections on this new world order and its protagonists move subtly from one geographical space to another. He interprets these spaces sometimes with humour and always with empathy for otherness.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ERIC TINSAY VALLES, formerly a journalist and editor, currently teaches English Language and Literature at the National University of Singapore High School of Math and Science. He has been published in Routledge’s New Writing: The International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing, Hispanic Culture Review (George Mason University), the Singapore National Arts Council-published anthology Reflecting on the Merlion, Words: Poems Singapore and Beyond, Ceriph as well as in online journals Double Dialogues (University of Melbourne) and Bukker Tillibul (Swinburne University of Technology). In 2011, he won the City Loves Writing competition organized by the British Council and was admitted to a writing residency at the Vermont Studio Centre in the US.
REVIEWS
“Eric’s poetry has a keen traveler’s eye for detail and a child’s appetite for curiosity.”
— Felix Cheong, NAC Young Artist Award recipient (2000)
“An enthralling collection of poems. For a new poet, Eric has a mature, sophisticated eye that captivates with his poetry of displacement, globalization and migration.”
— Dave Chua, Singapore Literature Prize (Commendation) recipient (1996)
“A poet who lives within and between different cultures, Eric Francis Tinsay Valles wears different skins and shows a ruthless curiosity for diverse ways of seeing and feeling. This collection of poems is a refreshing read in the way it unravels the lives of unsung heroes and places with gentle humor and charming honesty.”
— Lim Siew Yea, Arts Educator
“This is the very first collection of Eric Tinsay Valles’s work, which is already so well known in literary journals. A World in Transit contains poems that speak in many voices, though certain motifs recur and intersect. Rhythm and colour shift from page to page; rhyme-schemes vary, or vanish; fact and invention jostle each other as poetic form is explored from many angles. The poems reflect upon time and destiny, on culture, language, love, on politics and art, on the sacred and the mundane. They investigate terrains both social and inner, proving our daily confrontations with the self in a world in flux. The relation between thought, language, symbol and meaning is a central concern. Read this sequence through from page one, or start at any point and let its circles widen, or perhaps go to the lovely, light-syllabled final lyric and discover surprising ways back.”
— Dominique Hecq, Poet and Creative Writing Professor, Swinburne University of Technology
“A World in Transit is a lively window on life in emerging, changing Asia. Its themes which include the interaction between people, nature and the urban environment, and the plight of migrant workers as they search for a better life, rest on sharp observation and a sense of grace dissolved in place. Valles’s work distills the acute drama in human behavior and celebrates the transcendence of limits.”
— Edwin Thumboo, Emeritus Professor, Department of English
Read more
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ERIC TINSAY VALLES, formerly a journalist and editor, currently teaches English Language and Literature at the National University of Singapore High School of Math and Science. He has been published in Routledge’s New Writing: The International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing, Hispanic Culture Review (George Mason University), the Singapore National Arts Council-published anthology Reflecting on the Merlion, Words: Poems Singapore and Beyond, Ceriph as well as in online journals Double Dialogues (University of Melbourne) and Bukker Tillibul (Swinburne University of Technology). In 2011, he won the City Loves Writing competition organized by the British Council and was admitted to a writing residency at the Vermont Studio Centre in the US.
REVIEWS
“Eric’s poetry has a keen traveler’s eye for detail and a child’s appetite for curiosity.”
— Felix Cheong, NAC Young Artist Award recipient (2000)
“An enthralling collection of poems. For a new poet, Eric has a mature, sophisticated eye that captivates with his poetry of displacement, globalization and migration.”
— Dave Chua, Singapore Literature Prize (Commendation) recipient (1996)
“A poet who lives within and between different cultures, Eric Francis Tinsay Valles wears different skins and shows a ruthless curiosity for diverse ways of seeing and feeling. This collection of poems is a refreshing read in the way it unravels the lives of unsung heroes and places with gentle humor and charming honesty.”
— Lim Siew Yea, Arts Educator
“This is the very first collection of Eric Tinsay Valles’s work, which is already so well known in literary journals. A World in Transit contains poems that speak in many voices, though certain motifs recur and intersect. Rhythm and colour shift from page to page; rhyme-schemes vary, or vanish; fact and invention jostle each other as poetic form is explored from many angles. The poems reflect upon time and destiny, on culture, language, love, on politics and art, on the sacred and the mundane. They investigate terrains both social and inner, proving our daily confrontations with the self in a world in flux. The relation between thought, language, symbol and meaning is a central concern. Read this sequence through from page one, or start at any point and let its circles widen, or perhaps go to the lovely, light-syllabled final lyric and discover surprising ways back.”
— Dominique Hecq, Poet and Creative Writing Professor, Swinburne University of Technology
“A World in Transit is a lively window on life in emerging, changing Asia. Its themes which include the interaction between people, nature and the urban environment, and the plight of migrant workers as they search for a better life, rest on sharp observation and a sense of grace dissolved in place. Valles’s work distills the acute drama in human behavior and celebrates the transcendence of limits.”
— Edwin Thumboo, Emeritus Professor, Department of English
Book Launch of Malaysian Tales: Retold and Remixed at The Annexe Gallery (Malaysia)
Date: 19 June 2011
This stunning new collection features 16 classic tales as reimagined and retold by some of Malaysia’s brightest raconteurs.
MALAYSIAN TALES: RETOLD & REMIXED
edited by Daphne Lee
Book launch by Zi Publications
Sun 19 Jun, 2011, 2pm
Free Admission
Fables and fairytales. Myths and legends. They are an integral part of our heritage; of the legacy of our forefathers. Handed down from generation to generation. Passed on by word of mouth. Lamplight stories that quietly and cleverly skirt that fine line between childish fantasy and profoundly penetrating philosophy.
This stunning new collection features 16 classic tales as reimagined and retold by some of Malaysia’s brightest raconteurs: KARINA BAHRIN, ZED ADAM IDRIS, FAZLYN ABDUL MALEK, JEREMY CHIN, DAPHNE LEE, PREETA SAMARASAN, ANN LEE, KEE THUAN CHYE, JANET TAY, O THIAM CHIN, REHMAN RASHID, HO LEE-LING, M. SHANMUGHALINGAM.
They spin stories that are steeped as much in mythology and magic as they are in metaphysics. Fictions that delve deep into the power of history and fable, that open our eyes to their importance, that are a testament to the enduring nature of our oral tradition. These are tales so immersive, so enticing, so welcoming, that you’ll never want to click your heels and wish for home.
About the Editor:
DAPHNE LEE is a writer and editor. She has published six picture books, as well as short stories in magazines and anthologies. She writes a weekly column about children's and young adult books for Malaysian daily, The Star, and runs reading initiatives for a Malaysian non-profit organisation. Daphne is also the publishing editor of OneRedFlower Press, which specialises in Malaysian picture books.
Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Location: The Annexe Gallery, 2nd Flr,
Central Market Annexe
(Behind Central Market), Jalan Hang Kasturi
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Read more
This stunning new collection features 16 classic tales as reimagined and retold by some of Malaysia’s brightest raconteurs.
MALAYSIAN TALES: RETOLD & REMIXED
edited by Daphne Lee
Book launch by Zi Publications
Sun 19 Jun, 2011, 2pm
Free Admission
Fables and fairytales. Myths and legends. They are an integral part of our heritage; of the legacy of our forefathers. Handed down from generation to generation. Passed on by word of mouth. Lamplight stories that quietly and cleverly skirt that fine line between childish fantasy and profoundly penetrating philosophy.
This stunning new collection features 16 classic tales as reimagined and retold by some of Malaysia’s brightest raconteurs: KARINA BAHRIN, ZED ADAM IDRIS, FAZLYN ABDUL MALEK, JEREMY CHIN, DAPHNE LEE, PREETA SAMARASAN, ANN LEE, KEE THUAN CHYE, JANET TAY, O THIAM CHIN, REHMAN RASHID, HO LEE-LING, M. SHANMUGHALINGAM.
They spin stories that are steeped as much in mythology and magic as they are in metaphysics. Fictions that delve deep into the power of history and fable, that open our eyes to their importance, that are a testament to the enduring nature of our oral tradition. These are tales so immersive, so enticing, so welcoming, that you’ll never want to click your heels and wish for home.
About the Editor:
DAPHNE LEE is a writer and editor. She has published six picture books, as well as short stories in magazines and anthologies. She writes a weekly column about children's and young adult books for Malaysian daily, The Star, and runs reading initiatives for a Malaysian non-profit organisation. Daphne is also the publishing editor of OneRedFlower Press, which specialises in Malaysian picture books.
Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Location: The Annexe Gallery, 2nd Flr,
Central Market Annexe
(Behind Central Market), Jalan Hang Kasturi
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
26 May 2011
New Book: World Poetry Almanac 2010, edited by Dr. Hadaa Sendoo
Edited by Asia Writes's featured writer, Hadaa Sendoo, the World Poetry Almanac is the most authoritative poetry book that focuses on contemporary poetry and poetics. The collection is published every March/April in Mongolia, Central Asia. The 2010 edition, with 330 pages, includes works of 188 poets from over 100 countries and features discussions on poetry, book reviews, interviews, and academic papers.
The almanac has been enthusiastically received in international poetry circles and copies have been donated to the following organizations: The British Library, UNESCO Library, the Library of Congress USA, the Swedish Academy, and Frankfurt Book Fair.
The book includes works by the following writers from Asia: Abdul Samay Hamed (AFGHANISTAN); Luo Ying, Jidi Majia, Tian Yuan, Yi Sha, LuYe, Bei Ta, Xiao Xiao, FuSang, (CHINA); Liu Waitong, Cao Shuying (HONG KONG); Al Mahmud (BANGLADESH); Keki N. Daruwalla, Rati Saxena, Mohammed Fakhruddin, Rita Malhotra, Arbind Kumar Choudhary (INDIA); Sitok Srengenge (INDONESIA); Rira Abbasi (IRAN); Saadı Youssef (IRAQ); Amir Or, Hedva Rabınson Bachrach (ISRAEL); Tanikawa Shuntaro, Makoto Ooka, Ban'ya Natsuishi, Koike Masayo, Hachikai Mimi (JAPAN); Ko Un, Kim Hyesoon, Yi Yon-Ju (KOREA); Bassam Hajjar (LEBANON); Leong Yut-Moy (MALAYSIA); Hadaa Sendoo, Bavuudorj Tsogdorj, Munkhtsetseg Gompildoo (MONGOLIA); Yuyutsu RD Sharma (NEPAL); Kishwar Naheed (PAKISTAN); Zakaria Mohammad(PALESTINE); Gemino H. Abad (PHIILIPPINES); Soad Alkwuari (QATAR); Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi (SAUDI ARABIA); Boey Kim Cheng (SINGAPORE); Indran Amirthanayagam (SRI LANKA); Adonis (SYRIA); Lee Kuei-Shien, Khun-Huann Li, Qiao Lin, Catherine Yen, Kun-hua Hsieh (TAIWAN); Paiwarin Khao-Ngam (THAILAND); and Nguyen Huu Thinh (VIETNAM).
Book details:
World Poetry Almanac 2010
188 poets from 101 countries
Edited by Dr. Hadaa Sendoo
330 pages of poems translated from various languages
ISBN: 978-99929-830-3-5
Printed by: Free Press Foundation
Publication Date: May, 2011 (Ulaanbaatar)
Binding: Softcover
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The almanac has been enthusiastically received in international poetry circles and copies have been donated to the following organizations: The British Library, UNESCO Library, the Library of Congress USA, the Swedish Academy, and Frankfurt Book Fair.
The book includes works by the following writers from Asia: Abdul Samay Hamed (AFGHANISTAN); Luo Ying, Jidi Majia, Tian Yuan, Yi Sha, LuYe, Bei Ta, Xiao Xiao, FuSang, (CHINA); Liu Waitong, Cao Shuying (HONG KONG); Al Mahmud (BANGLADESH); Keki N. Daruwalla, Rati Saxena, Mohammed Fakhruddin, Rita Malhotra, Arbind Kumar Choudhary (INDIA); Sitok Srengenge (INDONESIA); Rira Abbasi (IRAN); Saadı Youssef (IRAQ); Amir Or, Hedva Rabınson Bachrach (ISRAEL); Tanikawa Shuntaro, Makoto Ooka, Ban'ya Natsuishi, Koike Masayo, Hachikai Mimi (JAPAN); Ko Un, Kim Hyesoon, Yi Yon-Ju (KOREA); Bassam Hajjar (LEBANON); Leong Yut-Moy (MALAYSIA); Hadaa Sendoo, Bavuudorj Tsogdorj, Munkhtsetseg Gompildoo (MONGOLIA); Yuyutsu RD Sharma (NEPAL); Kishwar Naheed (PAKISTAN); Zakaria Mohammad(PALESTINE); Gemino H. Abad (PHIILIPPINES); Soad Alkwuari (QATAR); Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi (SAUDI ARABIA); Boey Kim Cheng (SINGAPORE); Indran Amirthanayagam (SRI LANKA); Adonis (SYRIA); Lee Kuei-Shien, Khun-Huann Li, Qiao Lin, Catherine Yen, Kun-hua Hsieh (TAIWAN); Paiwarin Khao-Ngam (THAILAND); and Nguyen Huu Thinh (VIETNAM).
Book details:
World Poetry Almanac 2010
188 poets from 101 countries
Edited by Dr. Hadaa Sendoo
330 pages of poems translated from various languages
ISBN: 978-99929-830-3-5
Printed by: Free Press Foundation
Publication Date: May, 2011 (Ulaanbaatar)
Binding: Softcover
20 May 2011
Ocean Vuong to Release Free E-Chapbook in August
Asia Writes's featured writer Ocean Vuong will release a free e-chapbook in August containing poems that did not appear in his chapbook "Burnings", published by Sibling Rivalry Press.
Born in Saigon, Vietnam, Ocean Vuong is an undergraduate at Brooklyn College, CUNY. His poems have received an Academy of American Poets Prize, the Beatrice Dubin Rose Award, the Connecticut Poetry Society’s Al Savard Award, as well as four Pushcart Prize nominations. His work has also been translated into Hindi, Korean, Vietnamese, and Russian.
You can read a few poems from his upcoming e-chapbook here.
Contact Information:
Website: http://selfportraitasjeffreydahmer.blogspot.com/
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Born in Saigon, Vietnam, Ocean Vuong is an undergraduate at Brooklyn College, CUNY. His poems have received an Academy of American Poets Prize, the Beatrice Dubin Rose Award, the Connecticut Poetry Society’s Al Savard Award, as well as four Pushcart Prize nominations. His work has also been translated into Hindi, Korean, Vietnamese, and Russian.
You can read a few poems from his upcoming e-chapbook here.
Contact Information:
Website: http://selfportraitasjeffreydahmer.blogspot.com/
05 May 2011
Niyogi Books Releases Sweta Srivastava Vikram's First Fiction Novel "Perfectly Untraditional"
Asia Writes's featured writer Sweta Srivastava Vikram released her first fiction novel, "Perfectly Untraditional," (Niyogi Books) on May 5th. The book is now available in select bookstores in India and the United Kingdom and may be purchased online: in India, via Flipkart; and outside of India, via Bookvista and Amazon.
Synopsis:
New York City-based writer, Shaili Kapoor, is shocked to find out about her mother, Meena Kapoor’s death. Meena had drowned her- self in Pashan Lake in Shaili’s hometown Pune, in India. When she was younger, Shaili and her mother would often spend time at the lake, without the knowledge of her father, Suresh Kapoor and younger sister, Tanisha.
Shaili is devastated; apart from her childhood friend Supriya, her mother was the only connection she had with India or her past over the past fifteen years. Even as a young adult, Shaili had estranged relations with her old-fashioned, alcoholic father, but when he found out about Shaili’s divorce and about the new love in her life, he was livid. Both he and Tanisha ostracized her. But Shaili was always astonished at how accepting her mother was of her decision.
Between the time Shaili finds out about her mother’s death and reaches India for the last rites, she discovers a deep secret about the mother she worshipped and the father she grew up to loathe. Nothing is as it seems. Shaili knows the time has come for her to make peace with her father.
Will Shaili find peace in knowing the mystique behind every occurence associated with Pashan Lake and the reason for her mother’s suicide? More importantly, will Shaili and her father ever accept each other’s personal choices? Perfectly Untraditional unravels unconventional and untold tales of families, friendships, love, loyalty, relationships, and tradition.
Advance praise for Perfectly Untraditional
"A powerful, riveting, perfectly unique exploration of the tangle of relationships that is the modern Indian family.”
-Swati Kaushal, bestselling author of Piece of Cake and A Girl Like Me
About the Author
Sweta Srivastava Vikram (www.swetavikram.com) is a two-time Pushcart-nominated poet, novelist, author, essayist, columnist, educator, and blogger whose musings have translated into four chapbooks of poetry, two collaborative collections of poetry, a fiction novel, and a nonfiction book of prose and poems (upcoming in 2012). Her scribbles have also appeared in several anthologies, literary journals, and online publications across six countries in three continents. A graduate of Columbia University, she lives and writes in New York City and reads her work across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Sweta also teaches creative writing workshops.
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Synopsis:
New York City-based writer, Shaili Kapoor, is shocked to find out about her mother, Meena Kapoor’s death. Meena had drowned her- self in Pashan Lake in Shaili’s hometown Pune, in India. When she was younger, Shaili and her mother would often spend time at the lake, without the knowledge of her father, Suresh Kapoor and younger sister, Tanisha.
Shaili is devastated; apart from her childhood friend Supriya, her mother was the only connection she had with India or her past over the past fifteen years. Even as a young adult, Shaili had estranged relations with her old-fashioned, alcoholic father, but when he found out about Shaili’s divorce and about the new love in her life, he was livid. Both he and Tanisha ostracized her. But Shaili was always astonished at how accepting her mother was of her decision.
Between the time Shaili finds out about her mother’s death and reaches India for the last rites, she discovers a deep secret about the mother she worshipped and the father she grew up to loathe. Nothing is as it seems. Shaili knows the time has come for her to make peace with her father.
Will Shaili find peace in knowing the mystique behind every occurence associated with Pashan Lake and the reason for her mother’s suicide? More importantly, will Shaili and her father ever accept each other’s personal choices? Perfectly Untraditional unravels unconventional and untold tales of families, friendships, love, loyalty, relationships, and tradition.
Advance praise for Perfectly Untraditional
"A powerful, riveting, perfectly unique exploration of the tangle of relationships that is the modern Indian family.”
-Swati Kaushal, bestselling author of Piece of Cake and A Girl Like Me
About the Author
Sweta Srivastava Vikram (www.swetavikram.com) is a two-time Pushcart-nominated poet, novelist, author, essayist, columnist, educator, and blogger whose musings have translated into four chapbooks of poetry, two collaborative collections of poetry, a fiction novel, and a nonfiction book of prose and poems (upcoming in 2012). Her scribbles have also appeared in several anthologies, literary journals, and online publications across six countries in three continents. A graduate of Columbia University, she lives and writes in New York City and reads her work across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Sweta also teaches creative writing workshops.
28 April 2011
New Book/ Launch - Modern Poetry of Pakistan (Pakistani LIterature Series, Dalkey Archive Press)
The first anthology of its kind to appear in English, Modern Poetry of Pakistan brings together not one but many poetic traditions indigenous to Pakistan, with 142 poems translated from seven major languages, six of them regional (Baluchi, Kashmiri, Panjabi, Pashto, Seraiki, and Sindhi) and one national (Urdu). Collecting the work of forty-two poets and fifteen translators, this book reveals a society riven by ethnic, class, and political differences—but also a beautiful and truly national literature, with work both classical and modern, belonging to the same culture and sharing many of the same concerns and perceptions.
About the Editors
Iftikhar Arif is an Urdu poet and scholar. He is currently the Chairman of Pakistan’s National Language Authority and has received the Presidential Pride of Performance award. His poetry has been translated into several languages, including English in the collection Written in a Season of Fear.
Waqas Khwaja is an Associate Professor of English at Agnes Scott College. He has published three collections of poetry, a travelogue, and has edited several anthologies of Pakistani literature.
Book launch
There are two upcoming events launching Modern Poetry of Pakistan, the first anthology of Pakistani poetry to include contemporary work translated from seven major languages (Urdu,
Bolachi, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Pashto, Seraiki, and Sindhi):
Saturday, April 30, 4:00pm
Asia Society, 725 Park Ave., New York City
Modern Poetry of Pakistan
Pakistani poets Fahimida Riaz and Hasina Gul join Waqas Khwaja, translation editor of the anthology, for a discussion of Pakistani poetry, including the challenges and pleasures of translating. Fahmida Riaz and Hasina Gul will also read from their poetry.
Click here for more details
May 3, 2011, 7:00pm
United Way of Greater Houston
50 Waugh Drive, Houston, TX
Modern Poetry of Pakistan event in Houston. Poetry reading and discussion--Fehmida Riaz, Hasina Gul, and Waqas Khwaja, and other Asia Society Events
Click here for more details
Contact Information:
Website: click here
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About the Editors
Iftikhar Arif is an Urdu poet and scholar. He is currently the Chairman of Pakistan’s National Language Authority and has received the Presidential Pride of Performance award. His poetry has been translated into several languages, including English in the collection Written in a Season of Fear.
Waqas Khwaja is an Associate Professor of English at Agnes Scott College. He has published three collections of poetry, a travelogue, and has edited several anthologies of Pakistani literature.
Book launch
There are two upcoming events launching Modern Poetry of Pakistan, the first anthology of Pakistani poetry to include contemporary work translated from seven major languages (Urdu,
Bolachi, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Pashto, Seraiki, and Sindhi):
Saturday, April 30, 4:00pm
Asia Society, 725 Park Ave., New York City
Modern Poetry of Pakistan
Pakistani poets Fahimida Riaz and Hasina Gul join Waqas Khwaja, translation editor of the anthology, for a discussion of Pakistani poetry, including the challenges and pleasures of translating. Fahmida Riaz and Hasina Gul will also read from their poetry.
Click here for more details
May 3, 2011, 7:00pm
United Way of Greater Houston
50 Waugh Drive, Houston, TX
Modern Poetry of Pakistan event in Houston. Poetry reading and discussion--Fehmida Riaz, Hasina Gul, and Waqas Khwaja, and other Asia Society Events
Click here for more details
Contact Information:
Website: click here
21 April 2011
New Book - America in An Arab Mirror: Images of America in Arabic Travel Literature, 1668 to 9/11 and Beyond
This distinguished anthology presents for the first time in English travel accounts by Arab writers who have visited America between 1668 and 2009. The view of America which emerges from these accounts is at once fascinating and illuminating, but never monolithic. The writers hail from a variety of viewpoints, regions, and backgrounds, so their descriptions of America differently engage and revise Arab pre-conceptions of Americans and the West. The country figures as everything from the unchanging Other, the very antithesis of the Arab self, to the seductive female, to the Other who is both praiseworthy and reprehensible.
About the Authors/ Editors
Kamal Abdel-Malek is a Professor of Arabic Literature at the American University of Dubai.
Mouna El Kahla, a specialist in language pedagogy, is the coordinator of the Arabic program at the Australian University of Wollongong, the Dubai branch.
Contact Information:
Website: click here
Read more
About the Authors/ Editors
Kamal Abdel-Malek is a Professor of Arabic Literature at the American University of Dubai.
Mouna El Kahla, a specialist in language pedagogy, is the coordinator of the Arabic program at the Australian University of Wollongong, the Dubai branch.
Contact Information:
Website: click here
09 April 2011
New Book: Legally, Lovingly Yours by Abhishek Bose
Love-hate-jealousy-admiration-amity-animosity-friendship-enmity—for people in general may be only words, but for eighteen-year old Abhishek Banerjee these words turned out to be life-changing experiences over the next five years.
He harboured dreams of studying in a good college, to make new friends there, to have a girl by his side as his girlfriend, and above all, to carve out a niche for himself and leave his mark. He started realising his dreams when he got selected to study in Animus Law School, one of the premier private law schools of the country. But, on the very first day he realised that Lady Luck was not on his side.
Could he make new friends as he had yearned for? Did he meet and get the girl he dreamt of? Was he able to make his mark? If no, then why not? If yes, then how?
Blessed with a nature endowed with patience, helpful attitude, desire for friendship, a never-say-die spirit and a never-give-in attitude, Abhishek embarks on a five-year long journey through college and on the way faces all kinds of experiences, both good and bad.
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He harboured dreams of studying in a good college, to make new friends there, to have a girl by his side as his girlfriend, and above all, to carve out a niche for himself and leave his mark. He started realising his dreams when he got selected to study in Animus Law School, one of the premier private law schools of the country. But, on the very first day he realised that Lady Luck was not on his side.
Could he make new friends as he had yearned for? Did he meet and get the girl he dreamt of? Was he able to make his mark? If no, then why not? If yes, then how?
Blessed with a nature endowed with patience, helpful attitude, desire for friendship, a never-say-die spirit and a never-give-in attitude, Abhishek embarks on a five-year long journey through college and on the way faces all kinds of experiences, both good and bad.
23 March 2011
Sensible Sensuality: a Collection of Essays by Dr. Sarojini Sahoo
Sensible Sensuality is a collection of essays by renowned Indian Feminist writer Sarojini Sahoo. Published in 2010, the book contents author’s view on feminism. Sahoo is a key figure and trendsetter of feminism in contemporary Indian literature. She has been enlisted among 25 exceptional women of India by ‘Kindle’ English magazine of Kolkata. For her, feminism is not a "gender problem" or confrontational attack on male hegemony and, as such, differs from the feminist views of Virginia Woolf or Judith Butler.
Feminism has often been misunderstood as a bunch of stereotyped hysterical man-hating fanatics who seek power and control rather than true equality. But to the author, ‘feminism’ is not just a movement for the liberation of women, but rather a broad social movement striving for the equality of each individual worldwide. Feminism should emphasise the importance of such values as cooperation, tolerance, nurturance, and the freedom for each person to achieve her or his full potential.
The author thinks feminism should not act in opposition to men as individuals. To her, feminism is against oppressive and outdated social structures which forces both men and women into positions which are false and antagonistic. Thus, everyone has an important role to play in the feminist movement. It seems ironic that feminism has been characterized as anti-male, when in fact, it seeks to liberate men from the macho stereotypic roles men often have to endure such as the need to suppress feelings, act aggressively, and be deprived of contact with children. I think we should emphasize our femininity rather to impose the so-called stereotyped feministic attitude of the second wave.
Redefining femininity with Eastern perspective, Sensible Sensuality explores why sexuality plays a major role in our understanding of Eastern feminism. As an Indian feminist, many of Dr. Sarojini Sahoo’s writings deal candidly with female sexuality, the emotional lives of women, and the intricate fabric of human relationships, depicting extensively about the interior experiences of women and how their burgeoning sexuality is seen as a threat to traditional patriarchal societies; this book is rare of its kind and has covered the topics that never be discussed so far in any Indian discourse. Her debatable concept on feminism, her denial of Simone De Beauvoir’s ‘the other theory’, make her prominent feminist personality of South Asia and for which KINDLE Magazine of India has placed her among 25 exceptional mindset women of India.
Dr. SAROJINI SAHOO is a distinguished bilingual South Asian feminist writer, and an associate editor of a feature-oriented English journal Indian AGE. She has been listed among 25 Exceptional Women of India by Kindle English magazine of Kolkata and has been conferred with the Orissa Sahitya Academy Award 1993, the Jhankar Award in 1992, the Bhubaneswar Book Fair Award and the Prajatantra Award. She is also in the advisory board of Indian Journal of Post Colonial Literature, published from the English Department of Newman College, Thodupuzah, Kerala. One essay collection, one novel and two anthologies of short stories in English have been published to her credit so far. Bengali translation of two of her novels have been published from Bangladesh and in Oriya, there are eight short stories collections and eight novels in published form to her credit. She is also a known blogger for her ideas in feminism and has gained worldwide fame. Her Blogs are SENSE & SENSUALITY, FEMININE-FRAGRANCE and INDIA.
Online Bookstore for international shipping: http://bit.ly/elQXIp
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Feminism has often been misunderstood as a bunch of stereotyped hysterical man-hating fanatics who seek power and control rather than true equality. But to the author, ‘feminism’ is not just a movement for the liberation of women, but rather a broad social movement striving for the equality of each individual worldwide. Feminism should emphasise the importance of such values as cooperation, tolerance, nurturance, and the freedom for each person to achieve her or his full potential.
The author thinks feminism should not act in opposition to men as individuals. To her, feminism is against oppressive and outdated social structures which forces both men and women into positions which are false and antagonistic. Thus, everyone has an important role to play in the feminist movement. It seems ironic that feminism has been characterized as anti-male, when in fact, it seeks to liberate men from the macho stereotypic roles men often have to endure such as the need to suppress feelings, act aggressively, and be deprived of contact with children. I think we should emphasize our femininity rather to impose the so-called stereotyped feministic attitude of the second wave.
Redefining femininity with Eastern perspective, Sensible Sensuality explores why sexuality plays a major role in our understanding of Eastern feminism. As an Indian feminist, many of Dr. Sarojini Sahoo’s writings deal candidly with female sexuality, the emotional lives of women, and the intricate fabric of human relationships, depicting extensively about the interior experiences of women and how their burgeoning sexuality is seen as a threat to traditional patriarchal societies; this book is rare of its kind and has covered the topics that never be discussed so far in any Indian discourse. Her debatable concept on feminism, her denial of Simone De Beauvoir’s ‘the other theory’, make her prominent feminist personality of South Asia and for which KINDLE Magazine of India has placed her among 25 exceptional mindset women of India.
Dr. SAROJINI SAHOO is a distinguished bilingual South Asian feminist writer, and an associate editor of a feature-oriented English journal Indian AGE. She has been listed among 25 Exceptional Women of India by Kindle English magazine of Kolkata and has been conferred with the Orissa Sahitya Academy Award 1993, the Jhankar Award in 1992, the Bhubaneswar Book Fair Award and the Prajatantra Award. She is also in the advisory board of Indian Journal of Post Colonial Literature, published from the English Department of Newman College, Thodupuzah, Kerala. One essay collection, one novel and two anthologies of short stories in English have been published to her credit so far. Bengali translation of two of her novels have been published from Bangladesh and in Oriya, there are eight short stories collections and eight novels in published form to her credit. She is also a known blogger for her ideas in feminism and has gained worldwide fame. Her Blogs are SENSE & SENSUALITY, FEMININE-FRAGRANCE and INDIA.
Online Bookstore for international shipping: http://bit.ly/elQXIp
21 March 2011
New Book - Gathering the Tide: An Anthology of Contemporary Arabian Gulf Poetry
Gathering the Tide: An Anthology of Contemporary Arabian Gulf Poetry brings readers into the rich and vibrant world of the Arabian Gulf, offering an understanding of the people and culture of the region through poetry. A handful of anthologies represent the Middle East in general, or individual Middle Eastern countries; however, this is the first collection that presents poets from across the Arabian Gulf. The Arabian Gulf has a distinct and deeply rooted tradition of poetry and a thriving contemporary literary community.
This anthology offers an exciting collection of poems by poets from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Gathering the Tide makes available to English-language readers the important literary work being undertaken by the poets of the Arabian Gulf. The anthology includes poetry from established and rising poets in the region and encompasses a wide range of poems and poets, from the work of Laala Kashef Alghata, a nineteen-year-old poet from Bahrain, to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Emir of Dubai.
While several of the poets composed their poems in English, most of the poems were translated from Arabic to English by an exceptional team of accomplished translators. The Gulf has attracted global attention for its explosive growth, and the poets within contemplate every-thing from souks to shopping malls, to love, loss, and solitude, to war, peace and beyond.
More information here.
Read more
This anthology offers an exciting collection of poems by poets from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Gathering the Tide makes available to English-language readers the important literary work being undertaken by the poets of the Arabian Gulf. The anthology includes poetry from established and rising poets in the region and encompasses a wide range of poems and poets, from the work of Laala Kashef Alghata, a nineteen-year-old poet from Bahrain, to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Emir of Dubai.
While several of the poets composed their poems in English, most of the poems were translated from Arabic to English by an exceptional team of accomplished translators. The Gulf has attracted global attention for its explosive growth, and the poets within contemplate every-thing from souks to shopping malls, to love, loss, and solitude, to war, peace and beyond.
More information here.
17 March 2011
ADACH Poetry Academy publishes “Al Nahyan Poets” collection
The Poetry Academy of the Abu Dhabi Authority of Culture and Heritage published the “Al Nahyan Poets” collection edited and realised by the researcher Sultan Al Amimi.
The collection is the first work that includes poetic works of 16 poets from Al Nahyan Family during three centuries (from the 18th to the 20th century).
ADACH noted in the preface of the 356-page book that poetry had accompanied Al Nahyan rulers since their rise in the socio-political arena in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the region.
These poems, which were gathered and kept for the members of the family whose rule of Abu Dhabi dates back to more than five centuries, do not carry an image of lavishness, but rather a participating social and literary image of a literary genre that was an important part of the local identity and the region’s culture and history. The poems were also a reflection of humble humankind through a civilised poetic language and innovative artistic pictures.
This important poetic experience of Al Nahyan poets was a phenomenon worthy of studying and contemplation. It records the oldest of 'Al Wanna' poetry that we could get. This poetry, which characterised the UAE society, dates back to late Sheikh Dhiab bin Issa Al Nahyan from the 18th century. The poetic experience also records the oldest of “Taghrouda” poetry, dating back to late Sheikh Sultan bin Shakhbout Al Nahyan from the first half of the 19th century.
This poetic experience provides us a model of the human and literary side of members of this ruling family through their exercise of a literary genre practiced by the people and communicated with it through in their daily lives. They organized various uses of poetry like wisdom, advice, policy, courtship and passion.
Poetic contests took place among them, showing the extent of interblending between the rulers and community members. They knew very well that poetry had a huge impact on communicating with all groups and was a means to explain many social, humanitarian and political situations, which we can call political poetry. Thus they were practicing politics through poetry. An important sample figures among poems of Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan and the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God bless his soul.
The poetic collection includes poems of Sheikh Dhiab bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhboot Al Nahyan; Sheikh Sultan bin Shakhboot Al Nahyan; Sheikh Issa bin Khalid Al Nahyan; Sheikh Ibin Issa bin Khalid Al Nahyan; Sheikh Khalid bin Issa bin Khalid Al Nahyan; Sheikh Hilal bin Issa Al Nahyan; Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoun bin Shakhboot Al Nahyan; Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa bin Shakhboot known as Sheikh Zayed the First; Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan; Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan; Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan; Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan; Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan; Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the ruler’s Representative and General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces.
The collection contains 132 poems with an explanation of their vocabulary. It also includes some of the poets’ poems that were published for the first time and a broad overview of the biography of every poet.
Read more
The collection is the first work that includes poetic works of 16 poets from Al Nahyan Family during three centuries (from the 18th to the 20th century).
ADACH noted in the preface of the 356-page book that poetry had accompanied Al Nahyan rulers since their rise in the socio-political arena in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the region.
These poems, which were gathered and kept for the members of the family whose rule of Abu Dhabi dates back to more than five centuries, do not carry an image of lavishness, but rather a participating social and literary image of a literary genre that was an important part of the local identity and the region’s culture and history. The poems were also a reflection of humble humankind through a civilised poetic language and innovative artistic pictures.
This important poetic experience of Al Nahyan poets was a phenomenon worthy of studying and contemplation. It records the oldest of 'Al Wanna' poetry that we could get. This poetry, which characterised the UAE society, dates back to late Sheikh Dhiab bin Issa Al Nahyan from the 18th century. The poetic experience also records the oldest of “Taghrouda” poetry, dating back to late Sheikh Sultan bin Shakhbout Al Nahyan from the first half of the 19th century.
This poetic experience provides us a model of the human and literary side of members of this ruling family through their exercise of a literary genre practiced by the people and communicated with it through in their daily lives. They organized various uses of poetry like wisdom, advice, policy, courtship and passion.
Poetic contests took place among them, showing the extent of interblending between the rulers and community members. They knew very well that poetry had a huge impact on communicating with all groups and was a means to explain many social, humanitarian and political situations, which we can call political poetry. Thus they were practicing politics through poetry. An important sample figures among poems of Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan and the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God bless his soul.
The poetic collection includes poems of Sheikh Dhiab bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhboot Al Nahyan; Sheikh Sultan bin Shakhboot Al Nahyan; Sheikh Issa bin Khalid Al Nahyan; Sheikh Ibin Issa bin Khalid Al Nahyan; Sheikh Khalid bin Issa bin Khalid Al Nahyan; Sheikh Hilal bin Issa Al Nahyan; Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoun bin Shakhboot Al Nahyan; Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa bin Shakhboot known as Sheikh Zayed the First; Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan; Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan; Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan; Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan; Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan; Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the ruler’s Representative and General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces.
The collection contains 132 poems with an explanation of their vocabulary. It also includes some of the poets’ poems that were published for the first time and a broad overview of the biography of every poet.
New Book - Readings from Readings: New Malaysian Writing
An Indonesian man is swept out to sea by the tsunami and encounters a floating tree filled with naked girls; a cat is successful in his application to become head of a government department; and a senior demon writes a progress report for his master on the state of the country. Elsewhere, characters struggle to make sense of mysterious events: a hungry student finds a clutch of eggs left on the doorstep; a child received paintings of herself on her birthday each year from an absent father; an elderly uncle claims the moon-shaped scars on his ear lobes are of supernatural provenance. There are pieces here about longing and loss, guilt and betrayal, and the struggle to stay afloat in difficult relationships. And of course about how it feels to return home.
Bernice Chauly and Sharon Bakar select the best poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction submitted by Malaysian, Singaporean and expatriate writers who have read their work at their live literary event, Readings, and demonstrate the sheer variety and range of voices that characterize the local writing scene. You will find works from both established poets and authors, and from promising new writers making their debut. If ever evidence were needed that the local writing community is thriving -- this is it.
Readings from Readings celebrates Kuala Lumpur's longest-running live literature event. Founded in 2005 by Bernice Chauly, Readings provides a regular place in which local writers and readers can connect in an informal atmosphere.
About the Editors
BERNICE CHAULY is a writer, poet, photographer, filmmaker and lecturer. She has published two collections of poems, going there and coming back (1997), The Book of Sins (2008) and a collection of short stories, Lost in KL (2008). She studied TESL and English Literature in Winnipeg, Canada and has worked extensively in the arts in KL for the past twenty years. An ex-journalist, radio correspondent, food writer and publisher, she has also written, acted and directed for the stage and screen. Her upcoming book Growing Up With Ghosts is a fictive memoir in five voices, based on her Punjabi/Chinese family's history and stories. Her work has been published in regional and international anthologies and she has performed in festivals in the Dutch Antilles, Suriname, South Africa, Indonesia, India and Hong Kong. She lives in KL with her two daughters.
SHARON BAKAR is a freelance writer and teacher-trainer based in Kuala Lumpur. Her work has appeared in a number of Malaysian publications including The Star, Off the Edge, Kosmo,Men's Review, Quill and Chrome magazine. She has taught creative writing in partnership with the British Council, and now runs her courses at Learning Works in Bandar Utama. She organises Readings, a monthly event for local writers, at Seksan Gallery in Bangsar. Sharon blogs as Bibliobibuli (thebookaholic.blogspot.com) focusing mainly on writing and publishing in Malaysia.
More information here.
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Bernice Chauly and Sharon Bakar select the best poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction submitted by Malaysian, Singaporean and expatriate writers who have read their work at their live literary event, Readings, and demonstrate the sheer variety and range of voices that characterize the local writing scene. You will find works from both established poets and authors, and from promising new writers making their debut. If ever evidence were needed that the local writing community is thriving -- this is it.
Readings from Readings celebrates Kuala Lumpur's longest-running live literature event. Founded in 2005 by Bernice Chauly, Readings provides a regular place in which local writers and readers can connect in an informal atmosphere.
About the Editors
BERNICE CHAULY is a writer, poet, photographer, filmmaker and lecturer. She has published two collections of poems, going there and coming back (1997), The Book of Sins (2008) and a collection of short stories, Lost in KL (2008). She studied TESL and English Literature in Winnipeg, Canada and has worked extensively in the arts in KL for the past twenty years. An ex-journalist, radio correspondent, food writer and publisher, she has also written, acted and directed for the stage and screen. Her upcoming book Growing Up With Ghosts is a fictive memoir in five voices, based on her Punjabi/Chinese family's history and stories. Her work has been published in regional and international anthologies and she has performed in festivals in the Dutch Antilles, Suriname, South Africa, Indonesia, India and Hong Kong. She lives in KL with her two daughters.
SHARON BAKAR is a freelance writer and teacher-trainer based in Kuala Lumpur. Her work has appeared in a number of Malaysian publications including The Star, Off the Edge, Kosmo,Men's Review, Quill and Chrome magazine. She has taught creative writing in partnership with the British Council, and now runs her courses at Learning Works in Bandar Utama. She organises Readings, a monthly event for local writers, at Seksan Gallery in Bangsar. Sharon blogs as Bibliobibuli (thebookaholic.blogspot.com) focusing mainly on writing and publishing in Malaysia.
More information here.
04 March 2011
Ani 36 Anthology: Disaster and Survival to be Launched on April 1st
Date: 1 April 2011
The first decade of the 21st century brought record-breaking disasters such as typhoons, floods and landslides that tested the resiliency, resourcefulness and spiritual strength of the Filipinos and changed the history of the nation. This year’s best literary works reflective of the lessons learned from such events have been put together in ANI 36.
Contributors to this year's issue are: Angelo B. Ancheta, Rebecca T. Añonuevo, Mark Joseph Z. Arisgado, Edgar Bacong, Miguel Balboa D’Mendoza, Abdon M. Balde, Jr., Gil S. Beltran, Herminio S. Beltran, Jr., Catherine Candano, Ainn Frances dela Cruz, Jun dela Rosa, China Pearl Patria M. de Vera, Raul Esquillo Asis, Luis P. Gatmaitan, Genaro R. Gojo Cruz, Joscephine Gomez, Nestor Librano Lucena, Elyrah Loyola Salanga, Scott Mágkachi Sabóy, Perry C. Mangilaya, Shur C. Mangilaya, Francisco Arias Monteseña, Wilhelmina S. Orozco, Will P. Ortiz, Melba Padilla Maggay, Jasmine Nikki C. Paredes, Chuckberry J. Pascual, Ferdinand Pisigan Jarin, Ian Rosales Casocot, E. San Juan, Jr., Priscilla Supnet Macansantos, Ariel S. Tabag, Christian Tablazon, Vincent Lester G. Tan, Ludwig Jan Tauro Batuigas, John Iremil E. Teodoro, Enrico C. Torralba, Santiago Villafania, Ernesto V. Carandang II, and Bernadette Villanueva Neri.
CCP has scheduled a launch date of April 1, 2011. Details to follow.
More information here.
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The first decade of the 21st century brought record-breaking disasters such as typhoons, floods and landslides that tested the resiliency, resourcefulness and spiritual strength of the Filipinos and changed the history of the nation. This year’s best literary works reflective of the lessons learned from such events have been put together in ANI 36.
Contributors to this year's issue are: Angelo B. Ancheta, Rebecca T. Añonuevo, Mark Joseph Z. Arisgado, Edgar Bacong, Miguel Balboa D’Mendoza, Abdon M. Balde, Jr., Gil S. Beltran, Herminio S. Beltran, Jr., Catherine Candano, Ainn Frances dela Cruz, Jun dela Rosa, China Pearl Patria M. de Vera, Raul Esquillo Asis, Luis P. Gatmaitan, Genaro R. Gojo Cruz, Joscephine Gomez, Nestor Librano Lucena, Elyrah Loyola Salanga, Scott Mágkachi Sabóy, Perry C. Mangilaya, Shur C. Mangilaya, Francisco Arias Monteseña, Wilhelmina S. Orozco, Will P. Ortiz, Melba Padilla Maggay, Jasmine Nikki C. Paredes, Chuckberry J. Pascual, Ferdinand Pisigan Jarin, Ian Rosales Casocot, E. San Juan, Jr., Priscilla Supnet Macansantos, Ariel S. Tabag, Christian Tablazon, Vincent Lester G. Tan, Ludwig Jan Tauro Batuigas, John Iremil E. Teodoro, Enrico C. Torralba, Santiago Villafania, Ernesto V. Carandang II, and Bernadette Villanueva Neri.
CCP has scheduled a launch date of April 1, 2011. Details to follow.
More information here.
Coming this March: The Kritika Kultura Anthology of New Philippine Writing in English
Date: March 2011
The Philippine literary community has a relatively longstanding tradition of releasing anthologies focusing on young writers. However, it can be gleaned that the notion of the “new” remains unarticulated, as recent anthologies simply focus on the “young,” and what becomes apparent is the persistent maintenance of an aesthetics solidified in various creative writing institutions and workshops, a notion that is rapidly rendered inaccurate by a healthy production of writing that these anthologies do not include.
What this issue of Kritika Kultura intends to accomplish is to represent the kind of writing that is rarely published, the kind that is not often legitimized by mainstream publications. The kind of writing that we can confidently call “new.”
New, in this case, as the word that most succinctly describes literary texts that are mindful of—by way of formal response/appropriation and/or thematic confrontation—several cultural phenomena such as the preponderance of piracy, the simultaneous/schizophrenic sociopolitical conditions of the nation, the “new” government that includes so many of the old names, the highly provisional stances in criticism pertaining to society and art, the currency and increasing value of topicality and ephemera (as evidenced by BPOs, SEOs, and Facebook), the persistent dominance of celebrity culture, and the gossip paradigm of discourse. The anthology welcomes contributions that transgress genre boundaries, revise traditional modes and forms, formally engage with the largely oral, nontextual/extratextual literary practices of the Filipino audience, and display a technical alertness to the quandaries presented by blog-driven writing, Facebook fiction, protest poetry, the malleability of languages, the hegemony of academic publishing in “legitimate” literature, the dominion of western literary models, and, in light of these, the strategic and arguably fictionalizing construction of Filipino identity.
Edited by Mark Anthony Cayanan, Conchitina Cruz, and Adam David, Kritika Kultura will feature new work by: Arbeen Acuña, Liana Barcia, Maria Pia V. Benosa, Lawrence Bernabe, Mae Cacanindin, Catherine Candano, Joseph Casimiro, Marrian Pio Roda Ching, Jose V. Clutario, Isabela Cuerva, Paul S. de Guzman, Jun De La Rosa, Dana Lee F. Delgado, Daryll Delgado, Arlynn Despi, Katrina C. Elauria, Francis Murillo Emralino, Rey Escobar, Apo Española, EJ C. Galang, J. Pilapil Jacobo, Florianne Jimenez, Phillip Kimpo Jr., Pauline Lacanilao, Christine V. Lao, Isabelle Lau, Petra Magno, Johnina Martha Marfa, John Revo Ocampo, Anna Oposa, Zosimo Quibilan, Jr., Carlos Quijon, Jr., Eris Ramos, Ramon Niño T. Raquid, Kristine Reynaldo, Agustin Martin G. Rodriguez, Sandra Nicole Roldan, Chiles Samaniego, Katrina Stuart Santiago, Oscar Tantoco Serquiña, Jr., Vincenz Serrano, Christian Tablazon, Alyza Taguilaso, Rapunzel Tomacder, Eileen F. Tupaz, Vyxz Vasquez, and Eliza Victoria.
More information here.
Read more
The Philippine literary community has a relatively longstanding tradition of releasing anthologies focusing on young writers. However, it can be gleaned that the notion of the “new” remains unarticulated, as recent anthologies simply focus on the “young,” and what becomes apparent is the persistent maintenance of an aesthetics solidified in various creative writing institutions and workshops, a notion that is rapidly rendered inaccurate by a healthy production of writing that these anthologies do not include.
What this issue of Kritika Kultura intends to accomplish is to represent the kind of writing that is rarely published, the kind that is not often legitimized by mainstream publications. The kind of writing that we can confidently call “new.”
New, in this case, as the word that most succinctly describes literary texts that are mindful of—by way of formal response/appropriation and/or thematic confrontation—several cultural phenomena such as the preponderance of piracy, the simultaneous/schizophrenic sociopolitical conditions of the nation, the “new” government that includes so many of the old names, the highly provisional stances in criticism pertaining to society and art, the currency and increasing value of topicality and ephemera (as evidenced by BPOs, SEOs, and Facebook), the persistent dominance of celebrity culture, and the gossip paradigm of discourse. The anthology welcomes contributions that transgress genre boundaries, revise traditional modes and forms, formally engage with the largely oral, nontextual/extratextual literary practices of the Filipino audience, and display a technical alertness to the quandaries presented by blog-driven writing, Facebook fiction, protest poetry, the malleability of languages, the hegemony of academic publishing in “legitimate” literature, the dominion of western literary models, and, in light of these, the strategic and arguably fictionalizing construction of Filipino identity.
Edited by Mark Anthony Cayanan, Conchitina Cruz, and Adam David, Kritika Kultura will feature new work by: Arbeen Acuña, Liana Barcia, Maria Pia V. Benosa, Lawrence Bernabe, Mae Cacanindin, Catherine Candano, Joseph Casimiro, Marrian Pio Roda Ching, Jose V. Clutario, Isabela Cuerva, Paul S. de Guzman, Jun De La Rosa, Dana Lee F. Delgado, Daryll Delgado, Arlynn Despi, Katrina C. Elauria, Francis Murillo Emralino, Rey Escobar, Apo Española, EJ C. Galang, J. Pilapil Jacobo, Florianne Jimenez, Phillip Kimpo Jr., Pauline Lacanilao, Christine V. Lao, Isabelle Lau, Petra Magno, Johnina Martha Marfa, John Revo Ocampo, Anna Oposa, Zosimo Quibilan, Jr., Carlos Quijon, Jr., Eris Ramos, Ramon Niño T. Raquid, Kristine Reynaldo, Agustin Martin G. Rodriguez, Sandra Nicole Roldan, Chiles Samaniego, Katrina Stuart Santiago, Oscar Tantoco Serquiña, Jr., Vincenz Serrano, Christian Tablazon, Alyza Taguilaso, Rapunzel Tomacder, Eileen F. Tupaz, Vyxz Vasquez, and Eliza Victoria.
More information here.
27 February 2011
New Book: An Poon kan Pili, the First Anthology of the Balaog Children's Book Series (Philippines
Launch Date: 8 March 2011
The first anthology of the Balaog Children's Book Series will be launched on March 8, 2011, at 430 PM, Arrupe Convention Center, Ateneo de Naga University. The book contains three stories for children written by H. Francisco V. Penones Jr., Christine Bellen and Kristian S. Cordero. Illustrations by Jeremeel Lu. Book Design by Vic Nierva, Imbitado an gabos.
More information here.
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The first anthology of the Balaog Children's Book Series will be launched on March 8, 2011, at 430 PM, Arrupe Convention Center, Ateneo de Naga University. The book contains three stories for children written by H. Francisco V. Penones Jr., Christine Bellen and Kristian S. Cordero. Illustrations by Jeremeel Lu. Book Design by Vic Nierva, Imbitado an gabos.
More information here.
Ranked: 500 highest-paying publications for freelance writers
The Freelance 500 Report (2015 Edition, 138 pages) profiles the highest-paying markets, ranked to help you decide which publication to query first. The info and links in this report are current. Details here.
