Avianti Armand: Dark sides of the human | The Jakarta Post

“Avianti Armand is not a typical poetess. She is also an award-winning short story writer and an accomplished architect. She is best for her affinity to dark tales, which is shown in her collection of poems, Perempuan Yang Dihapus Namanya (Women Whose Names Have Been Negated),…” Read more…

Royal Call To Take Brunei Literature To Global Level

Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei Darussalam can be recognised as a country that has its own unique literary heritage and contribute to the development of regional literature through the active and continuous involvement of ASTERAWANI in the field of language and literature.

Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Masna, the Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said this in a sabda yesterday …  Read more…

Be proactive, Islamic literature writers told | rumpunsuara

BRUNEI-MUARA Monday, July 9, 2012. WRITERS of Islamic Literature should not wait for the competition events to drive them to write but instead should be sincere and original in the literary endeavour at any time. Read more…

Double bill brings S'pore literature to life - AsiaOne

“Author O Thiam Chin is not worried about an upcoming adaptation of two of his short stories, The Yellow Elephant and The Girl Who Swallowed The Sun.

“The beauty of adaptation stems from the knowledge that your story is alive and pliable, and can be transformed according to the vision and perspectives of another person,” the 34-year-old told my paper in a recent interview.

The two stories will be blended together and performed as a play at this year's Utter: A Double Bill, a Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) project.”

Read more…

Alfian Sa'at’s “Cooling Off Day” « Literature in English at School of the Arts, Singapore »

“It showcases some issues that affects the Singapore identity currently, and ideas and sentiments that may impact them directly. 39 students and 3 teachers from the Literature Department attended this performance.” Read more…

Marjorie Evasco joins the Olympics of poetry - Philippine Star

“…I would like to impress upon the audience that Philippine literature has a rich and varied poetry tradition, ranging from the living oral poetry tradition in the ethnic communities, to the contemporary tradition of writing poetry in the major languages of the archipelago, including English.” Read more…

“Forever Witches” by Estrella D. Alfon | simple clockwork | Readings in Philippine Literature: Drama # 1

Mel U of The Reading Life and I did a post on her short fiction for our Readings in Philippine Literature: Short Story project not so long ago, and I was amazed to discover how far advanced and talented Alfon was during her time. Read more…

UP DECL celebrates centennial of Leopoldo Yabes

In commemoration of the centennial of the great scholar and pioneer in Philippine literary and cultural research, and in celebration of Leopoldo Y. Yabes's rich cultural studies and comparative literary legacy, his home department, the Department of English and Comparative Literature is conducting a performance-conference on the different Philippine regional and cultural traditions at Pulungang Recto of the UP Conference Hall on July 30, 2012, from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. Read more…

Edel Garcellano set to launch new book, Vanishing History & Other Poems

Teacher, critic, and scholar Edel Garcellano is set to launch his new book, Vanishing History & Other Poems, at the Bulwagang Rizal, UP Diliman, on July 12, 4 to 6 p.m. Published by the UP Press, the book is a collection of over 300 pages of Garcellano's particular brand of poetry and wisdom. Read more…

A view of the sea, with Filipino poet Edith Tiempo…

She and her husband, Edilberto Tiempo, had been working famously together as a literary team, a force to be reckoned with. Many young people loved literature through them. I could not imagine Philippine literature in ... Read more…

Sukhothai literature will be used to make Asean better understand Thai culture | Thai Financial Post

Thailand will use the 667-year-old Trai Bhum Phra Ruang religious literature as the medium to tell people in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) about Thai ways of life, faith and identities.

Khunying Kullasap Ketmankit, chairperson of the national literature committee, said that the decision is in response to the ASEAN Literary Works Project which calls on the 10 member countries to select respective literatures that best describe their culture.

Marjorie Evasco joins world's elite at Poetry Parnassus 2012

“In Greek mythology, Mount Parnassus was the abode of Orpheus and the Muses, a place sacred to the gods Apollo and Dionysus, home to the winged horse Pegasus, and over the centuries it has come to be associated with poetry and literature, music and…”

 «Simon Armitage, poet-in-residence of the Southbank Centre and convenor of the gathering, describes it as “the biggest poetry event ever — a truly global coming together of poets and a monumental epic happening worthy of the spirit and history of the Olympics themselves.­”

A year-long search was launched in 2011 by the Southbank Centre and the British Council to choose one poet from each of more than 200 countries participating in the Olympic Games by means of public nomination (plus thorough background research, I suppose), and behold, one name stood out from among the Philippine nominees — premier poet Dr. Marjorie Evasco of De La Salle University.»

Also on this site: Filipino featured in poetry 'bombing' in London

Filipino Literature: Of Teenage Angst and Childhood Stories

“I've been cheering for Filipino Literature for most of my life. While it was thought to die an inevitable death given the very few young people appreciating it, I insisted on keeping at least one Filipino book on my reading list every month. Luckily, something magical happened in Filipino Literature. To me, it seems more alive now than it was years ago. And so, there’s been an influx of new writers with their own take on Filipino Literature and life in general.” Read more…

Bonjour, Sang Kancil

“A French academic with a passion for Malay literature thinks the comical and clever Sang Kancil deserves to be taken seriously.”

Georges Voisset, 64, is one of only a handful of European academics specialising in Nusantara (the Malay Archipelago) literature,particularly pantun. Read more…

Preserve the art of 'berpantun' to save heritage, youth urged

BRUNEIAN youth should preserve the dying art of berpantun (Malay poem recitation) as it is part of the Malay heritage and culture, participants of the Sayembara Pantun competition said.

Speaking to The Brunei Times yesterday, the participants agreed that pantun, a traditional literary art form presented in a four-line rhyming stanza, is dying because not many young people get into it.

"If we look at the Bruneian teenagers now, its not everyday we see them writing or even presenting poems in their free time," Nurul Atiqah Ghani from Katok Sixth Form College said.

Read more…

Poetry Contest Depicts Brunei Malay Cultural Heritage

To preserve and revive the literature treasure of the country that is invaluable and to remain relevant, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports has called on Language and Literature Bureau to implement research work, survey and observation on Brunei Malay Poetry. Read more…

The Malayan Colleges Laguna (MCL) in Cabuyao recently staged its first ever costume play (cosplay) featuring Filipino characters in a bid to raise awareness and revive the students’ interest in... Read more…

Filipino featured in poetry 'bombing' in London

Filipino featured in poetry 'bombing' in London Philippine Star Filipino poet Marjorie Evasco will represent the Philippines in a poetry "bombing" in London as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Read more...

KAM RASLAN ~ Portrait of a Malaysian Author/Filmmaker/Humorist

« … Now that I’ve finished the book I miss Dato’ Hamid. I imagine that he’s on holiday somewhere in the South of France or tending his orchids but that we’ll meet up again soon. … » Read more…

Rest In Peace, Jeff Tagami (Philippine-American poet)

Tagami, 57, was an instructor of writing, composition and literature at Cabrillo College for 20 years, just recently teaching during the spring semester. Read more…

Sine Panitik: Bringing Philippine Literature to the Light of the Screen

“For cinemas of numerous countries, literature remains to be a rich source of stories and inspirations. In fact, many of those considered great films are adaptations of great literary works. However, in the Philippines, which has a vibrant filmmaking history, its own literature is rarely mined, despite its richness.” Read more

Dirty, subversive and on the curriculum

“SEX.violence.blood.gore, a play with themes of repression and sexual transgression, is about to get its third international production in Melbourne, after seasons in Stockholm and Copenhagen. …

''You can guess from the title that it is about all those things that have been repressed coming back with a vengeance,'' says playwright Alfian bin Sa'at on the phone from Singapore.”

[26 June 2012]

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'My Last Farewell' by Jose Rizal

“English translation Filipino National Hero Jose Rizal's last poem, written in Spanish. Known popularly as Mi Ultimo Adios in the Philippines. Tagalog is Ang Aking Huling Paalam.”

My Last Farewell

Farewell, dear Fatherland, clime of the sun caress'd,
Pearl of the Orient seas, our Eden lost!
Gladly now I go to give thee this faded life's best,
And were it brighter, fresher, or more blest,
Still would I give it thee, nor count the cost.

Read more

Village boy tells all on Malayan Emergency

“Poet Wong Yoon Wah, who grew up during the Malayan Emergency, was not able to talk about his life story until recently.” Read more

Writers group forms executive committee

The formation of the Myanmar Writers Association (MWA) came one step closer to reality when an organisational meeting was held in Yangon on June 16, at which votes were cast to select executive committee members, including a chair and secretary.    Read more

Cleveland Arts Prize: Loung Ung / literature | Khmerization

“Over the years, her writings led to a trilogy about her experiences in Cambodia and the United States that has garnered wide acclaim. For her achievement, Ung is winner of the Mid-Career Award in literature…”  Read more

Tony Espejo, 1948-2012: ‘We are all diamonds in the rough’

“The Natatanging Gawad Buhay! paid tribute to that trailblazing work with these words: “Tony Espejo is one of the pioneers of theater-in-education through his mainstreaming of the Four Classics of Philippine Literature…”” Read more

simple clockwork: [Readings in Philippine Literature # 5] Children of the Ash-Covered Loam

Short Reading of N. V. M. Gonzales' Children of the Ash-Covered Loam. Read more

(Picture above: “The kaingin system in the Philippines, the result of which is aptly described by Filipino writer N. V. M. Gonzales as "ash-covered loam" (source: www.imagesphilippines.com)”)

On good author-ity

“Some of this year’s nominees for the Popular-The Star Readers’ Choice Awards share the ups and downs of their publishing journeys.”

Picture: Awang Goneng

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Reigniting the Thomasian literary flame - Inquirer.net (blog)

Reigniting the Thomasian literary flame — Inquirer.net (blog) — Philippine Daily Inquirer | “When I was an undergraduate literature student, we had only one Creative Writing class the entire four years of our stay at the University of Santo Tomas.” Read more

Tiny Singapore Makes Big Push Into Kid’s Lit, Bookselling

Sarah Odedina of the UK's Hot Key Books surveys the children's publishing and bookselling scene in Singapore and finds a robust, burgeoning marketplace. Read more

21 June 2012: There are some answers now. - singzeon.

“Why is local literature in such a sad state? It is true that other countries have a larger trove of literature since they were independent earlier, but I believe that Singapore's literature can be equally fantastic.”

(Picture above: “My bookshelf has a few additions recently”)

Read more

Bangkok stash: chasing the literary dragon in Thailand

“Even in Chiang Mai, Thailand's cultural capital, which is Lonely Planet famous for having more second-hand bookshops than pubs, my search for Thai literature in English translation seemed hopeless. I'm here on an Asialink…” Read more

TOC: Philippine Speculative Fiction, Volumes 3 & 4

“The Philippine Speculative Fiction series are anthologies that showcase the rich variety of Philippine literature: between these covers you will find magic realism next to science fiction, traditional fantasy beside slipstream, and…” Read more

Women Authors and Fragrant Literature

“I read that the fragrant literature movement began after the New Order downfall. It was actually the third generation of Indonesian Literature, after revival period (1900-1945), revolution period (1945-1965), establishment…” Read more

Singapore Pioneer Poets: The Best of Robert Yeo

“Regarded as a pioneer of Singapore literature, he was honoured with the prestigious South East Asian Writers Award in 2011 for literary excellence in the ASEAN region. Featuring over 100 poems personally selected by Yeo, including some…” Read more

Singapore Pioneer Poets: The Best of Kirpal Singh

“This book is part of the Singapore Pioneer Poets Series. A showcase of the best works by local literary giants, the Singapore Pioneer Poets Series is a must-have collection for all Singapore literature fans, old and new.” Read more

Singapore Pioneer Poets: The Best of Edwin Thumboo

“Including his most prominent poem, Ulysses by the Merlion, this collection of over 150 poems personally selected by Thumboo celebrates the landmark contribution he has made to Singaporean literature. This book is part of the Singapore…” Read more

Almario, CHLA Distinguished Scholar Awardee | The Adarna House

“He was awarded the Distinguished Scholar Award after delivering a presentation entitled A Filipino Children's Book Story, which tackled the current state of Filipino children's literature. The paper began with a description of…”  Read more

Prince Damrong: An Illustrious Life | Thailand Tatler Magazine

In the years that followed Prince Damrong worked as a self-educated historian, writing books on Thai literature, culture and the arts and becoming one of the most influential intellectuals of his time. Read more