March 8 -- a reading by Kee Thuan Chye and friends -- an update

Kee Thuan Chye, Azmi Sharom, Helen Ang, Animah Kosai and Chacko Vadaketh will be at Silverfish Books on Saturday, 22th November 2008 at 5.30 pm to read excerpts from and talk about their book March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke.

The blurb for the book says: The day of the underdogs, the real Merdeka, a political tsunami, the perfect storm -- by any name, March 8, 2008, will go down in history as a turning point in Malaysian politics.

With their votes, Malaysians dealt a blow to the Barisan Nasional government that had held almost absolute power for 50 years. Denying it the all-important two-thirds majority in Parliament and the control of five states has certainly made the political scenario more vibrant.

Although surprised that there was such power in the vote they cast, Malaysians woke up to the true meaning and practice of democracy. They now face the present reasonably free from fear, free from the spectre of May 13.

This book is about that historic day and the change that came with it -- an expression of hope for a brighter future, with many Malaysian voices speaking their thoughts frankly. There are also eyewitness accounts, interviews with key people, and articles never published before, written by fledgling and established writer.

Admission is free. Everyone is welcome. There is no need to call to make reservations.

March 8: a reading

Kee Thuan Chye and his friends will be at Silverfish Books on Saturday, 22th November 2008 at 5.30 pm to read excerpts from and talk about their book March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke. (More information on the others readers will be posted as soon as it is available.)

The blurb for the book says: The day of the underdogs, the real Merdeka, a political tsunami, the perfect storm -- by any name, March 8, 2008, will go down in history as a turning point in Malaysian politics.

With their votes, Malaysians dealt a blow to the Barisan Nasional government that had held almost absolute power for 50 years. Denying it the all-important two-thirds majority in Parliament and the control of five states has certainly made the political scenario more vibrant.

Although surprised that there was such power in the vote they cast, Malaysians woke up to the true meaning and practice of democracy. They now face the present reasonably free from fear, free from the spectre of May 13.

This book is about that historic day and the change that came with it -- an expression of hope for a brighter future, with many Malaysian voices speaking their thoughts frankly. There are also eyewitness accounts, interviews with key people, and articles never published before, written by fledgling and established writers.

Book Launch: Tales from the Court

The launch of Matthew Thomas' Tales from the Court and other stories will be held at Silverfish Books on Saturday, 6^th September 2008 at 5.00 pm. Attending the function and launching the book (all the way from France) will be his very good friend Mohamed M Keshavjee who also wrote the afterword in the book.

"In this compendium of short stories, the author, who is a keen student of human foibles, gives us a series of vignettes from the Kuala Lumpur of the 1950s. His characters come vividly to life: from Eddodes, the creative and legendary builder of castles in the air and Boniface 'Birdie Boy' Ratnayake, the aspirant judge, to Musso the exorcist, and Mike Kumar, the confidence trickster. In this book, all these characters talk to us. The author captures the very essence of their being and their cultures as they play their little games in life, made up of illusions, craftiness, ego, hope and aspirations."

This is an open invitation, all are welcome.

Reading at Silverfish Books

Saradha Narayanan will be at Silverfish Books on Saturday, 26th July 2008 at 5.30 pm. to talk about a little about her experience with writing and then read selected passages from her book, Freedom of Choice. This will be followed by a question and answer session. Saradha who was born in Raub is a doctor who graduated from the University of Malaya and later obtained her MRCP from the Royal College of Physicians and worked as a physician/cardiologist for twenty years before hanging up her stethoscope to devote her full time to writing. Her book, appropriately, is about adoption and organ transplant. Everyone is welcome.

Silverfish Books' Writers' Forum

After repeated requests, Silverfish Books is organising a writers' forum. The intention is for it to become a monthly meeting for aspiring creative writers in English to read their works, request feedback, network, form their own splinter writers' groups, and to share their stories with others having similar interests. We have been pondering this for a while. The original intention was to make it exclusive to Silverfish Writing Programme participants. But after discussing this with others we have decided to open it to all (including writers from Singapore if any want to make the trip). No fee will be charged.

It is proposed that this free forum be held on the first Saturday of each month ( as long as interest lasts) and the first event will be on
Date: Saturday, 5th July 2008
Time: 2.30 to 4.30pm
Venue: Silverfish Books, 58-1, Jalan Telawi, Bangsar Baru

This session is ideal for you if:

1. You write short fiction, biography or travelogues
2. You have unpublished short stories, biographies or travelogues of around 2000-3000 words to share
3. You crave constructive criticism on your writing to help you improve
   
4. You want to continue writing till you die
5. You are willing to work hard to improve your writing
6. You are passionate about writing
7. You intend to write enough stories for a whole book (not a one-story-in-ten-years writer)
   
8. You are thick-skinned and resilient and not afraid of criticism

This session may be a waste of time for you if:

1. You want to write mainly to make money
2. You only want to be a writer but you are not interested in the hard work (or you merely intend to be famous for being famous)
3. You are not open to criticism of your writing
4. You are not willing to share your stories.
5. You are not interested in reading many different genres and authors
6. You think being a writer is all about glamour
7. You think your writing is already perfect
8. You have a weak heart
9. You like to dominate events by not allowing anyone else to speak (or present their stuff)
10. You think it's all about you, you, you and you.

Shirley Lim book launch and reading

Book launch and readings by Shirley Geok-lin Lim
at
Silverfish Books, 58-1, Jalan Telawi, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur (Tel: +603-228 448 37)
on
Saturday, 14th June 2008 at 5.30 pm

Princess Shawl

Mei Li inherits a shawl from a grand-aunt she doesn't know, which whisks her to historical times and places. Before she turns ten in two weeks, she must rescue the Chinese princess, Li Po, from the barren island where the wicked bomoh has exiled her. Mei Li meets women in Singapore, Cameron Highlands and Malacca who teaches her about courage, nurturing, trust and skills such as cooking, nursing, and climbing mountains. With the help of a magic hairpin, of special rogue and of water that can bring you home, she succeeds in uniting the Princess with the brave Sultan Mansur.

"A powerful book. Mei Li, nine years old almost ten, lives in Singapore with parents from Malaysia and China. Her daily life is magical enough, but then a shawl for a princess arrives in the mail...

Like a magic carpet, the shawl flies her away to far lands and times. She must help the wounded and the lost during a war among Portugal, Holland and Melaka. Among the many powers she learns is the ability to heal others. An enchanting and realistic book."

Maxine Hong Kingston
author of The Woman Warrior and Chinamen.

"In this enchanting story of resourceful bravery and love between family members by blood and
choice, between a sultan and a princess, between young and old, Shirley Lim with the utmost economy weaves a brilliant overview of history and culture. A delicious tour de force."

Anca Vlasopolos
author of The New Bedford Samurai

Dr Shirley Lim is Professor of English and Women's Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She was formerly Chair Professor of English and head of the English Department at the University of Hong Kong. Her first book of poems, Crossing The Peninsula (Heinemann Press, 1980), won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize and her memoir, Among The White Moon Faces: An Asian-American Memoir of Homelands (Feminist Press, 1997), received the American Book Award. She is the author of two novels Joss and Gold and Sister Swing. A collection of poems Listening to the Singer was published by Maya Press in 2007.

Shirley Lim is back

Book launch and readings by Shirley Geok-lin Lim
at
Silverfish Books, 58-1 Jalan Telawi, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur (Tel: +603-228 448 37)
on
Saturday, 14th June 2008 at 5.30 pm

Shirley Lim's latest effort is a young-adult's novel. Princess Shawl, is an intriguing story of the legendary Princess Hang Li Poh, who was married off to the Malaccan Sultan Mansur Shah, as a gift from the Chinese Emperor. Initial reports indicate that Shirley Lim uses a 'Back-To-The-Future' approach involving a time-travel adventure. This is something different. One wonders what her interpretation of that legend is.

Dr. Shirley Lim is Professor of English and Women's Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She was formerly Chair Professor of English and head of the English Department at the University of Hong Kong. Her first book of poems, Crossing The Peninsula (Heinemann Press, 1980), won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize and her memoir, Among The White Moon Faces: An Asian-American Memoir of Homelands (Feminist Press, 1997), received the American Book Award. She is the author of two novels Joss and Gold and Sister Swing. A collection of poems Listening to the Singer was published by Maya Press in 2007.

The 1st KL Alternative Bookfest

The 1st KL Alternative Bookfest (KLAB) will be held on the weekend of 3-4 May, 2008 at The Annexe, Central Market.

Held less than a month after the mammoth Pesta Buku KL (where you can buy as many text-books, romance novels and religious instruction manuals as you want), it will be held simultaneously with the very popular Art For Grabs event -- but in a different room.

What is KLAB? Basically a gathering of small, independent publishers who would like a popular venue to sell, launch and discuss books. We seek to fill 10-15 tables. Each table can be taken up by one publisher, or it can be shared between various people who each have books to sell.

There are many interesting Malaysian books now being published; the trouble is, not many of them are readily available in the main bookshops. This is an opportunity to bring these books to the public, and to make the whole process fun lah.

Among the events being planned are:
- Book launch by Hishamuddin Rais
- Discussion of new books by Rustam Sani, Noraini Othman & Mavis Puthucheary, and others.
- A 'book give-away' where people can simply get rid of books they no longer want, for free. This will physically take up one corner of the room, where people can just leave the books. The idea is to make interesting books available even to those who can't afford to buy 'em. The remainder of the books will be donated.
- Bilingual poetry slam, where the audience gets to vote for their favourite performers.

Details:
The fee per table (for two days) is RM100.
The event is from 12-6pm both days.
Deadline to receive entries (including payment) is April 26.

Anthony Isoh at Silverfish Books

Readings at Silverfish Books, 58-1 Jalan Telawi, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur on Saturday 29th March 2008, from 5.30pm to 7.00pm by Anthony Amaechi Isoh author of Black Banana.

Anthony Amaechi Isoh was born in Nigeria in 1962. He was educated at St. Anthony's College, Ubulu- Uku, and the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria in Lagos. He worked with the First Bank of Lagos and the Clarion Hotel in Oslo, Norway. He is married and now lives in Malaysia. Spends his time writing when he isn't working as a salesman or studying law at Help University, Kuala-Lumpur, Malaysia.

Anthony Isoh will talk about his book, himself, on why he wrote the book and his experience as a Nigerian living in Malaysia.

Admission is free. All welcome.

An evening with Amir Mohammad and friends

On Saturday, 23 Feb, from 5:30 to 7pm, Silverfish Books, 58-1 Jalan Telawi, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur will host Amir Mohammad and his friends for a reading and book signing.

New Malaysian Essays 1 (Matahari Books) ( ISBN: 987-983-43596-1-4 ) is the first of a planned annual series concentrating on local non-fiction writing. From polemic to ode to memoir, this series invites Malaysian readers -- and writers -- to notice, analyse and interpret the living, throbbing, squelching vitality around them. Multi-disciplinary, multi-tasking and best appreciated on multi-vitamins, this first collection features six writers. Four of them will be present at the reading: Amir Muhammad, Brian Yap, Saharil Hasrin Sanin & Aminuddin Mahmud.

This book is available only in selected bookstores, and retails at RM30. So come on over!

Goenawan Mohamad and Laksmi Pamuntjak

In the last announcement (below) I appear to have given the impression that the event on the Saturday, 26th January 2008 will only feature On God and Other Unfinished Things by Goenawan Mohamad. Actually the event will be a double bill, featuring both Goenawan Mohamad and Laksmi Pamuntjak.

While, after the launch of his book, Goenawan Mohamad will talk about his book and other related issues, Lakshmi Pamuntjak will be reading from her new novel in progress her work in progress, The Blue Widow.

About Goenawan Mohamad: Founder and chief editor of Tempo news magazine (1971 -1998), Goenawan Mohamad is also one of Indonesia’s foremost poets, essayists and public intellectuals with six books of poems and several books of essays. The English translations of his shorts essays can be found in Sidelines (1994) and Conversations with Difference (2002), both translated by Jennifer Lindsay. Goenawan Mohamad: Selected Poems (2004) was translated by Laksmi Pamuntjak.

Goenawan Mohamad has received several international awards, among them the distinguished Louis Lyon Award from Harvard University.

About Laksmi Pamuntjak: Laksmi Pamuntjak has since 1994 written columns and articles on politics, film, food, classical music and literature for Tempo magazine and elsewhere. Her first collection of poetry, Ellipsis, appeared on The Herald, UK 2005 Books of the Year list. She is currently working on The Blue Widow, a novella partially set in Buru Island.

Goenawan Mohamad and Lakshmi Pamuntjak at Silverfish Books

On Saturday, 26th January 2008 Silverfish Books will host the launch of his latest, On God and Other Things, the English translation of his book of aphorisms, Tentang Tuhan dan Hal-Hal yang Tak Selesai. This event is sponsored by the Malaysian International Literature Society (MILS). The event will start at 5.00pm

Goenawan Mohamad's latest book of aphorisms, Tentang Tuhan dan Hal-Hal yang Tak Selesai, is inspired by Roestam Effendi's 1925 poetry collection, Pertjikan Permenungan (Scraps of Thought). Each of its parts is written with brevity, or with near-brevity -- a cut or a remnant of sorts of a larger piece. All 99 of these "scraps" can be read sometimes as parts that support or refute one another, other times as pieces that stand on their own.

While some of them are variations of the themes found in Catatan Pinggir (Sidelines), Goenawan’s weekly thought pieces in the newsmagazine Tempo, others are categorically new. All were written in times not unlike the one we are currently experiencing now, in which God seems to be irrefutable and religion gains ever more currency in the lives of many: dispensing strength, illuminating the path, but is at the same time confusing and frightening.

The book has been translated into English by the Indonesian poet and writer Laksmi Pamuntjak under the title On God and Other Unfinished Things.

Goenawan will talk about his book, and says in his email.

I understand that right now in Malaysia there is a raging controversy over the word "Allah", with the government imposing a ban on the use of the word by non-Moslems and the subsequent protests by the Malaysian Christians ... I hope my book, and my opinion, will not create a problem ...

Looks like we will be srating our new year with a bang. I suppose we can expect some visitations.

Admission is free and everyone is welcome. But space is limited. (Please do not telephone us to make reservations because we will not be taking any -- but you can call us to give us an indication of numbers. Admission will be strictly on first-come-first basis, subject to availability of space.) A limited number of his books (in Indonesian and in English) will be on sale at Silverfish Books.