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.