Remember to click more since this post will be about:
- Tash Aw’s Map of the Invisible World
- Agnes Meadows’ masterclass talk about poetry
- Goi Peace Foundation international essay competition
First up, Tash Aw’s book launch:
Date: 1 June 2009
Time: 7pm
Location: The Pod, National Library
Admission is free. To RSVP, email your name and contact no. to zariena@horizonbooks.com.sg / call 64835953
What’s the book about?
In Map of the Invisible World, Johan kept a constant vigil over his little brother Adam during their years together in the orphanage. When they are placed in different adoptive homes, they lost all contact. Johan is taken to Kuala Lumpur by a wealthy Malaysian couple whilst Adam is adopted by a Dutch painter, Karl and grows up in a simple coastal town in Indonesia.
However in the summer of 1964, there was disorder as post-colonial Indonesia slid towards civil war. Foreigners and especially the Dutch are treated with hostility and when Karl is arrested, 16-year-old Adam resolves to do all that he can to find him. He seeks help from an old friend of Karl’s in Jakarta, but in the volatile atmosphere and lured by a promise to find his brother, Adam quickly falls in with a dangerous crowd and is swept up in events beyond his understanding.
Sounds exciting, now just in case you don’t know who the writer is, here’s a little info that I’ve been getting in all the mailers publicising this event:
Malaysian-born writer Tash Aw’s highly-acclaimed novel, The Harmony Silk Factory won the Whitbread Best First Novel Award, the Commonwealth Best First Novel Award and was also long-listed for the Man Booker Prize and the Guardian First Book Award. Map of the Invisible World is his second novel and is a touching tale of love and loss, friendships and belonging, and the indissoluble ties of family.
So there you go. REMEMBER to RSVP! Don’t be a bad, naughty person like me and not RSVP like the last event I did. I only did that cause I knew the Arts House was kinda “public” but for this event, you need to at least RSVP them. Next up!
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Masterclass Talk: Poetry – A Voice Amongst The Shouting
Date: Wednesday, June 3
Time: 7pm – 9pm
Venue: Central Public Library (Multipurpose Room), National Library Board, 100 Victoria Street, Basement
Admission: Free
Yep! Same library, different dates. Here’s more on the event.
Agnes Meadows, who has travelled worldwide as a jobbing poet, argues that the only true poet is one who writes and performs with passion, observing, exploring and commenting on both the dark and light sides of life. Join her in this Masterclass Talk, where she will read her poems and share experiences and writing tips with the audience.
And here’s a bit more on the speaker.
Agnes is a poet who has performed her work all over the UK and internationally. She has five books of poetry to her credit. Woman – Selected Poems and At Damascus Gate On Good Friday were both published by Flipped Eye/Waterways Publishing and are available from Amazon.com. Her fifth and latest book, This One’s For You, is also published by Flipped Eye.
A London resident, she runs two popular monthly poetry events in central London: Loose Muse (currently the capital’s only regular event for women writers) and Angel Poetry. She won the Christina Sergeyevna Award for writing at the Austin International Poetry Festival in April 2003 and has also been a poetry adviser for Channel 4.
This event is organised as part of National Arts Council’s Mentor Access Project and supported by Elephant & Coral PenCo Pte Ltd and National Library Board.
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Yes, that Mentor Access Project… I kinda forgot the deadline since it was during my week-long illness and didn’t send in my application. OH WELL, next year!
And ah, here’s an essay competition that you guys might be interested in. It’s not really fiction but still… The theme is:
“The role of science in building a better world”
Scientific progress has brought many benefits to humanity, while some applications of science have had adverse impacts. What kind of science and technology do you think is needed for realizing a more equitable, prosperous and sustainable world for all? Please express your vision for the future of science, including examples of studies or researches you wish to engage in.
More info at their website here. But here’s a summary of the details:
Deadline: 30 June 2009
Limit: 800 words or less
Other details: Essays may be submitted by anyone up to 25 years old (as of June 30, 2009) in one of the following age categories: a) Children (ages up to 14) b) Youth (ages 15 – 25)
Send to: International Essay Contest c/o The Goi Peace Foundation
1-4-5 Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0093 Japan or e-mail: essay@goipeace.or.jp
Yep, if you want to check the prizes and fine details, please check their webpage here. And that’s it for today’s posty.
