August 2004
EDITOR’S
NOTE
Welcome to August’s edition of e-WordNEWS. Hope you had a good
National Day weekend. We have organised two major seminars to be held
in September 2004, one for publishers and one for educators. Do register
soon for the publishers’ seminar to enjoy an early bird discount.
There are other events, courses and workshops lined up for August and
September 2004. So do check them out.
Enjoy!
From the NEWS desktop of...
Anita Paul, Editor
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NBDCS EVENTS
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Seminar – September 2004
Engaging Hearts
& Minds – Storytelling for National Education
10 September 2004 (for National Education Practitioners reaching out
to Preschool and Primary School Students)
11 September 2004 (for National Education Practitioners reaching out
to Secondary School and Tertiary School Students and Adults)
National Education is about weaving the fabric of a nation. It seeks
to build a common ground for Singaporeans from all walks of life, getting
us to identify with Singapore as our home, a place to live in,
to love and cherish. National Education messages can be communicated
in many ways. This one-day Seminar showcases Storytelling as an effective
method of getting National Education messages straight to the hearts
and minds of people. The messages are no doubt serious, but the delivery
has to be engaging and inspiring. Storytelling does exactly this, and
in the process, the messages stay embedded for life.
This seminar will take participants
through a complete process of:
• discovering storytelling as a most natural but powerful National
Education tool
• learning how to select stories to carry different National Education
messages for different audiences
• learning how to craft and tell stories
• learning storytelling techniques and tips
Time: 8.30am – 6.00pm
Venue: Novotel Apollo Hotel (405 Havelock Road)
To register, please visit http://www.nbdcs.org.sg/ne.htm
Centre for Literary Arts and Publishing (CLAP)
2 Professional
Development Workshops for Publishers
20 – 24 September 2004
For the first time in Asia, the Centre for Literary Arts & Publishing
Training Centre, UK presents‘2 Professional Development Workshops
for Publisher’s’. Both workshops will be conducted by Mr
Richard Balkwill, a publishing veteran with years of publishing and
consultancy experience behind him. Participants will get to tap on his
knowledge and expertise and be more prepared to take on challenges in
the ever-changing publishing landscape. Besides getting the latest updates
on industry trends and practices, participants will also benefit from
networking with fellow publishers from around the region. Seats are
limited so do register early!
Workshop 1
Developing Skills in Commissioning and Management
20 – 21 September 2004
Workshop 2
Professional Development for Publishers
Comprising:
A. Copyright, Legal Issues and Permissions
22 September 2004
B. Contracts, Agreements, Rights and Co-editions
23 September 2004
C. Financial Planning, Strategy and Digital Publishing
24 September 2004
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Venue: Novotel Apollo Hotel (405 Havelock Road)
To register (early bird discount available), visit http://www.nbdcs.org.sg/clap.htm
Editorial
• Managing Editorial Freelances by Christopher Yaw
20 August 2004: 9.00am to 5.00pm
• Basic Editing by Andrew Robinson
23 – 26 August 2004: 9.00am to 5.00pm
Book Publishing
• Managing Publishing Schedules by Leong Phooi Quan
27 August 2004: 9.00am to 5.00pm
Literary Arts
• Course in Children’s Literature (Chinese) by Dr. Chua
Chee Lay
6 – 7 September 2004: 9.00am to 5.00pm
• Creative Writing by Felix Cheong
17 September 2004: 9.00am to 5.00pm
• Genres: Savour All the Tastes!
by Felix Cheong
27 August 2004: 9.00am to 5.00pm
Library Management
• Managing a Children’s Library by Jennifer Yong
17 – 18 September 2004: 9.00am to 5.00pm
CLAP is offering Kinokuniya Privilege Card
holders a 10% discount on all courses!
Registration & Queries: Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
/ Call (65) 68488290 / Fax (65) 67429466
Website http://www.nbdcs.org.sg/clap.htm
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BOOK CLUB
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readasia
15 July 2004
readasia is a book club organised by the Book Council and library@orchard
to promote Asian literature. This is where you will meet like-minded
people, fellow book lovers and find a captive audience to share your
thoughts and views on the book you’ve read.
Time:
7 pm
Book to be discussed: "Republic of Wine”
by Mo Yan
Venue: library@orchard, Programme Zone
Registration and enquiries: Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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BOOK REVIEWS
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Anil’s Ghost (A readasia Selection)
By Michael Ondaatje
In his first novel since the internationally acclaimed ‘The English
Patient’, Booker Prize-winning author Michael Ondaatje gives us
a work displaying all the richness of imagery and language and the piercing
emotional truth that we have come to know as the hallmarks of his writing.
‘Anil’s Ghost’ transports us to Sri Lanka, a country steeped in centuries of tradition. Into this maelstrom steps Anil Tissera, a young woman born in Sri Lanka, educated in England and America, who returns to her homeland as a forensic anthropologist sent by an international human rights group to discover the source of the organised campaigns of murder engulfing the island. What follows is a story about love, about family, about identity, about the unknown enemy, about the quest to unlock the hidden past–a story propelled by a riveting mystery. Unfolding against the deeply evocative background of Sri Lanka’s landscape and ancient civilisation, ‘Anil’s Ghost’ is a literary spellbinder – Michael Ondaatje’s most powerful novel yet.
Asiapac celebrates National Day 2004 with two new releases:
Gateway to Singapore
Culture: Let’s Celebrate Friendship, Harmony & Peace
This book is compiled by Rosemarie Somaiah of the Asian Storytelling
Network and Zhuang
Xinyan including a foreword by Mr Chan Soo Sen, Minister
of State for Education & Ministry of Community Development and Sports.
This book covers Singapore’s ethnic cultures: Chinese, Eurasian, Indian, Malay and Peranakan. It also includes the history, origins, religious, customs and practices of each ethnic culture. It is suitable for young readers as well.
Pioneers of Singapore:
Builders of Our Land
Compiled and retold by Lim Lee Chin and Chan Soon Onn
This illustrated, 160 page book tells
of the life and achievements of more than thirty pioneers, including
Sir Stamford Raffles, William Farquhar, Syed Omar bin Ali Aljunied,
Mohammed Eunos bin Abdullah, Naraina Pillai, Tan Kim Seng, Lim Boon
Keng, Edwin Tessensohn and many more.
For more details, visit http://www.asiapacbooks.com.
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ABOUT TOWN
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Writers Connect!
25 August 2004
Genre Circles
Poetry, prose and script-writing circles will conduct their separate
group sessions before the Talk Series (4-5 participants). Please take
five copies of your work for feedback.
Time: 6:45pm (informal
group workshop)
Venue: Stage Door Café, Old Parliament House
Talks Series
Join the informal workshops and hear international and Singaporean authors,
publishers and editors talk about books and writing.
Time: 8.15pm
Venue: The Living Room, Old Parliament House
Fee: S$8
Poetry Slam Cabaret
31 Aug 2004
Poetry Slam Cabaret, organised by Word Forward, is held every last Tuesday
of the month.
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Velvet Underground, Zouk (17 Jiak Kim Street)
For details on Writers Connect and Poetry Slam Cabaret visit http://www.wordforward.org/.
Art and Poetry Evening
29 August 2004
Poet-artist Peng-Ean Khoo will read and share the works of Yuan Mei,
Bei Dao and Xu Bing, from within the 'Wave' art installation by Twardzik
Ching Chor Leng.
Time: 3pm-5pm
Venue: Gone Fishing Café (15 Chu Lin Road, off Hillview Avenue)
(Source: Singapore Literature News)
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REGIONAL NEWS
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The Second International Conference on the Future of the Book
29 August – 31 August 2004
To be held at the Beijing Friendship Hotel in Beijing, the conference
will address a range of critically important themes relating to the
future of the book – its past and the state of the book industry
and reading today. The main speakers include some of the world’s
leading thinkers and innovators in the areas of publishing, editing,
librarianship, printing, authoring and information technologies, as
well as numerous workshops and presentations by researchers and practitioners.
For more details, visit http://www.Book-Conference.com.
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ACROSS THE MILES
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The Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award
The award of €50,000 is being offered to the best original collection
of short stories published in English, anywhere in the world. The deadline
is 31 January 2005.
Those who wish to find out more about this award should visit www.literaturetraining.com.
(Source: literature training bulletin)
Is Amazon.com becoming
the Napster of the Book Business? by Bob Tedeschi
Abstract (Article Summary)
Of course, Amazon and eBay are not the only used-book merchants online.
Alibris, the Advanced Book Exchange and others have also attracted a
following among online buyers of the dog-eared. Industry executive and
analysts have acknowledged Amazon as the engine of the market.
Mr Greg Greeley, the Amazon executive, declined to cite statistics on the company’s used-book effort, but, he said sales had been growing nicely since Amazon started listing used books alongside new books and offering to sell its customers’ used books for a 15 per cent commission. Low-volume sellers must pay an additional commission of US$0.99 a book.
Mr Greeley also disputes
the contention that Amazon could be hurting publishers or authors by
selling books that yield no royalties. According to Mr. Greeley, Amazon’s
interests are aligned with publishers and authors and that people tend
to experiment with authors and genres in ways they might not have otherwise.
(Source: The New York Times, July 12, 2004)
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Unpublished Poems Wanted
New, unpublished poems are wanted to ignite the new version of The Poetry
Billboard. Best submissions will be awarded the Editor’s Choice.
Please send poem(s) and a paragraph of your bio-data to the editor at
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
(Source: Literary Singapore)
Quarterly Literary Review Singapore
(QLRS) – Submissions
QRLS is pleased to accept submissions of previously unpublished writing
or other material from Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans alike. The
focus area is developing Singaporean writing, with Singaporean relevance.
For details, visit http://www.qlrs.com/submissions.asp.
(Source: Quarterly Literary Review Singapore)
MDA (Media Development Authority
of Singapore) National Scriptwriting Competition 2004
To help scriptwriters hone their craft and find alternative access to
the screen, the MDA has organised a National Scriptwriting Competition
2004 with the objectives of enhancing the skills of scriptwriters and
providing scriptwriters an opportunity to have their work read, awarded
and pitched to commissioning editors.
The closing date is 30 September 2004. For more details, visit MDA at
http://www.mda.gov.sg
2004 Noma Concours
for Picture Book Illustrations
Noma Concours invites new talents! The 14th Concours invites highly
motivated illustrators and artists to participate in this renowned event
to contribute to the improvement of the quality of picture book illustration
for children. The closing date is 31 December 2004.
For more details, visit the Noma website at http:www.accu.or.jp/noma
