July 2004
EDITOR’S
NOTE
Welcome to July’s edition of e-WordNEWS! We have got more news
from around the region and across the oceans. Those looking for writing
opportunities need not fret, as we will list them in the ‘Announcements’
section. We hope you enjoy this month’s issue and look forward
to any comments or editorials you may have for e-WordNEWS.
Enjoy!
From the NEWS desktop of...
Anita Paul, Editor
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CENTRE FOR LITERARY ARTS AND PUBLISHING
(CLAP) @ NBDCS
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COURSE LISTING – JULY / AUGUST 2004
Book Publishing
• So You Want To Start A Publishing Business: A View From
The Inside by Christopher Yaw
23 July 2004 – 9.00am to5.00pm
• Managing Publishing
Schedules by Leong Phooi Quan
27 August 2004 – 9.00am to 5.00pm
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
Literary Arts
• Features Writing by Felix Cheong
28 – 29 July 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
12 – 13 August 2004 – 9.00am to 5.00pm
The Centre for Publishing and Literary Arts (CLAP) is the official training arm of the National Book Development Council of Singapore. It is dedicated to upgrading professionals in publishing and the literary arts. CLAP aims to deliver quality programmes that are relevant to the book industry. Our programmes are planned in consultation with key members of the industry. Hence the nature and scope of the programmes reflect the needs of the industry and the professionals.
CLAP also collaborates with some of the best in the field, for example, The Publishing Training Centre in UK. Participants of CLAP’s programmes have the benefit of attending courses set against the local context but delivered according to international standards.
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OTHER COURSES / WORKSHOPS
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Training Courses for Publishing Staff
The Publishers Association (Singapore) has organised a two-day training
seminar for non-direct sales staff.
Each full day seminar is
limited to 20 participants. The two major topics covered are ‘Negotiating
Skills’ and ‘Customer Service’. The trainer is Martin
Spears from Sales Development Programmes Pte. Ltd. Venue: Purple Room,
5th Floor, National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre. MND Building,
Maxwell Road
Date: 8 July 04 – Negotiating Skills
22 July 04 – Customer Service
Fee: S$150 for staff and members of PA(S); S$250 for non-members
Please register by emailing
Constance Tan: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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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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REPUBLIC OF WINE (A readasia Selection)
By Mo Yan
Set in the fictional province of the Republic of Wine, this tall tale
begins with a rumour of cannibal feasts featuring children as the delectable
main course. In response, Chinese officials send special investigator
Ding Gou'er to look into the allegations. Almost at once, Ding's worst
fears seem to be realised when he is invited to a special dinner, given
enough alcohol to stun an ox, and then served what appears to be "a
golden, incredibly fragrant little boy."
Horrified, he attempts to make an arrest and in the ensuing confusion, accidentally puts a bullet in the main course. Despite his hosts' explanation that the boy's arms are made of lotus root, his legs of ham sausage, and his head from a silver melon, Ding remains suspicious--until he is rendered so addled by wine that he ends up eating half an arm all on his own. As Ding continues his investigation, Mo Yan sends up the Chinese preoccupation with food, drink, and sex even as he daringly explores the nature of his country's political structure.
Peopled by extraordinary
characters - a dwarf, a scaly demon, a troupe of small boys raised for
eating and a cookery teacher who primes her students with monstrous
recipes - Mo Yan's unforgettable novel confirms his reputation as one
of China's greatest living writers.
(Synopsis from Republic of Wine)
SOULS THE GODS
HAD FORSAKEN: FROM A “SLAVE FARM” IN CHINA
TO A “DEATH HOUSE” IN SINGAPORE
By Ralph Modder
Set in China, Singapore and Britain, from the mid-20s to the immediate
post-war period, the story revolves around the lives of three women.
It’s a remarkable story that opens your eyes as it chronicles
the harsh lives of Singapore’s immigrants in Chinatown and the
sorry state of females in China who, if not subjected to infanticide,
were abandoned in ‘slave farms’ to be reared for slavery
and prostitution.
Souls the Gods Had Forsaken
also provides an illumination of Singapore’s history. (Source:
Asian/Pacific Book Development (ABD) Quarterly,
Vol 34 Number 2 [134th] 2004)
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ABOUT TOWN
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POETRY SLAM CABARET
27 July 2004
Poetry Slam Cabaret, organised by 'Word Forward', is held every last
Tuesday of the month.
Venue: Velvet Underground
(Zouk Club, 17 Jiak Kim Street, Singapore 169429).
Time: 7.30pm
Entrance fee: S$10
For more info, visit http://www.wordforward.org or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
WRITERS CONNECT!
28
July 2004
Join the informal coffee shop workshops to hear international and local
authors; publishers and editors talk about books and writing.
Venue: The Arts House @
Old Parliament House
Time: 6.45pm: Informal groups meet to workshop (prose, poetry and scripts)
at The Stage Door Café (ground floor)
8.15pm to 9.15pm: Talks and Readings, The Living Room (first floor)
Walk in admission to Talk / Reading: S$8
Contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
for bookings or phone 91011844
(Source: Singapore Literature News)
DANCING with DRAGONS by I Theatre
A Special Preview Fund-Raising Performances
29 July 2004 – 7.30pm
30 July 2004 – 3.00pm and 7.30pm
A family show suitable for all ages, featuring Asian folk tales from
around the region. DANCING with DRAGONS was specifically chosen by C
venues in Edinburgh from over 100 children’s productions to represent
the Asia Pacific region’s growing Arts scene at the Edinburgh
Fringe Festival. I theatre is extremely proud to be able to represent
Singapore and the Asia Pacific region with this production. I Theatre
need to raise S$50,000 to take them to Edinburgh. They hope to raise
some of that with these performances.
You may contact I Theatre at Tel: (65) 63444840; Fax: (65) 63459063
For more details, visit
I Theatre at http://www.itheatre.org/
or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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REGIONAL NEWS
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HONG KONG BOOK FAIR 2004 READING
21 July to 26 July 2004
Sixth Finger Press and Violet Books are seeking published poets from
across Asia to participate in poetry reading at the Hong Kong Book Fair
2004. The Fair, which is one of Asia’s biggest, will be held at
the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wanchai. Organised
by the Hong Kong Trade and Development Board, this will be the first
poetry reading to be held at the Fair. The reading will be held on 23
July 2004, 2.30pm to 5pm. Poets from 8 countries in Asia have already
been invited to participate.
For more details email Zheng Danyi at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
KL LITERARY FESTIVAL by SILVERFISH BOOKS
The 2004 Citigroup Kuala Lumpur International Literary Festival will
be held from 29 July – 1 August 2004. Singapore is proud to have
a group of local writers and academics represent the country in conducting
workshops at the Festival. Come early for Silverfish Books bargain bins
where books are going at RM5, RM10 and RM15.
For more info, visit http://www.siverfishbooks.com
or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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ACROSS THE MILES
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David T. K. Wong Fellowship
The David T. K. Wong Fellowship is an annual award of £25,000
to enable a fiction writer wishing to write in English about the Far
East the opportunity to spend a year in the UK at the University of
East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich.
Those who wish to find
out more about this fellowship should contact Yasmin Keyani at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
(Source: Literary Singapore)
‘Tuesday With Mommies” by Claire Kirch
Three women with young children decided to open a family bookstore in
Williamson, Michigan, a suburb of Lansing. Beth Phelps, Therese Grossman
and Justine Dailey opened ‘Tuesday Books’ on Tuesday, 11
May 2004 when independent bookstore owner, Marci Russell decided to
close down Cornerstone Bookstore in Michigan. The trio felt it was too
much losing a local bookstore, which was their hangout as well. They
bought Cornerstone’s inventory and fixtures and set up a bookstore
where every one who walked in was known personally.
Initially, the bookstore was opened on 1 April 2004 at the same location as Cornerstone’s. It was closed quickly the same month as the mothers wanted to attend the Paz & Associates School for prospective booksellers and then relocated the store by 1 May 2004.
The co-owners not only
partner with one another as staff, but they baby-sit and supervise each
other’s children aged 4 – 7 years. As Grossman put it, “We
wanted a family bookstore: family-owned, family-operated, family created
and of course, family-friendly in every way.”
(Source: Publishers Weekly – June 28, 2004)
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Literary Writers Wanted
A new multicultural literary e-zine in New York City is now seeking
literary submissions. Being sought after are well-crafted short stories,
creative non-fiction, poetry and cultural commentary written in English
by emerging and established bicultural, immigrant and foreign-born writers.
Works dealing directly or indirectly with themes of displacement, biculturalism,
immigration and a number of other multicultural topics are also of interest.
For more info, visit http://accentsandvoices.com or send all enquiries and submissions to Lev Feigin at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Freelance Writer Needed
Art Outreach is looking to hire a freelance writer, contractually for
one year, to develop portfolios on a monthly basis. The Art Outreach
portfolios are set on specific topic related to art history, an art
movement, or an aspect of art theory. The person Art Outreach is looking
for should be someone with solid research and writing skills, who has
either a visual art background or a keen interest in visual art that
has been cultivated over a long period.
Interested applicants should submit three writing samples and a resume to Claudia Cellini by 21 July 2004.
For more details, visit http://www.artoutreachprogram.org/ or email Claudia Cellini at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Part-Time Researcher Required
A writer / journalist from The USA, Mr. Michael J. Krieger, has been
invited by the Singapore Navy to do a story in August. He is looking
for someone who is interested in conducting some advance research in
maritime related subjects before his arrival in Singapore. The researcher
is also required to set up appointments, and possibly do some simple
translating from Cantonese or Malay to English. This is a part time
position, which requires an estimated 30 to 40 hours work prior to and
during Mr. Krieger’s visit. No maritime knowledge is required.
Interested applicants are to contact Mr. Krieger at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Writer Wanted
SNP Corporation is pleased to consider applications for a writer who
will work with one of Singapore and the region’s premier publishing
groups and its award winning team on a major book publishing project
titled ‘The History of Land Transport in Singapore’.
The prospective writer will require writing experience on books for corporations or government institutions, and a strong interest in land transport issues and developments, with a firm understanding of local and historical contexts. He or she will also require proven skills in interviewing and writing and able to write compellingly and clearly in narrative form as well as on technical subjects. A meticulous approach to research and the ability to work tight schedules is also required.
Research, interviews and first draft should be done August to December 2004, with project completion in May 2005.
Please mail or e-mail a
cover letter, CV and writing samples by 28 July 2004 to:
Shova Loh, Publishing Manager, SNP Corporation. 1 Kim Seng Promenade,
#18-01. Great World City, East Tower.
Singapore 237994. Fax: (65) 6733-3671 / E-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Only qualified writers will be notified and shortlisted for interviews.
MDA Scriptwriting Competition
The Media Development Authority of Singapore is dedicated to help scriptwriters
to hone their craft and help them find alternative access to the screen.
They collaborate with both local and international media entities to
create programmes and events for scriptwriters and their counterparts
in the media industry.
The MDA has organised a
National Scriptwriting Competition 2004 with two objectives:
1) To enhance the skills of scriptwriters, and
2) To provide scriptwriters an opportunity to have their work read,
awarded and pitched to commissioning editors
For more details, visit MDA at http://www.mda.gov.sg. The closing date is 30 September 2004
2004 Noma Concours for Picture Book Illustrations
Noma Concours invites new talents! Since 1978, the Noma Concours for
Picture Book Illustrations has produced a number of illustrators and
artists in the world publishing scene. Now, 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
