SULAT’s
pioneering batch of creative writing fellows participated in
the two-day creative writing workshop facilitated by
Filipino novelist Gina Apostol. (Photo by Stacy Garcia) |
Waray novelist
facilitates first Southeast Asian creative writing workshop in the
UK
Press
Release
January 9, 2019
LONDON –
Award-winning Waray novelist Gina Apostol facilitated the first
Creative Writing Workshop under SULAT, a platform launched by the
School of Oriental and African Studies University of London (SOAS)
aimed at fostering an active and engaged creative writing community
for Southeast Asian literature.
The workshop focused on
discussions about the place of history and the ‘silent voices’ in
writing post-colonial fiction. It was followed by a round of
critiques on the works of SULAT’s first batch of creative writing
fellows and concluded with readings from the award-winning
masterpieces of Apostol and Reine Arcache Melvin.
“SULAT is committed to
discovering and supporting emerging writers of Southeast Asian
descent in the UK,” said Dr. Cristina Martinez-Juan, who currently
heads SOAS’ Philippine Studies Programme. “It’s meant to be a space
where writers can come together, learn from each other, and support
each other, particularly in terms of Southeast Asian literature.”
According to Juan,
Southeast Asia is replete with brilliant writers but in order to
increase the works’ readership, it needs wider distribution, more
media coverage, and more people talking about the stories being
written by Southeast Asian writers.
“Writers are some of the
most important purveyors of culture,” said Ambassador Antonio M.
Lagdameo. “Works of literature, whether prose or poetry, have the
power to provide people a glimpse into the soul of a nation and the
essence of a country’s culture. Specific to Philippine literature,
the Filipinos’ strong command of the English language make us some
of the most compelling storytellers in the English speaking world.”
SULAT aims to follow-up on
the workshop by continuously engaging the pioneering batch of
creative writing fellows and by initiating other activities that
aimed at igniting interest in Southeast Asian literature in the
United Kingdom (UK).
Reine
Arcache Melvin explains the historical backdrop of her
latest book, The Betrayed. (Photo by Stacy Garcia) |