George Town Literary Festival 2022

Writing From Life: The Home & The World

Facilitator: Dipika Mukherjee

Date: 25 November, Friday
Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

In this two-hour workshop, we will use images and text based on Dialects of Distant Harbors (CavanKerry Press: 2022) to examine how both poetry and short prose can emerge from life experiences to verge on epiphany for the reader and the writer. We will summon a shared humanity to examine issues of dis-ease and kinship ties in the home, as well as redefine belonging and travel in a misogynistic and inhospitable world. Sharing of brief in-class writing will be encouraged, but not mandatory, in this generative class.

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Taming of The Fire: Rudimentary Evolution of Fire From the Wild into Our Homes

Facilitator: Dayana Wong

Date: 26 November, Saturday
Time: 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm

In this conversation between Dayana Wong and Ten Yee Tea, we invite you to join us as we explore the role of fire in the making of tea and dessert. Paired with a selection of traditional artisanal teas, you’ll have the opportunity to try local desserts prepared by the author and savour the coming together of flavours as we re-interpret traditional and contemporary ingredients with artisanal flair – in search of the perfect dessert and tea palate combination.

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So You Think You Can Joke? 

Facilitator: Penang Comedy Events & Kavin Jay

Date: Part 1: 25 November, Friday | Part 2: 26 November, Saturday
Time: Part 1: 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm | Part 2: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Come learn the basics of Stand-up Comedy with Kavin Jay and Penang Comedy Events. In this two-day workshop, they'll give you a first-hand look at preparing your jokes and bringing them to the stage.

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Bengkel Terjemahan Sastera IBDE 

Facilitator: IBDE | Inisiatif Buku Darul Ehsan

Date: 26 November, Saturday
Time: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Bengkel Terjemahan Sastera IBDE akan memberi pendedahan kepada peserta tentang penterjemahan karya sastera ke dalam bahasa Melayu. Menerusi bengkel ini, hasil terjemahan para peserta akan diteliti dan dibincangkan oleh tokoh sasterawan Faisal Tehrani dan penterjemah berpengalaman Al-Mustaqeem M Radhi. Sesi perbincangan dan soal-jawab bengkel menawarkan peluang kepada peserta untuk mengutip pengetahuan dan petua berkarya. Penterjemah yang berminat juga akan diberi ruang untuk berbincang tentang projek penerbitan karya terjemahan bersama IBDE. 

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Getting Published in the UK & Malaysia – a comparison and some practical tips

Facilitator: Sivagurunathan & Chua Literary Agency

Date: 26 November, Saturday
Time: 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Literary agents Devina Sivagurunathan and  Rosalind Chua of Sivagurunathan & Chua Literary Agency will talk about the differences and similarities in the publishing industry in both countries and why aspiring Malaysian authors (who write in English) need to be more proactive and industry-savvy.

 They’ll outline some practical tips for making successful submissions to publishers and literary agents as well as the dreaded ‘no-nos’.

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It's Literally A Comedy Show

Comedian: Kavin Jay & Gajen Nad

Date: 26 November, Saturday
Time: 8:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Come and Join us for a night of Laughter! We will also be highlighting a few of our participants from the Comedy workshop to find their sea legs and to get a taste of what it is like to be on stage together with the pros!

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Telltale Food: A Memoirists’ Workshop

Facilitator: Bettina Chua Abdullah

Date: 27 November, Sunday
Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Food lies at the heart of our identity, as deep as our bones, as warm as our blood. Yet this is a vast genre with writers exploring themes that illuminate the intersection of food with and within their lives, their families, and cultures. We seek to unfold these personal stories with a prompt-based, generative workshop that moves beyond assembling a clutch of recipes. We take a tour around the kitchens, markets and dining tables of our minds to see where food might become the entry point to the recording of our memories and the expression of emotion. We are challenged to pen the less definitive concepts of appetite, taste, pleasure and satiety in our writing. We track food pathways and dig deep to understand how they came to be and what they mean. We investigate the origins of what we cook and eat and question what influences our choices. In a crowded field, can we create through our writing the mirror that the reader sees themselves in? And inspire them, indeed empower them to cook, to make tangible the recipes and the ideas embedded within?

Participants are required to bring with them:
Laptops for writing exercises
A list of 3-5 dishes from their imaginary (or not) food memoir
At least one protagonist

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Playing with your stories

Facilitator: Saqina Latiff

Date: 27 November, Sunday
Time: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm 

Storytelling is one of the oldest professions in the world. Stories convey emotions, ideas, and mold our understanding of the human condition. The ways of telling stories have evolved over time and are not exclusive to any one form of media. But if there is one aspect of video games that are particularly defined, it is active audience participation. This workshop is meant for those who wish to create and write interactive experiences that are both meaningful and unforgettable. With the right formula, mindset, And tenacity, anyone can do it. Join us and begin writing your interactive stories.