Malaysian writers' gatherings (2016)

 

Martin Bradley at Northern Writers

Anthony Burgess,Muhammad Haji Salleh,Tash Aw and Preeta Samarasan as well as local writers still residing in Malaysia - Bernice Chauly, Patrick Teoh, Mamat Khalid and Paul Gnanaselvam, have all participated in the rich literary heritage of Ipoh and Perak. It was in light of this that a new literary venue was inaugurated in Ipoh, on June 4th, 2011.

It was another blazingly hot Saturday in June. Muhammad Haji Salleh – a Malaysian poet laureate walked to the rostrum and launched Northern Writers at Garden Villa, 5 Jalan Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, Ipoh. ‘Girls’ from The Ipoh book Club supported the event by bringing finger food, water and a typical Ipoh glamour while writer and academic Paul GnanaSelvan lent his moral and physical support, as did the members of The Kinta Heritage Group. Kamal Sabran, Nur Hanim Mohamed Khairuddin and The Space Gambus Experiment provided freshly innovative music especially for the occasion.

It was after a conversation with ‘Readings’ star Sharon Bakar, in an Indonesian restaurant, somewhere in the depths of Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, that I was instrumental in bringing the writers reading initiative to appreciative audiences - this time out of Kuala Lumpur, and into the Malaysian northern state of Perak. 

Northern Writers continued that trend once set by Ipoh girl Bernice Chauly (poet, actress, writer) back in 2005, when she began ‘Readings’ by writers in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. Sharon Bakar continued when Bernice had to take a step backwards due to illness in her family. When she returned, Bernice began another set of readings, this time at the No Black Tie club, again in Kuala Lumpur. Sharon Bakar continues to support writers, at Seksan’s Gallery, in Bangsar, to this day.

In the first of an on-going monthly series, housed in a 100 year old building - lent for the events by Kinta Heritage and the Eu Foundation, I enticed Perak born Professor Dr Muhammad Haji Salleh to deliver some of his renowned poems, including The Forest’s Last Day- found in his collection Rowing Down Two Rivers. Ipoh boy, radio and TV broadcaster/actor - Patrick Teoh regaled a most attentive audience with snippets from his latest book – Teology, Bernice Chauly read from a forthcoming work and Graham McEune had his audience in fits of laughter reading from his book - Up Country – largely set in Perak.

That was but the beginning. Each month Northern Writers presented at least four different writers, from different aspects of writing and reading – poets, novelists, short story writers, writers about writing, columnists, play and screenwriters etc, on the first Saturday of every month, in Garden Villa, Ipoh.

Over time, Choral Speakers from Ipoh SMJK Poi Lam school, international author Paul Callan and local cartoonist Dato Mohd Nor bin Khalid (Lat), were to grace Northern Writers.  Ian Anderson, an ex-Royal Naval Commander living in Ipoh, charting some of the characters who had lived in Ipoh, presented his book Ipoh, My Home Town. Expatriate writers, readers and audiences were all most welcome in the stunningly beautiful black and white antique wooden villa – the only stipulation was that you take off your shoes, and didn't smoke in the building.

Shady trees added ambience to the grounds, which are set back from the main road, as the Anglo-Malaysian building added atmosphere to the events presented. In modernity, the Garden Villa building had been intended, by the Eu family, for the purpose of promoting arts and culture, and a more perfect fit could not have been imagined than that Garden Villa - and the Northern Writers’ events.  

Northern Writers was a non-profit organisation, began by me, Martin Bradley, with the concept of bringing an understanding of writing, arts and culture, entirely free, to areas north of Kuala Lumpur. It was an understanding that those writers who participated in Northern Writers did so free of charge, as did the organisers and supporters. Entrance was free to all who enjoy the arts.

Since the Kuala Lumpur ‘Readings’, which I have attended on many an occasion, and Northern Writers, there have been a number of initiatives which encourage writers to read to Malaysian audiences. In October 2015, from their Facebook Group - Malaysian Writers, Tina Issacs and Gina Yap Lai Yoong came up with a month long series of writer events across Malaysia, called MyWriters, which included multiple readings at multiple venues. Since then, Penang Writer Events (PWE), in Penang, have been supported by Shannon Frances, Mark Walker and Wilson Khor Woo Han. Back in KL there are numerous, and every growing, venues for ‘poets’ to read in ‘Open Mic’ sessions. The more writers who get involved with these events, the better it is for literacy in Malaysia.