George Town’s sisterhood with Adelaide has been a wealth of opportunity for local talents. This year, three of Malaysia’s best short-story writers embark on a journey to Australia as part of George Town Literary Festival’s exchange with OzAsia, a contemporary arts festival that focuses on how Australia engages with Asia.
By Jo Ch’ng
It’s not every day that a writer is invited to Australia to discuss their craft. That’s exactly what happened to Saras Manickam, Shih-Li Kow, and Wan Phing Lim, who will be speaking at “Short Stories: The Malaysian Edit” as part of OzAsia’s programme, In Other Words. The panel, intended to bring Malaysian writing into the limelight on an international platform, was a rare opportunity for the writers. We caught up with them on how they felt and what they hoped to experience there.
Having just recently published Two Figures in a Car and Other Stories, Lim was quite surprised when she received the email from OzAsia, saying “…there is pressure there to be my best self, to be authentic and honest to my creative self, and yet fair to my country in my outspokenness.”
Saras, winner of the regional prize in 2019’s Commonwealth Short Story Contest with her story “My Mother Pattu”, was grateful for the opportunity to attend an international festival. “If Swarna Rajagopal had been with me in person, I’d have probably kissed her.”
“I said ‘yes’ with much enthusiasm even before she gave me the dates,” said Kow, whose story “Relative Distance” was shortlisted for the 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. “It came as a wonderful surprise because it has been several years since I last participated in a festival.”
This exchange is an opportunity for Malaysians to shine. When asked about personal expectations, Kow expressed her hope that this trip would help bolster Malaysia’s presence in the publishing world. “I hope the exposure leads to increased interest in all Malaysian writers and our work, past and present, and that it helps develop readerships in new markets.”
The chance to engage with the incredible lineup of invited writers and thinkers was also a highly anticipated part of the exchange. “I’m so looking forward to having my attitudes and notions challenged. It’s so easy to fall back into a comfortable mindset and I don’t want that kind of comfort for myself,” said Saras. Similarly, Lim was eager to hear from her peers. “I’m hoping to learn from diaspora writers and Asian-Australian writers on their lived experiences and writing journeys.”
As more people learn about Malaysian writing, we asked the writers what they hoped readers could take away from their stories.
“I hope they find an element of interest, be it a detail or a narrative. I hope that maybe they will discover a voice and a view which is empathetically Malaysian, and in doing so, think of their own stories and the stories which occur in the spaces they occupy,” said Kow.
Lim felt that these stories allow others a glimpse into a diverse range of perspectives. “I just want readers to know ‘my world’. ‘My world’, my experiences, and the people around me are valid and their stories deserve to be told and heard. It’s my way of saying, ‘Look, we exist and we are here! This is our life, this is how we feel, that is what we’re going through, this is our story.’”
There was also hope that engaging with different viewpoints would also open the door to better dialogue. On this, Saras said she hopes “that the stories speak of authentic lived experiences. That the stories talk about their (readers’) own stories and experiences. And that we need to have more open conversations. We need to have more open conversations.”
With the GTLF x OzAsia exchange underway, we asked the writers what was next for them.
Lim is in the midst of completing her second collection. “It’s a mixture of drama, crime, love, family, romance, supernatural, folk tales, and horror. The same kind of style as my first collection, except this would be specifically all-Penang stories only.”
Kow decided to remain mysterious, saying, “I’m writing, reviewing the material that I have, and going down a few interesting rabbit holes. It’s not time yet to talk about any of this.” In the meantime, she has been engaging in talks and workshops, engaging with fellow writers. Kow’s new book, Bone Weight and Other Stories will be launched by Fixi in November, alongside reissues of her two other short story collections.
And though Saras said she was a half-sloth at writing, she also added, “Short stories. And hopefully more Lit Fests around the world! That would be validation of my short stories.”
This year, George Town Literary Festival will run from 23 – 26 November. Kow will be speaking at “Southeast Asia: Exploring a Region and Its Complexities” on 25th November (Saturday), 3:30pm – 4:30pm at The Prestige. Meanwhile, Saras and Lim will be speaking at “Subversive Stories: Challenging Dominant Narratives through Fiction” on 26th November, 3:00pm – 4:00pm at the Black Kettle.
Find out more on the GTLF website.
Jo Ch’ng is a pop-culture enthusiast who likes reading and writing queer fiction. When they’re not active in the ACG scene, they enjoy translating, crafting, crochet, sewing, and mushrooms. Find out what else they’re up to at gingeronionfishmeat.