'An ex-journalist on a sweltering night in Kuala Lumpur, raging in a city on the edge of meltdown; a young woman in present-day Iowa, reflecting on her two mothers in a Singapore of long ago; in Queensland’s Border Ranges, a boy prone to getting lost having six tiny bells pinned to his chest.
'All of these people are in the midst of change - divided by time and space, but living in a world of shrinking distances and disappearing differences.
'It’s what happens when you take award-winning writers from Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, put them in a room together, and see what they create. This book is the result of the Writers Immersion and Cultural Exchange program: a unique experiment dedicated to collaboration, immersion, and cultural exchange. It’s a document emerging from two years of residencies, workshops, and ongoing dialogues - a map of art and adventure, ideas and heart.
'Featuring fiction, nonfiction, and essays from Cate Kennedy, Melissa Lucashenko, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Omar Musa, and many more, The Near and the Far is a book that bridges the gaps between Asia, Australia, and the world. Every day is a border crossing, and every story is a threshold. This collection invites readers to grab their passports and step beyond.' (Publication summary)
Only literary material by Australian authors individually indexed. Other material in this issue includes:
`Gimme an axe.'
'The woman blurted this order across the formica counter. When the shopkeeper turned and saw her brimming eyes he took a hasty step backwards. His rancid half-smile, insincere to begin with, vanished into the gloomy corners of the store. It was still very early. Outside, tucked beneath a ragged hibiscus bush, a hen cawed a single, doubtful note. Inside was nothing but this black girl and her highly irregular demand.' (Introduction)
'When we get home from school my brother's dad, Jerry, is out the front, leaning against a truck that has a trampoline strapped to the back of it.' (66)
The Near and the Far Volume 2 : More Stories from the Asia-Pacific Region
David Carlin
(editor),
Francesca Rendle-Short
(editor),
Brunswick
:
Scribe
,
2019
17110930
2019
anthology
short story
'A dynamic cross-cultural collection of innovative writing from the Asia-Pacific region
'In the outer suburbs of Perth, Australia, a seven-year-old discovers ballroom dancing. In Jakarta, Indonesia, a poet tries to move on with his life after splitting up with his boyfriend. In the Philippines’ Quezon City, a nurse reflects on her late mother while caring for a dying woman. And in the Uva province of Sri Lanka, a 30-panel mural tells the story of a boy who refuses to speak a word.
'This vibrant collection features writers who have forged connections across cultures and generations, with contributors from Australia, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Vietnam, and China, among others. Through sharing perspectives and ideas in the Writers Immersion and Cultural Exchange program, they have created exciting new work that reveals the value of genuine dialogue and mutual respect.
'Spanning fiction, non-fiction, and poetry from the Asia-Pacific’s finest writers — including Christos Tsiolkas, Alice Pung, Norman Erikson Pasaribu, Han Yujoo, Ellen van Neerven, and Ali Cobby Eckermann — The Near and The Far, Volume II invites readers on a unique and unforgettable journey.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
'I am a child of Malaysian-Chinese parents, but was born and raised in Australia. Throughout my childhood (and, to be honest, even now), I never truly felt comfortable within the categories of “Malaysian,” “Chinese,” or “Australian.” I languished in the hyphenated mess that was Malaysian-Chinese-Australian, afraid i would never truly belong. so when I encountered the term “diaspora,” i felt something inside me breathe a sigh of relief. but even though I had a name for what I was feeling, it didn’t necessarily resolve my confusion around my identity.' (Introduction)
'At the 2016 Melbourne Writers Festival, Maxine Beneba Clarke received a standing ovation for her opening address in which she pushed for greater diversity in literature. ‘Something powerful stirred,’ she said of reading the few books with diverse characters available to her as a teenager, from Sally Morgan to Judy Blume. ‘These were stories about difference and sameness, about home and unbelonging. They were my stories.’' (Introduction)
'At the 2016 Melbourne Writers Festival, Maxine Beneba Clarke received a standing ovation for her opening address in which she pushed for greater diversity in literature. ‘Something powerful stirred,’ she said of reading the few books with diverse characters available to her as a teenager, from Sally Morgan to Judy Blume. ‘These were stories about difference and sameness, about home and unbelonging. They were my stories.’' (Introduction)
'I am a child of Malaysian-Chinese parents, but was born and raised in Australia. Throughout my childhood (and, to be honest, even now), I never truly felt comfortable within the categories of “Malaysian,” “Chinese,” or “Australian.” I languished in the hyphenated mess that was Malaysian-Chinese-Australian, afraid i would never truly belong. so when I encountered the term “diaspora,” i felt something inside me breathe a sigh of relief. but even though I had a name for what I was feeling, it didn’t necessarily resolve my confusion around my identity.' (Introduction)
