Announcement: Sharpened Word Literary Happenings (July 16)

The monthly Sharpened Word Literary Matinee is back for its tenth edition next Saturday on July 16.

During the third Saturday afternoon of every month, a number of writers are brought together in Old Andersonians’ Club to share with the audience their literary journey.

The objective is to celebrate the literary arts through a community event where writers can connect with their readers.

The panellists could be amateur writers or illustrious authors in various media. Whatever their level of competency, everyone has a story to share, and there is usually a lesson to take away from another person’s experience.

The writers will first read from their work and then participate in a Q & A session on the writing process with the audience.

This month’s Sharpened Word will see two panellists sharing their work. With the title “Writings by Two Nyonyas”, this edition features Dr. Lee Su Kim and Melissa Chan.

Dr. Lee Su Kim is a sixth generation Nyonya with roots in both Penang and Malacca Peranakan communities. She has written ten books of fiction and non-fiction, including the bestselling ‘Malaysian Flavours: Insights into Things Malaysian’ based on her column in the ‘The Star’ and ‘Manglish: Malaysian English at its Wackiest’.

Her first work of fiction explores the life-stories of the Babas and Nyonyas famed for their cuisine and flamboyant material culture in ‘Kebaya Tales: Of Matriarchs, Maidens, Mistresses and Matchmakers’. It was awarded the national Popular-Star Readers’ Choice Awards, 2011. This was followed by ‘Sarong Secrets: Of Love, Loss and Longing’ in 2014. Her book ‘A Nyonya in Texas: A Straits Chinese Woman in the Lone Star State’ explores with humour, cross cultural encounters between East and West.

Dr. Lee is a writer, speaker, language consultant and cultural activist. Previously Associate Professor at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, she has more than thirty years of teaching and researching experience. She was an invited speaker to the Ubud Writers & Readers festival, Bali 2009 and the Singapore Writers Festival in 2014. She is the founder member and first woman president of the Peranakan Baba Nyonya Association of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

Melissa Chan is the Housekeeper for the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum, Melaka. The museum is a house where four generations of the Peranakan Chinese Chan family lived since 1861. Visitors to the house are taken back in time on a journey as they walk through this late 19th Century and early 20th Century house. The museum was opened to the public by Chan Kim Lay who is the fourth generation of the family, in 1985.

Melissa is the fifth generation of the Chan family. She left her career running an advertising business in Kuala Lumpur when her uncle Kim Lay passed away, to be a part of this family endeavour. Today she focuses her time on developing creative ways to share the story of the Peranakan Chinese in Malacca with visitors. She is currently working on an illustrative book which she hopes will inspire the younger generation to appreciate their own heritage. She will be reading one story from this book for Sharpened Word. The book will be launched later this year.

As you will notice, this edition of Sharpened Word sees diverse levels of experience among the writers, who have taken on different literary journeys and they definitely have a wealth of experience to share.

To keep abreast with information about Sharpened Word Literary Happenings, log on to www.fb.com/sharpenedword.kinta

Event: Sharpened Word Literary Happenings
Venue: Old Andersonians’ Club
Add: 932, Jalan Hospital, Ipoh.
Date: 16th July, 2016
Time: 2pm – 5pm

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