Speakers
Neilson Hays
Bangkok
Literature Festival Program
Updates
- Oct. 8: We regret that Duanwad Pimwana has cancelled.
- Oct. 17: The updated film screening schedule is as follows: Starless Dreams – Saturday, 16 Nov.; Hope Frozen – Sunday, 17 Nov.
- Nov. 12: We regret that Melissa Lucashenko has cancelled.
16 November 2019
Saturday
16 November 2019
Neilson Hays Library Stage
- 08:30 – Registration
- 09:00 – Opening Ceremony
- 10:00 – Opening Panel: Revolt or Retreat?Adversity inspires great art…or does it? We examine how writers react to oppression and suppression in all its forms. Adam Johnson, Pankaj Mishra, and Anusorn Tipayanon in conversation with Nisid Hajari. ENG w/ THAI TRANS.
- 11:30 – Don’t Tell Me Who to Love/Don’t Tell Me Who To BeDo LGBTQ+ writers have an obligation to address sexuality in their work? Should sexual orientation or gender influence writing? Does the LGBTQ+ experience vary across regions? Do these stories need to be told? Writers on LGBTQ+ issues with Vitit Muntarbhorn, Darrel J. McLeod, Mike Curato, and Aimanan Anantalabhochai in conversation with moderator Nash Siamwalla. ENG w/ THAI TRANS.
- 13:00 – These FreedomsHer books have been banned in Myanmar, and the government condemned her to six years in Insein Prison for her words. Dr. Ma Thida discusses the long-term effects of censorship, which she likens to living in a virtual reality world. She’ll speak in conversation with Emma Larkin. ENG w/ THAI TRANS.
- 14:15 – Poetry Out LoudNo language is more universal than poetry. Lyrical writers discuss their work and read their verses in English and their native tongues. Zakariya Amataya, Qiu Xiaolong, and Michael Coroza, presenting their work in Thai, Mandarin, English and Tagalog. Moderated by Surapeepan Chatraporn in English.
- 15:45 – Lost and Found in TranslationThe relationship between writers and translators is incredibly complex, and involves much more than trading an English or Japanese word for a Thai word. Writers and translators gather to discuss the art of translation, including cross-cultural interpretation, taking liberties with language, and developing a deeper understanding of the text. With Veeraporn Nitiprapha, Kong Rithdee, Uthis Haemamool and Mui Poopoksakul. Conversation led by Pariyapa Amon-Wanitsan. THAI w/ ENG TRANS.
16 November 2019
The British Club Stage
(Enter from Neilson Hays Library)
- 09:00 – Registration
- 10:00 – Reading Little ElliotHello, book buddies! Are you ready to enter the world tiny polka-dotted elephants and ice-cream-eating mice? Join award-winning author-illustrator, Mike Curato, as he reads from his picture book series Little Elliot, featuring a small polka dotted elephant living in New York City with his best friend Mouse. Mike will also be sharing his own personal story as well as talking about his writing and illustrating process. Suitable for children between 2-12 years. ENG ONLY.
- 11.00 – The Art of Art Books with Oat MontienOat Montien crafts books that mix dreams with reality to whimsical effect, creating a cross between literature and art object. This session gives insight into the unique creative process of his book making, and provides ideas to start your own.
Suitable for creative young adults and grown-ups. ENG / THAI
- 12:00 - Crime SceneGo deep inside the Royal Thai Police and the Shanghai Police Department with writers John Burdett and Qiu Xiaolong. This epic pair will take the stage to talk about their wildly popular Sonchai Jitpleecheep and Inspector Chen series. Come along for the ride as they offer an engaging peek behind the police barricades. They’ll take you down dark alleys and share tales of Shanghai’s triads and Bangkok’s drug smugglers, revealing the plot twists that led to the creation of Burdett’s Buddhist cop and Qiu’s dashing poetry-quoting detective, in conversation with Rianka Mohan Udas. ENG W/ THAI TRANS.
- 13:00 - How the Past is PresentWorld War II. The women’s suffrage movement. The Partition of India. Award-winning writers bring historical events vividly into the present, tracing how the past shapes our economies, our cities, our politics, and our societies today. They also address the importance of getting history right, and what can go wrong when only part of the story is told. Featuring Raghu Karnad, Clare Wright, and Nisid Hajari, in conversation with Patrick Winn. ENG w/ THAI TRANS.
- 14:30 - The Prose of a MasterAdam Johnson won the Pulitzer Prize–one of the world’s most prestigious literary awards–for The Orphan Master’s Son, his surreal portrait of North Korea, which manages to be at once disturbingly dark and wrenchingly funny. He followed it up with an unusual next step: a book of short stories, Fortune Smiles. That book went on to win The National Book Award, another coveted prize. Journey into the mind of the man who imagined the kidnappings, work camps and soap opera stars of North Korea, revealing the human spirit in all its cruelty, compassion, and impossible beauty. In conversation with Darrel J. McLeod. ENG w/ THAI TRANS.
- 15.45 - Haresh SharmaS.E.A. Write Award-winning playwright Haresh Sharma has penned more than 100 plays, which have been staged in London, Glasgow, and Cairo. This Singaporean’s body of work is experimental and topical, and spans every genre from comedy and dramedy to the guttingly sad. Catch this first staging of his work in Thailand, as Bua Anuman Rajadhon and James Laver read a scene from Fundamentally Happy. After the performance, Haresh will discuss his work with Sarawanee Sukhumvada. ENG ONLY.
16 November 2019
Neilson Hays Library
- 18:00 – Film Screening and Talk: Starless Dreams
Murder and theft, drug dealing and addiction: young lives marked by traumatic stories lead to this Iranian “Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre” for girls. Some of the girls feel more at home in prison than they did with their families. A rare documentary glimpse inside a locked-up world and a respectful portrait of young women struggling to recapture some sense of personal dignity. PERSIAN w/ ENG, THAI SUBTITLES.
The screening is followed by a talk with Orasom Suthisakorn, non-fiction writer and founder of the prisoners’ advocacy group “Friends behind the Wall, and Panu Aree, film critic and lecturer on film business and documentary production.” THAI ONLY.
Tickets required.
16 November 2019
Chulalongkorn University
- 18:00 – Talk and Dinner: India: Remembering the Past, Negotiating the PresentJoin us on the leafy grounds of Chulalongkorn University for a conversation with two of India’s most notable literary talents, Raghu Karnad and P. Sivakami, followed by dinner. Karnad‘s first book, Farthest Field: An Indian Story of the Second World War, just received Yale University’s Windham-Campbell Literary Prize. The feminist writer and activist P. Sivakami is hailed as the first Dalit woman to write a novel. She gives voice to other women like her, who occupy the lowest position in India’s strict caste system.
Talk No. 1: Dalit Writers in Indian English Literature by P. Sivakami
Talk No. 2: The Ghost in the Kimono by Raghu KarnadENG ONLY.
Free, but registration and tickets required.
17 November 2019
Sunday
17 November 2019
Neilson Hays Library Stage
- 09:15 - TULA AT AWIT (Poetry and Song)Michael M. Coroza, poet, essayist, children’s story writer, translator, and professor reads some of his poems with musical accompaniment by his children—Miko, Haraya, and Miguel. The Filipino (Tagalog) songs may not be linguistically comprehensible to the audience, but sentiments pure and true are certainly without bounds.
- 10:00 – Make a Story with Mike CuratoMike Curato, author and illustrator of the wildly popular Little Elliot series, will be creating a story with the audience! He will be sharing tips on brainstorming as well as doing a live drawing demonstrations. Audience participation will be encouraged. Suitable for all children up to 10-12 years. ENG ONLY.
- 11:00 – Women, UninterruptedJust 12 percent of Nobel Prize winners in literature are female. For every female film character, there are 2.24 male characters. Women account for less than 7% of world leaders, and the UN reports a “serious regression” in the power of women across the world. With these figures as a backdrop, we put brilliant females together and find out what happens when women take center stage. Clare Wright, P. Sivakami and Jidanun Lueangpiansamut in conversation with Carina Chotirawe. ENG w/ THAI TRANS.
- 12:30 – Playing with FirePolitical earthquakes are shaking the world, and people everywhere are espousing the hatred of immigrants and minorities. In his book The Age of Anger: A History of the Present, Pankaj Mishra foretold the growing epidemic of malice that’s now spreading around the globe. But where is this rising tide of nationalism coming from, and where is it most dangerous: China, India, or the U.S.? Join him in conversation with Nisid Hajari. ENG w/ THAI TRANS.
- 13:45 – Violence Knows No BordersImagine spending six years in prison for writing words on a page. Or trying to find moments of poetry in a never-ending armed conflict. Or watching the torture of a meth user in the name of absolution. We talk to powerful writers who bear witness to conflict, corruption, and injustice, which spills across international boundaries. Patrick Winn, Zakariya Amataya, P. Sivakami and Ma Thida with moderator Cod Satrusayang. ENG w/ THAI TRANS.
- 15:15 – 1,001 StoriesZakariya Amataya in conversation with Kong Rithdee on the sublime riches of Arabic tales, Islamic literature and Middle-Eastern narratives. From Arabian Nights to Naguib Mahfouz, from Rumi to Satanic Verses – poet Zakariya Amataya and critic Kong Rithdee, both fans of Arab writers and Islamic literature, will sit down, sip tea and share their views on the books and writers from the Muslim world that influence their lives and their careers.
Note: This session replaces Too Much Lip with Melissa Lucashenko
- 16:15 – The Politics of the AbsurdThese days, it can feel like we’re living in a distorted universe, with the news reflected back at us through a funhouse mirror. What can fiction teach us about the affairs of the day? And what can we glean from real-world events that are so improbable that they feel like a fiction? A session with Nisid Hajari, Adam Johnson, Patrick Winn, Sarinee Achavanuntakul and Qiu Xiaolong, in conversation with Amy Sawitta Lefevre. ENG w/ THAI TRANS.
17 November 2019
The British Club Stage
(Enter from Neilson Hays Library)
- 09:00 – Registration
- 10:00 - Exporting Thai LiteratureBooks by Thai writers are having something of a moment. Pitchaya Sudbanthad’s first novel, Bangkok Wakes to Rain, was just published and has been shortlisted for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize. Jane Vejjajiva has had great success abroad with books like The Happiness of Kati. And writer Rewat Panpipat has been artist-in-residence in Taiwan and Shanghai this year alone. They sit down with translator Mui Poopoksakul to discuss their experiences and the challenges of getting their work in front of international audiences. THAI w/ ENG TRANS.
- 11:15 - Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of AgeA photo of a young boy smiles out from the cover of Darrel J. McLeod’s memoir. That boy is McLeod, and his eyes are so bright and his smile so big that the truth of his traumatic childhood feels piercing. As members of a Canadian First Nations Tribe, his family suffered generations of abuse, but McLeod drew on deep and mysterious spiritual forces handed down from his ancestors to ultimately thrive. He appears in conversation with Sarawanee Sukhumvada. ENG w/ THAI TRANS.
- 12:15 - Creative Rebels?Don’t try to fit Anusorn Tipayanon, Uthis Haemamool or Kanako Nishi into any kind of box. Working across many forms, these three artists are among the leading creative spirits in modern Thailand and Japan. Learn about their inspirations and how experimentation keeps their work vibrant and fresh. In conversation with Sine Intira Charoenpura. THAI w/ ENG TRANS.
- 13:30 - Are We Family?In good times and bad, through thick and thin…the unconditional love of family is one of literature’s most universal themes. But who gets to decide who qualifies as family? Can you pick your family? What obligations do family members have? S.E.A. Write Award winners come together to talk about the nature and meaning of love and this thing we call a family. With Michael Coroza, Haresh Sharma, and Veeraporn Nitiprapha; moderated by Surapeepan Chatraporn. ENG w/ THAI TRANS.
- 14:45 - Dialogue with Kanako NishiBorn in Tehran and raised in Cairo and Osaka, living between cultures has greatly influenced Japanese writer Kanako Nishi. She is best-known for her warm and distinctive personality and storytelling that esteems and blesses anyone, no matter their background. She has received many prestigious literary awards in Japan, including the Sakunosuke Oda Prize for Tsutenkaku (Osaka Tower), first Hayao Kawai Prize for Fukuwarai (Funny Face) and the Naoki prize for Saraba! This talk will explore the writing world of one of Japan’s most popular novelists, in conversation with Artch Bunnag. THAI w/ ENG TRANS.
- 16:00 - Democracy TrilogyWhat is lost when half of history is erased? Would our understanding of the world be different if history was told from the perspective of women? Clare Wright answers these questions and more in her Democracy Trilogy, which to date includes You Daughters of Freedom and The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka. She rewinds the tape of time to shine a light on two of Australia’s important fights for democracy–the women’s suffrage movement and the Eureka Rebellion–told from the vantage point of women. She’ll address the importance of crafting strong representations of more than just men, and the importance of including minority voices in the historical record. In conversation with Gwen Robinson. ENG w/ THAI TRANS.
17 November 2019
Neilson Hays Library
- 18:00 – Film Screening and Talk: Hope FrozenDirector Pailin Wedel’s first full-length documentary just won the Best International Feature Documentary award at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, the largest and most distinguished documentary film festival in North America. The award is a testament to the film’s powerful story. In 2015, two-year-old Einz became the youngest person in the world to be cryopreserved. Her head and brain now rest in a cryogenic tank in Arizona. Before her death, Einz fought cancer bravely. This convinced her parents she was determined to live. The film weaves personal footage of Einz’s life with observational scenes of the family following Einz’s death. It explores the technology used to preserve the human mind as well as the emotional struggle of a loving family—one devoted to reviving their daughter at all costs.
The screening is followed by a talk with director Pailin Wedel, moderated by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke. THAI AND ENG.
Tickets required.
17 November 2019
Chakrabongse Villas
- 18:30 – Talk and Dinner: Bangkok Wakes to RainThe festival closes on the banks of the Chao Phraya River – a fitting setting for a special presentation from Pitchaya Sudbanthad, whose debut novel Bangkok Wakes to Rain makes much of the city’s riverine setting. The author will discuss his book, which has just been shortlisted for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize.
The event will take place at Chakrabongse Villas, where BangkokEdge and River Books will also present an exhibition on “The History of Thai Printing,” which chronicles the evolution of the printing industry in Thailand. A mini exhibition on the history of Chakrabongse Villas gives festival-goers a chance to learn about the venue which was built in 1908 by HRH Prince Chakrabongse and currently is a residence of his granddaughter, M.R. Narisa Chakrabongse, director of the BangkokEdge Festival and CEO of River Books. ENG ONLY.
Session followed by dinner on the grounds of Chakrabongse Villas.
Tickets required.
The Neilson Hays Library
195 Surawong Road
Suriyawongse, Bangrak
Bangkok 10500, Thailand
The British Club Stage
Enter from Neilson Hays Library parking lot.
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Chulalongkorn University
Room 105, Maha Chulalongkorn Building
Chulalongkorn University
Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Chakrabongse Villas
396 Maharaj Road
Tatien
Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Our Partners
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Partner Hotels
Looking for a place to stay close to the main venues? Check out our partners, The Peninsula Hotel and The Royal Orchid Sheraton, located along the banks of the Chao Praya River.
