Speakeasy 31 with Yong Shu Hoong & Will Beale

Speakeasy #31 was held on 17 May 2017 at Artistry with poets, Yong Shu Hoong and Will Beale.

Shu Hoong is one of my favourite poets and Frottage one of the best Singaporean poetry books published. Will Beale is such an exciting poet who uses music to great effect.

If you missed this reading, or want to hear more, then do come along to "Singapore & Australia: connections, country & belonging”, a literary roundtable presented by Sing Lit Station on 22 June 2017 at 3A Jalan Kubor. 

Shu Hoong and Will, and also Balli Kaur Jaswal, David Wong and Eileen Chong, will be reading and discussing their Singapore Australian connections.

Tickets are available here.

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows Book Launch @Booksactually

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows was sold out at Books Actually last Thursday night after Balli Kaur Jaswal's book launch.

Another wonderful, warm novel from Balli, and a very enjoyable book launch.

Here's a review from one of my favourite newspapers, The Economist.

Many thanks and hats off to the multi-talented Daryl Qilin Yam for taking most of these images.

All images are copyright Jon Gresham and Daryl Qilin Yam, all rights reserved. Please contact me if you wish to purchase rights to use an image.

SingPoWriMo 2017 Closing Party

SingPoWriMo 2017 closing party at Sing Lit Station.

The roti prata was very nice. The poetry even nicer. Well done to all the winners. 'Bread talks, but the kopi tiam.'

Don't forget to support the SIngPoWriMo 2017 Anthology at Indiegogo

This year's anthology will be edited by Ruth Tang, Stephanie Dogfoot and Daryl Qilin Yam.

Shanghai

A list of some of my favourite short stories with links to the stories (for educational purposes only).

FH Team Club Med Phuket

What a wonderful bunch of people to work with. We had a lot of fun in those days!

Muay Thai, Bangkok

‘several things dovetailed in my mind and at once it struck me, what quality went to form . . . Achievement especially in Literature & which Shakespeare possessed so enormously – I mean Negative Capability, that is when man is capable of being in uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason.’

John Keats 

Writing The City FB Page & Shanghai

Writing the City, the craft based writing workshop for Singapore based writers run by Sing Lit Station now has a Facebook page here.

So do join up!! The schedule for workshops this year is below. Do email me if you would like further information.

Speakeasy 30 The Valentine's Edition 2017

The Valentine’s Edition of Speakeasy was held at Artistry on 10 February 2017 to a packed and sweaty audience overflowing to the tables outside.

I was privileged to read some of my favourite love poems, and thankful that I was placed first so by the end of the evening everybody had forgotten me. On stage I took my glasses off so I couldn’t see anyone, but forgot to raise the microphone stand to suit my height. This means that the only photo of me reading shows me as a hunchback with toothache. Thanks to Shu Hoong for that photo. 

I should also thank Shu Hoong for giving me me my very first reading in Singapore at the Book Cafe near Mohd Sultan Road in 2003 where I read my story We Rose Up Slowly. Prof. Kirpal Singh spoke on that evening a long time ago too about creativity. 

Back at Speakeasy, you can see by these images that Shu Hoong has done well to retain his youthful, calm thoughtfulness - to be contrasted with Ashley50 whose up front good looks and virulent utilitarian pragmatism remain as erotic and enticing as ever.

The set list, courtesy of Pooja, was as follows:

1. Jon Gresham 

• Moonage Daydream - David Bowie
• Topography - Sharon Olds
• You're Beautiful - Simon Armitage

2.Marylyn Tan 

• Lick My Butt - Justin Chin 
• Pluto. 3 - C.A. Conrad 
• Energy Eulogy - Aaron Freeman

3. Balli Kaur Jaswal 

• Our Union - Hafiz 
• You fit into me - Margaret Atwood 
• What the Living Do - Marie Howe 
• Good Bones - Maggi Smith

4. Darryl Whetter. 

• Keeping things whole - Mark Strand 
• Somewhere I have never travelled - e e cummings
• Ghazal IV - John Thompson

5. Paul Tan 

• Rings - Carol Ann Duffy 
• Soup -Boey Kim Cheng 
• Extract from Atlantis - Marc Doty

6. Yong Shu Hoong 

• A blade of grass - Brian Patten, 
• The innocence of any flesh sleeping - Brian Patten 
• Someone's coming back - Brian Patten

7. Ruth Tang 

• Meditations at Lagunitas - Robert Hass 
• The Glass Essay - Anne Carson 
• Your Goodness - Arthur Yap

8. Daryl Yam 

• For Love - Robert Creeley 
• Poems by Saif

9. Will Beale 

• Short & Tall by Sam Ferrante (book: Pick Me Up)
• Train to Rosanna by Arielle Cottingham (book: The Tarantist's Soapbox)
• Forgiveness & Forgetfulness by John Englezos (book: If The World Were Upside Down)

10. Ian Chung 

• Thoughts on Unpacking by Thom Gunn 
• They tell us the first time we make love it should be with someone special - Cheryl Julia Lee

11. Barrie Sherwood 

• Sonnet to Guido Cavalcanti - Dante Alighieri

12. Samuel Lee 

• A day in the life of your suitcase - Selima Hill 
• The visitations of prejudiced angels - Selima Hill 
• Married people going to work - Jenny Joseph

13. Renee Ting 

• Stay Still - Pooja Nansi 
• Without You - Tania De Rozario 
• Boats- Cyril Wong

14. Ashley 50 

• He Who Buildeth - Edwin Thumboo 
• Like Making Love, it is always easier the second time - Ng Yi Sheng

15. Cyril Wong 

• Dancing on my own - Robyn

A larger version of the images is here. Please in all cases ask me for permission if you wish to use any image. 

I note I am available to take promotional, marketing portraits or event shots for a fee. Please contact me if you are interested.