New Asian Writing – Forging the way for a new generation of Asian writers

Could this be the dawn of Asia? The coming of a new global superpower? With all the troubles happening in the West at the moment, it seems as if Asia is the place to be. As more and more Westerners flock to the East to find a sense of purpose, in our ever-purposeless lives, a new kind of story is emerging, a new pilgrimage. But this time it ought to be all the more difficult. For, unlike the discovery of America, where we were the superior power, taking by force, this time, we come on humble terms: we are simply the tolerated visitor.

And so, for the pampered Westerner, it can come as quite a shock when we have to get used to the Asian concept of lowering ourselves to our superiors. We want things “our way” and get highly annoyed by people pushing into queues, or drivers turning without indicating. But here in Thailand, they have a different kind of politeness: everyone is free to get in first if they can, but no one is free to lose their temper.

But all this is positive change, though it may not be easy to understand why at first. We have had life far too comfortable in the West, far too pampered, far too spoon-fed. When we arrive on Asian soil, we have to learn to be resourceful if we’re going to survive this mass exodus. And so, an increasing majority of pilgrims in Asia are looking for new ways to better and improve themselves. Many of them become teachers, but ultimately, they look to new pastures for a sense of achievement. For many people, writing is becoming the best way of expressing their myriad feelings about adapting to an entirely new culture.

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.” — Arnold Bennett

I can’t speak for the whole of Asia, but my experience in Bangkok has shown me that people who spend more than a few years here tend to start a blog about some aspect of Thai life. These bloggers range from the pro to amateur, but all of them have a unique story to tell, all of them offer a glimpse of life in the “Land of Smiles.” Many of these bloggers then aspire to write a book, or work for a local newspaper; it’s a tempting option, and in many instances, a basic level of English is considered as valuable as gold dust in this linguistically-challenged country. Of course, some Thais speak excellent English, but the vast majority still speak “Tinglish”, an amusing mixture of the two languages: “I go with you.” “I love you mak mak.”

And so it was, on my very own version of this story, that I came across New Asian Writing (NAW). The NAW project was begun on January 1, 2010, by a group of like-minded individuals whose aim was to bring high quality short stories to readers, and the opportunity for aspiring new writers to have their works published. Their first book, The Rage of a New Ancestor, was released at the end of 2010, and since then, word has spread, and many more writers have submitted their work for the 2011 anthology; one of them is me!

When I first discovered NAW, I thought it too good to be true. I immediately set to work on writing a short story, hoping that it would be good enough to make the anthology. After about three months of work, I felt confident that my story was ready to be sent off to the team at NAW, albeit needing a few minor edits. When they got back to me telling me that my story had been accepted and only needed a few changes, I was ecstatic! My story, Lifelines will be published in the 2011 anthology at the end of the year. It’s not the first time I have had works published, but it is the first time I’ve been featured in a book; my last work was written for the iPhone, Bangkok in the 1930s, a walking tour that harnesses the power of archival imagery, storytelling, and GPS technology. The tour can be downloaded through Rama, the augmented reality app that brings history to life in a way never before imagined. I’m eagerly looking forward to the release of the book. In the meantime, you can read the story on NAW’s website, here.

To learn more about NAW, visit their website here. If you would like to buy a copy of The Rage of a New Ancestor, follow the link here.

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