New Ink goes online on June 4,5 and 6

By Yomal Senerath-Yapa

Now in its second edition, New Ink, the literary forum for writers newly published within each calendar year, has gathered quite a buzz around it. Established by a group of young volunteers to allow writers to share their writing, discuss challenges, and create a network, the forum this year happens virtually, via Zoom, on June 4, 5 and 6.

Last year’s forum was abuzz with a mix of the published and the unpublished mingling with veterans. A total of 20 writers, academics and critics got together, with readings by a range of writers from the 2019 Gratiaen winner Andrew Fidel Fernando to shortlisted young writers with unpublished manuscripts too being featured. Discussions were held on the challenges and motivations for those writing among memory, lived experience and fiction, the legacy of Jean Arasanayagam and Carl Muller and a rather explosive panel discussion on “What ails the moving picture?”

This year, the forum breaks new ground. The keynote address by R. Cheran will focus on writing and teaching about survival of mass atrocities, while there will also be a panel discussion on ‘Narratives of the Conflict World’. These two together, the organizers hope, “will perhaps create one overarching theme on which most Sri Lankan writing is based on; conflict, survival of conflict and writing as a social activism responding to conflict. This will probably reflect on the discussions where the writers will talk about the various conflicts - be it personal, social, ethnic, or political - that inspired their writing.”

Gratiaen 2020 shortlisted writer Ameena Hussein, together with Thakshala Tissera and Mahesh Hapugoda, both language and literature academics and critics, will lead the panel on their future vision of Sri Lankan English Writing. The discussion is expected to focus on where English writing in Sri Lanka currently is, and where it is heading.

The reading and discussion panels list a host of published and debut writers of fiction and poetry including Yasmin Azad, Carmel Miranda (shortlisted for Gratiaen Prize 2020 for her debut novel Crossmatch), Kandiah Shriganeshan, Dilshan Boange, Amanda Wick, Dilshani Yasodya, Neshantha Harischandra, Sandaru Wijerathne and Madri Kalugala.

For more information and for links to the event, please visit https://www.facebook.com/New-Ink-110815763795161.