It was another blazingly hot Saturday in June. Muhammad Haji Salleh – a Malaysian poet laureate walked to the rostrum and launched Northern Writers at Garden Villa, 5 Jalan Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, Ipoh, 4th June 2011. ‘Girls’ from The Ipoh book Club supported the event by bringing finger food, water and a typical Ipoh glamour while writer and academic Paul GnanaSelvan lent his moral and physical support, as did the members of The Kinta Heritage Group. Kamal Sabran, Nur Hanim Mohamed Khairuddin and The Space Gambus Experiment provided freshly innovative music especially for the occasion.
Yusuf Martin brought the initiative of writers reading to appreciative audiences - this time out of Kuala Lumpur and into the northern state of Perak. Northern Writers continues a trend once set by Ipoh girl Bernice Chauly (poet, actress, writer) back in 2005, when she began ‘Readings’ by writers in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. Sharon Bakar continued when Bernice had to take a step backwards due to illness in her family. When she returned, Bernice began another set of readings, this time at the No Black Tie club, again in Kuala Lumpur.
In the first of an on-going monthly series, housed in a 100 year old building - lent for the events by Kinta Heritage and the Eu Foundation, Yusuf enticed Perak born Professor Dr Muhammad Haji Salleh to deliver some of his renowned poems including The Forest’s Last Day- found in his collection Rowing Down Two Rivers. Ipoh boy, radio and TV broadcaster/actor - Patrick Teoh regaled a most attentive audience with snippets from his latest book – Teology, Bernice Chauly read from a forthcoming work and Graham McEune had his audience in fits of laughter reading from his book - Up Country – largely set in Perak.
That was but the beginning. Each month Northern Writers presents four different writers, from different aspects of writing and reading – poets, novelists, short story writers, writers about writing, columnists, play and screenwriters etc, on the first Saturday of every month, in Garden Villa, Ipoh.
Local, international, citizen and expatriate writers, readers and audiences are all most welcome in the stunningly beautiful black and white antique wooden villa – the only stipulation is that you take off your shoes, and don’t smoke in the building.
Shady trees add ambience to the grounds which are set back from the main road, as the Anglo-Malaysian building adds atmosphere to the presented events. In modernity, the Garden Villa building has been intended, by the Eu family, for the purpose of promoting arts and culture, and a more perfect fit could not be imagined than Garden Villa - and the Northern Writers’ events.
Northern Writers is a non-profit organisation, began by Yusuf Martin, with the concept of bringing an understanding of writing, arts and culture, entirely free, to areas north of Kuala Lumpur. It is an understanding that those writers who participate in Northern Writers do so free of charge, as do the organisers and supporters. Entrance is free to all who enjoy the arts.
Northern Writers intends to open itself up to the general public, and not be in the slightest elitist. There is opportunity for all to learn about different aspects of writing, editing, publishing as well as listen to practised writers read from their works – national and international. At times artists and cartoonists will be invited to talk about art and/or their artworks. Sometimes the format will be audience/reader, and at other times discussion and Q&A will seem more appropriate but, whatever the format, the dual intention is to entertain and promote literacy in the broadest possible sense.
