In Myanmar, poetry and popular uprisings have long been intertwined, from anti-colonial movements to pro-democracy protests. But who are the poets? Why have they played such a unique role throughout Myanmar’s history? And why does poetry still resonate in Myanmar's political scene while it fades into irrelevance elsewhere?
The book talk, ‘Frontline poets: The literary rebels taking on Myanmar's military,’ seeks answers to these questions, and features many extraordinary but sorely overlooked Burmese poems published in original English translations for the first time.
In a work of narrative non-fiction published by River Books, ‘Frontline Poets’ explores these topics through detailed profiles of five Myanmar poets. Intermixed with poems, illustrations and photography, the book charts their paths from youthful bards to the dramatic upheaval after the 2021 coup in Myanmar, documenting how they responded differently to seismic events in life and on the page.
Aung Naing Soe is a Burmese filmmaker and journalist. As a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow at Arizona State University, he covered immigration, the coronavirus outbreak, and the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2020, he went home for the general election and witnessed the military coup. He now covers civil unrest in Myanmar from his base in Thailand.
Joe Freeman is an American writer and researcher who has worked across Southeast Asia for more than a decade, reporting from Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines. From 2017-2020, he was the Southeast Asia correspondent for Agence France-Presse. Since 2021, he has worked for Amnesty International’s regional office, with a focus on Myanmar.
Moderator: Verena Hoelzl, independent journalist.
Books will available for sale on the night.
Attendees can also make a donation at the event for a Myanmar quake relief charity.
Members who wish to book in advance should email
aW5mbyB8IGZjY3RoYWkgISBjb20= or call the FCCT office on 02-652-0580 with the membership numbers.
Non-members can use this
https://www.ticketmelon.com/fccthai/frontline-poets-the-literary-rebels-taking-on-myanmars-military.
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