Reading in colours

Written by straits-mongrel

Sunday, 31 January 2010 00:27

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A little rainbow descended upon a birthday celebration in Jalan Tempinis yesterday. About 40 people of various hairdos, waistlines, colours, ages, nose and eye shapes dropped by Readings at Seksan's. Readings, as the name informs, is a monthly gathering of people who enjoy literature, and it just turned five.

Over the years, the event has drawn a stream of local and foreign talents who come by to read their own work. Doesn't matter if you're published; if you dream of being a writer, this may just be your platform.

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These days Readings is organised by Sharon Bakar, book addict and owner of the popular blog Bibliobibuli. The cheery British native, who has made Malaysia home for over two decades, calls it a happy accident, which she now tirelessly puts together the last Saturday of every month.

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Meet Readings real mum. Bernice Chauly formed the sessions during those early months until personal commitments forced her to step away. She never left though, and yesterday afternoon the artist-photographer-writer-actor-filmmaker was back yet again.

Bernice read from two chapters of her current work, an autobiography of her family, leaving behind wonderful ripples in all and most intensely amongst the pendatangs in the audience.

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Jo Kukatas' piece, stylishly quiet, captured a certain loneliness emanating from the recollection of an uncle.

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O Thiam Chin mused over the Monkey King, forever hoping, anticipating and fearing.

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Elaine Foster announced in a verbal drumbeat that the Revolution Will Not Be Televised. The girl can stomp.

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Kam Raslan, acknowleged with the most Readings appearances, delighted with the story of a Dato and his nose. The man has some of the most interesting facial expressions without realising it, I tell you.

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And Rahmat Harun... Man, this self-confessed sampah seni really rocks. He whispered, shouted, rattled, wheezed and whined. Oh, and he showed everyone how to go fly a kite.

readings1 Just as the monoethnic Perkasa Selangor was being launched in Ampang yesterday, a little rainbow came by Seksan's as it did for one Saturday each month for the past five years. Instead of demanding, it shared. Violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, red. No, make that read.