JOHOR BAHRU, Sept 11, 2015 – Academicians from Language Academy, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia took part in the annually held Johor Bahru Writers and Readers Festival (JBWRF) which attracted more than 5,000 people. 20 booths with more than 30 alternative and independent publication were part of the festival, which was held on 11-12 September 2015 at the Medini Mall, Nusajaya.
This year, JBWRF 2015 featured a Language Academy (LA) Poetry Workshop with facilitators Jeni Prater (a visiting scholar from US), Atiqah Shaharuddin and Nur Ain Mohd Shahroom.
According to BWRF organising director Riki Maulana, the objective of this festival was to provide a platform for independent writers and artists to meet members of the public. “JBWRF also aims to provide an avenue to promote the growth of writers and the reading community in Johor Baru. “It welcomes novelists, poets, journalists, bloggers, comic artists and book lovers.”
The festival also received guests from the Singapore Literary Prize award winning authors. Malay, English and Tamil writers were well represented. Among the alternative publications were Sindiket Sol-Jah, Anai-Anai Studio, Dubook Press, Lejen Press, Selut Press, Terfaktab, Comicore Club, and many more.
Activities included sharing sessions with writers, book launches, as well as musical performance by poet singer band, Fazleena and the Lasykar, and bestselling poet Fazleena Hishamuddin.
The festival ended with a forum paneled by both Malaysian and Singaporean writers titled ”BUKU: SENI ATAU INDUSTRI?”, the moderator was Ahmad Fadhil Mohamad Pakarul (GLKN), with Azalan Hussain (Sindiket Sol-jah), Aloy Paradoks (Selut Press) representing Malaysia, and Yazid Hussein, Mohd Pitchay Gani Mohd Abdul Aziz representing Singapore.
The event was sponsored by the Johor Baru Art Festival and Medini Mall. For those who would like to join JBWRF or need advice on alternative books and publications, call Riki Maulana at 012-2020031
Read More : http://dev.nst.com.my/news/writing-fest-offers-best-alternative-works
Event Website:
http://tokrimau.blogspot.my/2015/08/jbwrf-2015-tentative.html