Literary events in Sri Lanka tend to attract a crowd, although literary enthusiasts have had very few events to attend in the past two years. However, this weekend holds some promise, as the New Ink Forum will be held on Saturday (2 July) at the Lakmahal Community Library in Colombo 3.
The New Ink Forum is an independent literature forum for new Sri Lankan writing in English and is organised annually by a team of literary enthusiasts. Founded in 2020, the event was held online last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, however, literary enthusiasts can meet in person once again.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and entrance is free. The New Ink organising team comprises Tinaz Amit, Shez Cuttilan, Nelani de Costa, Chathushkie Jayasinghe, Chiranthi Rajapakse, and Vihanga Perera.
New Ink 2022 will be a mixture of authors reading from their books and discussions. There will also be a very topical keynote address on the role of creativity and protest in Sri Lanka, the organisers said. The full line up of panellists can be found on the New Ink website, www.newinkforum.wordpress.com.
The Morning Brunch reached out to the organisers of the event to learn more about New Ink and what visitors can look forward to on Saturday.
This year’s event offers a lot to visitors. Tell us a bit about the panels and participants as well as what we can expect from New Ink 2022.
There’s a lot for visitors to look forward to. You can listen to some of your favourite authors as well as discover new authors, browse and buy books (the participating author’s books will be on sale), or just enjoy a coffee and a chat. There will be a mix of participating authors – the line-up comprises novelists, poets, and short story writers; to name a few, Ashok Ferrey will be reading from An Unmarriageable Man, which was just awarded the 2021 Gratiaen Prize, and Shehan Karunatilaka will be reading from his novel Chats with the Dead.
A parallel virtual space with readings from eight writers will also be aired online through the New Ink blog in the run up to the main event on Saturday. Follow the New Ink Facebook page for updates on this.
New Ink was first held in 2020, right before the pandemic really broke out in Sri Lanka. The following year, the event was online. How does it feel to have the event in a physical setting once again?
Well, we are all people who crave the company of others, especially the like-minded. When we were planning our third episode of New Ink and had the opportunity to have a physical one, we thought, why not. When everyone and everything came together and fell into place, we were ecstatic!
This year, New Ink will be held amidst an economic crisis. Has this posed challenges of its own?
Yes. Organising an event with limited resources has come with more than its fair share of challenges. But we had a lot of support from our participants who were all enthusiastic about being a part of this, and that helped a lot. We also want to thank those who came forward to help sponsor this event.
As the event draws closer, is there anything the team is particularly concerned about?
Like everyone else, we’re concerned about transport issues. We’re hoping that it will get better by the day of the event. We have also decided to livestream the sessions on the New Ink Facebook page, for those who will not be able to attend physically.
What are you most looking forward to about New Ink 2022?
There is a really interesting line up this time – established names as well as debut authors. We’re looking forward to listening to them and also to having an in-person event after a while.
You will also be organising a virtual platform this year. Why did you think of going with a combination of the two? What can people expect from the New Ink virtual platform?
The New Ink virtual platform was created for all of us to listen to little snippets of stories and to get to know each featured author. A backstage pass to their book, so to speak. Authors participating in the virtual platform include Marianne David reading from all of the oranges and Upali Mahaliyana reading from Just One Slip. The virtual readings will be aired online through the New Ink blog. Follow the New Ink Facebook page for updates on this.
Literary enthusiasts in Sri Lanka, especially Colombo, look forward to events like the New Ink Forum. As literary enthusiasts yourselves, how important are such events?
Like we mentioned above, we love to delve into newly published books and authors. The forum is an opportunity to showcase new work, reflecting the true nature of our name. It’s a great chance to connect readers with writers. Writing a book is the hardest part! But once it’s published you also need to tell readers about your book and there are not many forums in Sri Lanka where new authors can do this. It’s great to have a relaxed space where you can listen to authors talk about their books.
Given the participation the first two events saw and the interest in the third event, can we look forward to New Ink next year as well?
Of course! We might come up with new ideas, in a year, hopefully, the country will be stable by then. Left to be seen!