Tag: “BooksActually”

Joint Letter About BooksActually from Math Paper Press Authors

Victor Fernando R. OcampoLeave a comment

All my thoughts are already articulated in this statement I have co-signed. There is absolutely no place for sexual harassment or exploitation in Singapore’s literary community or anywhere else.

As members of the literary community, we were angry and disheartened to read about the accounts of past employees at BooksActually. We do not condone any behaviour that is non-consensual or exploitative in any way. We acknowledge their hurt, and honour the courage of these people for speaking up. The bookstore has provided space for a diversity of writers for more than a decade. As authors who have been published by Math Paper Press, the publishing arm of BooksActually, we acknowledge the contributions that BooksActually has made to our literary scene.  Nonetheless, we believe that any wrong must be righted and perpetrators must be held accountable for their actions. We also acknowledge that our writing community should do better, and that scarce resources should never be an excuse for unacceptable behaviour. We commit to creating a transparent and safe community where no one should have to suffer in silence; we’ll actively work to welcome all into the conversation.

We urge BooksActually and its present owner, Kenny Leck, to account for past mistakes and work on guaranteeing a safe and healthy environment for its employees. We welcome the decision to transfer Kenny’s ownership of the bookstore to the team, and await to see how the transfer of ownership will transpire within the bookstore. If BooksActually wishes to receive the support of our writing environment, we need them to fulfil their promises of outlining and enforcing better procedures and policies, including an anti-harassment policy.

We hope that BooksActually emerges from this controversy and becomes a bookstore we can depend on and love.

Signed:

Alfian Sa’at
Ally Chua
Amanda Chong
Ang Shuang
Ann Ang
Ashley Ho
Audrey Chin
Christine Chia
Cyril Wong
Daryl Qilin Yam
David Wong
Felix Cheong
Jee Leong Koh
Jennifer Anne Champion
Jerrold Yam
Jon Gresham
Krishna Udayasankar
Loh Guan Liang
Mahita Vas
Mani Rao
Marc Nair
Meihan Boey
Ng Yi-Sheng
Nurul Amillin Hussain
O Thiam Chin
Qamar Firdaus Saini
Rodrigo Dela Peña Jr.
Sanjay C Kuttan
Shelly Bryant
Stephanie Chan
Tania De Rozario
Topaz Winters
Verena Tay
Victor Fernando R. Ocampo

On behalf of themselves and 6 other MPP authors.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=110865048023181&id=110848271358192

The Infinite Library and Other Stories available again at BooksActuallyShop.com

Victor Fernando R. OcampoLeave a comment

Support local bookstores this pandemic quarantine period. They are a treasure to local communities and they need your help more than ever.

Iconic Singapore bookshop Bookactually‘s physical store may be temporarily closed, but let’s continue to support them and their three crazy feline deities online.

Things are not looking very bright for the world right now. The daily cycle of bad news and the challenges of being locked away wear out both our bodies and souls. It is precisely at this time that we need to remember that books can offer a great degree of comfort through the welcome distraction of entertainment, and more importantly, through their accumulated knowledge and wisdom.

Moreover, they also offer hope through dark days. Hope that whatever problems facing us in life, there is a book somewhere that will help deal with it. Until the world reaches a new normal, let’s all ride out this difficult period with a book in hand (or two, or ten).

On that note I am pleased to announce that Math Paper Press has made a second impression of my first collection of short stories, The Infinite Library and Other Stories.

Copies of the first printing ran out shortly before the 2019 Singapore Writers Festival and the few paperbacks floating around were going for an astonishing USD$35 (SGD$49) each. I am happy to note that you can now buy a brand new copy at the BooksActuallyShop for much less, at only USD$13.35 (SGD$19). If you buy 3 other books, the three cats who run the store, Cake, Pico and Lemon (and their human assistant Kenny Leck) will provide free shipping in Singapore.

Shortlisted for both the United Kingdom’s 2018 International Rubery Book Award for the best books by independent writers, self-published authors, and books published by independent presses, and by the Asian Books Blog for the 2017 Book of the Lunar Year Award.

“Lovingly spun and told with a keen eye on familial relationships, as well as the inexorable desires of humankind, these stories signal that Ocampo may well be becoming the gold standard in South-east Asian speculative fiction.” – Clara Chow, book review in the Singapore Straits Times.

“Fundamentally, The Infinite Library and Other Stories is a book about possibility, limitation, and the boundary between them. In imagining alternative possibilities and stretching them to the point of snapping, Victor Fernando Ocampo engages in an act of profound political importance, aesthetic significance, and philosophical rigor that is a serious pleasure to ingest.” – Deven Philbrick, prose editor for the Seattle Review writing for Singapore Unbound

“The ideas that power this collection are not just incredibly imaginative, they also weave a hybrid crossing through magical realism, allegory and science fiction, that ‘synchronicity’ Ocampo mentions in one of his stories.” – Elaine Chew, interview at the Asian Books Blog

Dreaming of Stranger Futures

Victor Fernando R. OcampoLeave a comment

Thank you to Kenny Leck, #BooksActually and the #SingaporeBookCouncil for inviting me to this #BuySingLit 2020 panel. Thank you also to everyone who attended last Saturday’s event despite the current coronavirus situation.

Dreaming Of Stranger Futures
Panelists: Lu Hui Yi, Nicholas Yong, Victor Ocampo
Moderator: Ian Chung

What’s the worst thing that could happen to your home? What about the best thing? And what can our answers to these questions tell us about our deepest desires and values? Three writers of fantasy, speculative fiction, and science fiction discuss the potential in their genres for articulating our politics, and new visions of the future.

Lontar Retrospective at #SWF2018

Victor Fernando R. OcampoLeave a comment

We celebrated 10 issues of LONTAR: The Journal of Southeast Asian Speculative Fiction last 8 November at a retrospective panel sponsored by #BooksActually. The event was held at the sidelines of  @SGwritersfest #SFW2018, and hosted by Michelle Martin of MONEY FM 89.3.  Christina Sng and I were on the panel, along with founding editor Jason Erik Lundberg. In the audience were comics editor Adan Jimenez and several contributors such as Theo Melwani and Wayne Rée. Poetry editor Kristine Ong Muslim could not be around (but was definitely there in spirit).

received_300887220518262

With our favorite LONTAR covers (L-R) Michelle Martin holds a copy of Vol 6; Christina Sng picked Vol 5; me with Vol 9, and Jason with Vol 10. The cover of Volume 6 illustrates my story “Brother To Space, Sister To Time” while Volume 9 featured another of my stories “Father Is The Blood, Mother Is The Wine”.

20181108_232402

Michelle introducing Christina.

received_264856377560697

Shortly after Christina talked about pontianaks, this ghostly bride appeared above us.

20181108_211557

With New York based writers Ellie Rhymer and Manish “Theoretical Starchild” Melwani (who contributed “The Tigers of Bengal” in issue #7 and “Sejarah Larangan; or, “The Forbidden History of Old Singapura” in issue #10).

Three Quick Reviews of The Infinite Library And Other Stories

Victor Fernando R. Ocampo2 Comments

A great big ‘Thank you!” to everyone who has read my book and and an even bigger shout-out to those who have sent me kind words over social media — especially to the three excellent folks below who took the time to write me reviews:

(1) First there is vlogger Rachel Tan who does her Rachel’s Now Reading reviews on Youtube.  You can check out here video here .

Rachel Reads Review

(2) I am a big fan of Ng Yi-Sheng‘s work, whether it be his poetry, stories, performances or his important advocacy work for LGBTQ issues. Thank you for spending some time to read my stories!

Screenshot_20181020-180607_Facebook(3) Lastly, thank you to the anonymous BooksActually Elf that did the review for “The Infinite Library And Other Stories”.  You can read it here.

BooksActually Review

You can get copies of my book delivered to you by BooksActually here.

Flash Fiction Workshop

Victor Fernando R. Ocampo1 Comment

Another late post;

I ran a flash fiction workshop late last year which turned out to be a most interesting experience. There were about 12 participants who ranged in age from 12 to 71. Most had not done any serious writing previously. It was great teaching them the fundamentals of story structure and how to provide a complete prose narrative in a very concise and compact format. What I enjoyed the most was discovering the reasons why people wanted to write:

“I have so many stories inside me” – a 71-year old retiree

“I want to be able to communicate better in English.” – a Japanese expat’s housewife

“I want to surprise my girlfriend.” – a college student

“It will help me do my work.” – a business manager

“I want people to know who I am.” – a 12 year old girl.

 

Flash Fiction Workshop 2018

The Official Book Launch of “The Infinite Library And Other Stories”

Victor Fernando R. OcampoLeave a comment

Another very late post.

The Infinite Library And Other Stories (Math Paper Press 2017) was launched last 7 November, 2017, 8:30 PM at the Gallery II of the ArtsHouse during the Singapore Writer’s Festival.

A second launch event for the general public  was held at 4:00 PM, last 12 December 2017 at Neo Kinokuniya in Singapore.  Thank you to Math Paper Press publisher Kenny Leck for hosting the programme.

Thank you to everyone who attended! “The Infinite Library and Other Stories” is available from BooksActually at 9 Yong Siak St, Singapore 168645 and the Neo Kinokuniya store at Ngee Ann City 391 Orchard Rd, 04-20/20B/20C/20E, Singapore 238872.

Screenshot_20171216-105220

 

Exceedingly Late Post: The 2017 Singapore Writer’s Festival Wrap-up

Victor Fernando R. OcampoLeave a comment

It’s almost time for the 2018 Writer’s Festival and I realize that I had never posted my pictures from last year’s run.

Top to bottom, left to right: (1) SWF Opening, (2) Outside the festival grounds, (3) Watching a panels while seated on LKY’s chair,  (4) With Junot Diaz, (5) “Writing between Genre Lines” panel with Desmond Kon Zhicheng-Mingdé (moderator), Aliette de Bodard, Jason Erik Lundberg and O Thiam Chin, (6) With Dean Alfar, (7) With Lavie Tidhar, (8) Crab dinner with Aliette, Jason, Nikki, Pat and Dean, (9) Peranakan lunch with Ken Liu, and (10) birthday dinner with Aliette.

Here are some pictures from my panels:

  • The Real Science in Science Fiction – with Shelly Bryant, Kevin Martens Wong, and Dave Chua moderating
    5 Nov, Sun 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    The Arts House, Living Room

  • A Brave New World: Speculative Fiction in Singapore – with Jon Gresham, Christina Sng , and Gene Tan moderating
    6 Nov, Mon 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
    The Arts House, Chamber

Lastly, check out the special packaging for my book The Infinite Library and Other Stories  which was only available at the festival venue.

FB_IMG_1534216392361

 

My Book Birthday

Victor Fernando R. OcampoLeave a comment

20170928_160143

It was the book birthday of The Infinite Library and Other Stories last 28 September. If you would like to get an advanced copy, it’s available at the independent bookstore BooksActually ahead of the launch at the Singapore Writers Festival (on Tuesday, November 7 from 8.30 pm – 9.30 pm at the Gallery II of The Arts House).

Trivia time: What else shares my book birthday?

In 2015 NASA scientists announce the discovery of flowing water on Mars.

In 2008 SpaceX launches the first ever private spacecraft, the Falcon 1 into orbit.

In 1987 “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” debuts on syndicated TV

In 1965 Taal Volcano explodes in Batangas, Philippines killing around 100 people

In 1928 Juan de la Cierva completes the first helicopter flight over the English Channel

In 1901 Filipino patriots defeat 48 members of the US 9th Infantry in Balangiga, Samar

In 1066 William the Conqueror invades England, landing at Pevensey Bay, Sussex

20170928_160408