Why Are The Tribunal Verdicts Important?
This morning brought the news that finally, after eight years, the final two verdicts of Guilty have been made in the UN's Tribunal to bring the Khmer Rouge to account for the atrocities they committed against their own people nearly fifty years ago. The UN-backed...
A New Magazine for Travellers
A new website called Just Go Places has been created on the web, and it aims to bring travellers together in a space where they can share their experiences and inspirations -- but in a professionally written and beautifully constructed space. Part of the website is a...
Hello Film Lovers! Hello Edinburgh!
Starting tomorrow, 9 July, there will be a special film series beginning in Edinburgh at the Scottish Storytelling Centre. The Just Independent Asian Film Festival aims to open our eyes to the realities of Asia today as seen through some of its newest and most...
Billy Collins, Poetry and Dogs
In my last post, I admitted my confusion about gardens. Here, I admit my general indifference to dogs. And I call myself a Brit? Oh well... But I do love poetry, and I do love Billy Collins, and I confess to loving TED Talks. (I have met Billy Collins briefly, but my...
Sarah Salway Digs Up Paradise
I'm a city dweller. Cities are what draws me, and if not cities, then coastlines. So, although I've always liked gardens, and even admired some, I've never really "gotten" them. It always felt as if there was some secret I wasn't let in on. I never really understood...
'Ssh, by John Eliot
A new poet, a new collection. 'Ssh (love the title), is by the poet, John Eliot, who is quietly coming on the scene. It is also illustrated by Anne Lamali with a series of line drawings which are peppered throughout the text and really do complement the total. This...
Poets Popping Up
How adorable is that? No, I won't be sitting on top of Stonehenge on Tuesday, but I will be helping to celebrate the approach of the summer solstice by being one of four featured writers at: Midsummer Pop Up! Tuesday, 17 June, from 7.30 onward (come around 7 if you...
Writing Through Cambodia Goes National
A lot has happened to my writing workshop lately. For the past four years, I have been running a creative writing workshop at the educational shelter, Anjali House, in Siem Reap, Cambodia. From the start, I believed it was a wonderfully successful experience both for...
In The Weekly News!
Thanks to the interviewing, writing and perseverance of Helen Hunt (http://www.helenmhunt.co.uk), an article about me, my novels and the work I do in Cambodia was published in a recent edition of The Weekly News. Although we didn't find out about the article until...
The Last Reel
In the past, Cambodia had a thriving film industry. That, like everything else, was obliterated in the 1970's by the Khmer Rouge. But that industry is now coming back to the extent that a Cambodian film, The Missing Picture, was nominated for an Oscar this year....
Coincidence?
I didn't mean to write a post while I was away in Paris. So just think of this as a little greeting from the banks of the Seine. It's been a wonderful few days. During the weekend, my husband and I mostly ate, lurching from one wonderful meal to the next, as one does...
To Research in Paris
I'm no fool. When I started thinking about what else I wanted to explore through my series of Cambodian novels, I thought to myself, "Gee, there is a rich and complicated history between Cambodia and France. I love Paris. I'm sure I need to do some research on the...
"This is not a coup": Thinking about Thailand
It is impossible to care about Cambodia without caring about Thailand. The two countries share similar languages, culture and religion. Their histories are very much intertwined, sometimes as allies, sometimes as adversaries. If they are not brothers, then surely they...
Researching in Real Time
The decision to set my next novel against the backdrop of Cambodia's political situation today -- as in today today, like now -- is proving more and more fascinating all the time. I never know what will show up on my twitter feed while I'm eating my breakfast,...
A Question of Narration
I'm starting to think about novel four. That in itself amazes me. I have written and published three novels -- my first one, Tangled Roots, about a physics professor; and then my two Cambodian novels, A Clash of Innocents and Out of the Ruins. Clearly, there are some...
US Amazon Screws Small Presses, or Why You Can't Get My Books From Amazon.Com
Within 2 hours of landing in Boston, I was told by a friend that she couldn't get Out of the Ruins via the US Amazon site. She said they had accepted her order weeks ago, only to be eventually told it was unavailable. Hmmm, I said. The next day another friend told me...
Why NOT to Stop Being a "Voluntourist"
A friend of mine posted an interesting article on Facebook. It's called "The Problem with Little White Girls (and Boys)." Certainly a provocative title which got me reading...and that is what a good title should do, after all. But I continued to read because the...
Made in Greenwich!
This Wednesday evening, 30 April, I will be participating in my first event since I've returned from my SE Asian book tour. And I couldn't be more pleased. Made in Greenwich is a gallery, arts centre and meeting place which focusses on encouraging and promoting...
Researching the Next Novel
I try to give myself a break. I know that the year in which a new novel is published needs to be devoted to giving that novel the best start in life it possibly can get. That means spending a year setting up events, running workshops, writing pieces for blogs,...
From Contract to Shelf: The Let-Down
Over the years, I have read, and written, a lot of advice about writing, but I have to admit, this is a subject I don't read very much about. My guess is, though, that it effects more writers than not. There certainly has been a great deal of research and writing...
Beautiful Words, by Nik Perring
Nik Perring is an incredibly creative and innovative writer whose work I've been following for years now. I first wrote about him here when I discussed his collection of short stories called Not So Perfect. At that time I wrote: Not So Perfect is a masterclass in...
On the Radio and Otherwise in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur was the last stop on my SE Asian book tour. In 36 hours I had two events. One evening I drove about an hour out of town to the campus of The University of Nottingham, Kuala Lumpur. There I was hosted by the writer, Shivani Siguranathan, and was the guest...
From Contract to Shelf: The Book Tour
World-weary authors will talk about their book tours with bleary eyes and gravely throats. But I do love my little tours, although they cost me money (don't be fooled into thinking they pay for themselves or that anyone else will pay for them for you -- unless you're...
What to Write Next?
By the time anyone reads this, I will have said my goodbyes to Cambodia for now, and will be setting off on my book tour around SE Asia. First stop, Bangkok. So it seems like a good time to take a moment and reflect on this trip in Cambodia, specifically how it will...
At the New Leaf Cafe, Siem Reap
Last night was my last literary event of my stay, and it was great that it was held at a new non-profit initiative, the New Leaf Cafe. This is a cafe cum bookshop cum arts hub and they specialise in selling books and then giving the proceeds to local NGO's. I read a...
Reading, Teaching and Writing in Phnom Penh
I am now back "home" in Siem Reap after a four day whirlwind in Phnom Penh. I love that city -- yes, I know many people think I'm crazy. But it is full of fascinating people doing important work. It is like a teenager inching its way out of adolescence and into young...
Teaching in the Country Village of Banteay Chmar
I have just returned from an amazing adventure. I have spent one week teaching my Writing Workshop to the children being supported by the French NGO Enfants du Mekong in the northern country village of Banteay Chmar. First, let's talk about the trip there. They had...
The Writing Process
Over the past few months, a series of blogs have been posted by writers describing their writing processes. I think there are probably as many approaches as there are writers. But Emma Lee asked me to answer some questions about mine, and so I've taken some time out...
Imagination is Power!
Amid the beautiful gardens of La Residence d'Angkor Hotel, we launched the 2014 Anjali House Creative Writing Workshop. After four years of running the program, this evening party has become one of the highlights of the school year. The 16 students from this year's...
Gone Fishin'
In the middle of the week, the older kids at Anjali House had a very special treat. Actually, my husband, Don, was the one who had the biggest treat of all. A group left early in the morning and had a day of fishing, cooking, and hanging around. Of course, the goals...
Contact Author
Feel free to contact Sue
Oops! We could not locate your form.