The Near and the Far

From 21 of the best writers in the Asia-Pacific region comes a collection about finding connections where you least expect them.

It’s a sweltering night in Kuala Lumpur, and a journalist is protesting in a city on the edge of meltdown. It’s post-9/11 San Francisco, and a woman meets her foster child, who provokes painful reminders of her past. It’s contemporary Bangkok, and a writer’s encounter with ladyboy culture prompts him to explore gender boundaries. And high in Queensland’s Border Ranges, a boy prone to getting lost is having six tiny silver bells pinned to his chest …

The Near and The Far is what results when award-winning writers from Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Hong Kong share places, spaces, and ideas. Emerging from the Writers Immersion and Cultural Exchange program ― a unique series of residencies, workshops, and dialogues between writers ― this collection is a map of art and adventure, ideas and influences.

Featuring fiction and nonfiction from Cate Kennedy, Melissa Lucashenko, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Omar Musa, and many more, this collection bridges the distances between Asia, Australia, and the world. Every day is a border crossing, every story a threshold. Grab your passport and step beyond.

David Carlin is an award-winning writer and creative artist. His books include The Abyssinian Contortionist, Our Father Who Wasn’t There, and Performing Digital. David wrote and co-produced the radiophonic feature Making Up, which won four Gold and Silver awards at the 2016 New York Festivals International Radio Awards. David is vice-president of the international NonfictioNOW Conference, and Associate Professor of Creative Writing, co-founder of the non/fictionLab research group, and co-director of the WrICE program at RMIT University.

Francesca Rendle-Short is an award-winning novelist, memoirist, and essayist. She is the author of Imago and the acclaimed novel-cum-memoir Bite Your Tongue. Her work has appeared in a wide range of Australian and international publications, including Best Australian Science Writing, Overland, and The Essay Review, and her artwork is in the collection of the State Library of Queensland. Francesca is Associate Professor of Creative Writing at RMIT University, where she is co-founder and co-director of the non/fictionLab research group and the WrICE program.