Meeting with an American University Lecturer, Poet/Writer at Lucky Seven.
Yesterday afternoon, I was given an-hour time to meet with an experienced Khmer-born American poet/writer Luoth Yin, lecturer at the Washington University, USA at the Lucky Seven restaurant in front of Cambodiana Hotel. As tri-lingual poets and writers, we talked about things related to poetry, short stories writing and trend on readership here and in the USA where he has lived for more than three decades now.
He kindly gave me a book titled "The Heart's Legacy", the translation of his poetic work into a well-poetically prose English-language book by Dr.John Marston. It was about a long love-correspondences collection in which two Cambodian youth had their stories trailed through, and submerged in, the Khmer Rouge regime.
Also, I was given five Khmer-English books of stories collection published by the Nou Hach Literary Association "Collection of Cambodia Short Fiction" for free distribution.
I gave him my kids' tale "The Young Golden-Furred Squirrel," published by an organization. Years ago, the non(?)-profit organization contacted me for my further submissions of children's tales but I refused on account that I was given just US$ 150 for my work whereas the organization printed it to an amount of more than 10,000 copies in two editions, and even I, as the writer, was asked to pay US$ 1 for each of ten copies of my own work when I needed some for distribution to relatives and friends.
At an international conference of writers hosted by a foreign center a year ago where a representative of the organization was an invitee and I attended, she spoke that her organization had led non-profit activities, even though I myself was asked to pay for some copies of my own work. I felt then that if I had been given time to take the floor, I'd have said, "Everyone working to promote readership in Cambodia, please do not do anything exploiting to the detriment of the writers, such as using the thinly-veiled forum of stories contests and the likes to collect writers' works to publish for their organization's benefit."
Furthermore, my contact was intentionally omitted by the organization in its editions, a thing that was strange and kind of what I'd prefer the word "non-honesty" to dishonesty to express my deception.
To date I've written several good tales for children, short stories, novels, all but two have never been submitted to any contests. Of the two submissions -- both won first prizes -- one is the above-said tale. And another is a short story titled "Destiny Built in Deep Heart from Both Hands" that won first prize at a national-level contest on Children's rights, but not yet published.
The other works, with no pic-illustrations yet, are: Monkey Race-Beaten by Turtle, The Last Runner, A Young Kitten and A young Swan, The Magic Chalk, etc., A short concocted fiction-nonfiction short story: Penchey in Wonderworld, The Discolored Life (novel), ... all in didactic genre.
Beside the works above, I've written more than 500 poems (and 1196 poems as of June 30, 2016), most of them in English and Khmer and some in French on my blogger and Facebook page that have been read in about 70 (seventy) countries of the five continents, though I have not yet compiled them in e-books and print books.
COMMENTS
Puthpong Sao: Thanks to you all for Likes: Sok Kipo, Zenen Dela Cuadra, Dr. Bryan Humphrey, Monghak Yong, Teacher Jing Jing Sar
30 June 2014 at 16:06
Puthpong Sao: Thanks also go to Jennifer Hughes, Sao Samnang, Chakriya Phou for Likes.
30 June 2014 at 23:01
Puthpong Sao: Thank also Sarith Eat and Neang Sopheak for Likes.
1 July 2014 at 00:37
Ravuth Chung: Wow! Are they available in bookstores in PNH?
1 July 2014 at 15:45
Puthpong Sao: The Heart's Legacy is available at bookstores such as The Monument Book.
2 July 2014 at 19:22
Pol Vann Chaom Mony: Bong Puthpong, There are many injustice and hypocrisy in this world, especially in our country, which in contrast to English democracy where the success story of Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling was made either.
Puthpong Sao: Brother Vann Chaom Mony Pol, that's why I feel discouraged in writing and publishing in such rampant piracy and unfair exploitation. I've asked several guys who know the cartoon making. Some expressed their verbal interest, some turned their deaf ears. And that international organisation did ask me to submit my works, but I insisted for dividend-sharing cooperation and they refused, just wanted me to sell at low price. I feel psychologically exhausted.
Puthpong Sao: I remember well words uttered by an English woman, Mrs Jennifer Hughes, then a member of Women International Group, when we met at Costa Coffee for the second time in 2014, where she introduced me to a young American poet/writer/librarian Greg Bem. I showed them my works in my computer and she said if I were in their country "You would earn big, big money" from writing.
Pol Vann Chaom Mony: For the path to success of J.K. Rowling, if I remember correctly according to wikipedia, she started exploiting her writing skill when she lost her job. No printing press agreed to print her short story though, except one almost bankrupted newspaper. I am not sure the intellectual law in England, but I believe she earned the dividend rather than just selling her intellectual rights, because when her novel became popular, the Hollywood would have bought the right from her, not from the company. Otherwise she might not become rich. You are right, their intellectual law is much better.
Puthpong Sao: A publisher in Singapore did ask me several times when I was in hospital ... and recently if I was still interested in publishing my works. But I said couldn't say now when I'd been for surgery. On the other hand, I've hesitated. A Khmer American poet/writer did suggest me to actively engage in writing. He said I'd make myself as a leading writer and poet in modernism.
July 1, 2016
He kindly gave me a book titled "The Heart's Legacy", the translation of his poetic work into a well-poetically prose English-language book by Dr.John Marston. It was about a long love-correspondences collection in which two Cambodian youth had their stories trailed through, and submerged in, the Khmer Rouge regime.
Also, I was given five Khmer-English books of stories collection published by the Nou Hach Literary Association "Collection of Cambodia Short Fiction" for free distribution.
I gave him my kids' tale "The Young Golden-Furred Squirrel," published by an organization. Years ago, the non(?)-profit organization contacted me for my further submissions of children's tales but I refused on account that I was given just US$ 150 for my work whereas the organization printed it to an amount of more than 10,000 copies in two editions, and even I, as the writer, was asked to pay US$ 1 for each of ten copies of my own work when I needed some for distribution to relatives and friends.
At an international conference of writers hosted by a foreign center a year ago where a representative of the organization was an invitee and I attended, she spoke that her organization had led non-profit activities, even though I myself was asked to pay for some copies of my own work. I felt then that if I had been given time to take the floor, I'd have said, "Everyone working to promote readership in Cambodia, please do not do anything exploiting to the detriment of the writers, such as using the thinly-veiled forum of stories contests and the likes to collect writers' works to publish for their organization's benefit."
Furthermore, my contact was intentionally omitted by the organization in its editions, a thing that was strange and kind of what I'd prefer the word "non-honesty" to dishonesty to express my deception.
To date I've written several good tales for children, short stories, novels, all but two have never been submitted to any contests. Of the two submissions -- both won first prizes -- one is the above-said tale. And another is a short story titled "Destiny Built in Deep Heart from Both Hands" that won first prize at a national-level contest on Children's rights, but not yet published.
The other works, with no pic-illustrations yet, are: Monkey Race-Beaten by Turtle, The Last Runner, A Young Kitten and A young Swan, The Magic Chalk, etc., A short concocted fiction-nonfiction short story: Penchey in Wonderworld, The Discolored Life (novel), ... all in didactic genre.
Beside the works above, I've written more than 500 poems (and 1196 poems as of June 30, 2016), most of them in English and Khmer and some in French on my blogger and Facebook page that have been read in about 70 (seventy) countries of the five continents, though I have not yet compiled them in e-books and print books.
COMMENTS
Puthpong Sao: Thanks to you all for Likes: Sok Kipo, Zenen Dela Cuadra, Dr. Bryan Humphrey, Monghak Yong, Teacher Jing Jing Sar
30 June 2014 at 16:06
Puthpong Sao: Thanks also go to Jennifer Hughes, Sao Samnang, Chakriya Phou for Likes.
30 June 2014 at 23:01
Puthpong Sao: Thank also Sarith Eat and Neang Sopheak for Likes.
1 July 2014 at 00:37
Ravuth Chung: Wow! Are they available in bookstores in PNH?
1 July 2014 at 15:45
Puthpong Sao: The Heart's Legacy is available at bookstores such as The Monument Book.
2 July 2014 at 19:22
Pol Vann Chaom Mony: Bong Puthpong, There are many injustice and hypocrisy in this world, especially in our country, which in contrast to English democracy where the success story of Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling was made either.
Puthpong Sao: Brother Vann Chaom Mony Pol, that's why I feel discouraged in writing and publishing in such rampant piracy and unfair exploitation. I've asked several guys who know the cartoon making. Some expressed their verbal interest, some turned their deaf ears. And that international organisation did ask me to submit my works, but I insisted for dividend-sharing cooperation and they refused, just wanted me to sell at low price. I feel psychologically exhausted.
Puthpong Sao: I remember well words uttered by an English woman, Mrs Jennifer Hughes, then a member of Women International Group, when we met at Costa Coffee for the second time in 2014, where she introduced me to a young American poet/writer/librarian Greg Bem. I showed them my works in my computer and she said if I were in their country "You would earn big, big money" from writing.
Pol Vann Chaom Mony: For the path to success of J.K. Rowling, if I remember correctly according to wikipedia, she started exploiting her writing skill when she lost her job. No printing press agreed to print her short story though, except one almost bankrupted newspaper. I am not sure the intellectual law in England, but I believe she earned the dividend rather than just selling her intellectual rights, because when her novel became popular, the Hollywood would have bought the right from her, not from the company. Otherwise she might not become rich. You are right, their intellectual law is much better.
Puthpong Sao: A publisher in Singapore did ask me several times when I was in hospital ... and recently if I was still interested in publishing my works. But I said couldn't say now when I'd been for surgery. On the other hand, I've hesitated. A Khmer American poet/writer did suggest me to actively engage in writing. He said I'd make myself as a leading writer and poet in modernism.
July 1, 2016
