“Only in Malaysia” to be taught at Ohio University

“Only in Malaysia” from Lovers and Strangers Revisited will be taught at Ohio University in the USA in a class titled "Exploring Malaysia's Diversity through Film and Fiction" by Habibah Ashari PhD, Tun Abdul Razak Chair at the Center for International Studies.  “Home for Hari Raya” a second story from the collection may also be taught for the same class, though not yet confirmed.   

I’ve been invited to take part in an upcoming Skype conference with the students (my first), which should be exciting especially since it’ll take place 6:30 am Malaysia time!  This way we can coordinate with their class time at Ohio University. (If only their class time was at 8am, it'd be 8 pm here, but with the little boys it won't be so quiet!)

This will be my second Ohio University connection.  In December 2011, I was informed by Frederick Lewis, a professor of film/video at Ohio University that he and his students will be adapting my short story “Home for Hari Raya” into a film.

 “Only in Malaysia” is now the eighth story from the collection, as far as I know, that has been taught at a university or private college in Malaysia or overseas. The others are: "Neighbours", "Smooth Stones", "Waiting", "Home for Hari Raya", "Mat Salleh",  "On Fridays", "Symmetry".  Then the collection was taught at USM in a "Singaporean and Malaysian Literature English" course at University Sains Malaysia. 

"Neighbours" has also been taught in SPM Literature in Malaysia—and it just got another extension to 2014!  A ninth story "Teh-O in KL" has been taught in high school in Canada, which I found out by accident years after it was already being taught. If you happen to know of others, please let me know.  Thanks!

   —Borneo Expat Writer

*Skyping with Ohio University 

**Update, the 20th anniversary of Lovers and Strangers Revisited 

Here are links to some of my author-to-author interviews of first novelists:

Ivy Ngeow author of Cry of the Flying Rhino, winner of the 2016 Proverse Prize.

Golda Mowe author of Iban Dream and Iban Journey.

Preeta Samarasan author of Evening is the Whole Day. 

Chuah Guat Eng,  author of Echoes of Silence and Days of Change. 

Plus:

Five part Maugham and Me series

Beheaded on Road to Nationhood: Sarawak Reclaimed—Part I