Next weekend: The 2nd KL ALTERNATIVE BOOKFEST (KLAB)

KLAB is back!

(Some details on the first one last year can be found here. It is co-organised by Zulhabri Supian and myself. It is held, once again, in conjunction with Art for Grabs, at The Annexe Gallery, Central Market KL. 

Date: 09.05.2009 - 10.05.2009

Time: 12.00 - 8.00 PM

Featuring indie publishers, NGOs and also zines and DVD sellers: 26 booths in total! They are:

1. Gerakbudaya 2. SIRD 3. Horizon 4. Matahari Books  5. Oxygen & Sang Freud  6. Holograms  7. Da Huang Pictures  8. REFSA & Amnesty International  9. Aliran & The Malaysian Insider  10. Chetak Syndicate  11. The Dram Projects  12. Silverfish  13. Yayasan Tuanku Nur Zahirah  14. ZI Publications  15. Sisters in Islam  16. CIJ  17. MSRI   18. Sindiket Soljah  19. APD   20. MEGC & IKD  21. Emedia  22. Chin Yew  23. Ricecooker & Ying Ying  24. CERT  25. Tinta Publishers  26. Suara-Suara

The book-related events:

Saturday 9 May:

4 pm - TAXI TALES ON A CROOKED BRIDGE 

Book Launch and Reading by Charlene Rajendran & Friends

Presented by Matahari Books 

Charlene Rajendran is a Malaysian teacher and theatre practitioner who has been living in Singapore for eight years, and she refuses to own a car. Taxi Tales On A Crooked Bridge chronicles her conversations with taxi drivers all over the island republic. Quirky and jaunty, this book shows that there's no telling what bridges can be built -- whether the journey is crooked or straight!

5pm - Book Launch: NAJIB’S CHALLENGE: Glory or Oblivion? by Barry Wain & UNMASKING NAJIB by Lim Kit Siang

Presented by REFSA

What will be Najib’s legacy for our beloved country? Barry Wain offers his thoughts on this “hot” topic while LKS compiles posts from his blogs into a book. Officiated by Tunku Abdul Aziz, Chairman of REFSA (Research For Social Advancement)

6pm - Book Launch: Dewangga Sakti Tertinggal Kapal Angkasa Di Hari Pelancaran Buku ‘KACIP’ Pipiyapong”

Presented by Sindiket Soljah

 

Dewangga Sakti terdiri daripada 6 orang pemuzik tradisional Melayu zaman sekarang yang melagukan karya-karya mistik dengan bunyian instrumen akustik. Manakala blogger hip Pipiyapong akan melancarkan karya beliau bertajuk Kacip yang lucu dan mencuit hati pembaca.

6.40pm - Book Launch: Berseronok dengan Perempuan Dalam Poket
Pelancaran buku Puisi Poket 1: Akulah Perempuan Muda itu oleh Shaira Amira
Presented by Sang Freud Press

Buku Akulah Perempuan Muda Itu adalah himpunan puisi seorang perempuan muda, Shaira Amira,  yang lahir melalui konsepsi imakulat di sebuah negeri jauh satu waktu dulu.  
Puisi Poket adalah satu usaha untuk mengambalikan puisi kepada yang hak, yakni kau dan aku. Cukup kacip dan comel untuk disumbat di dalam kocek, ia sesuai dibawa dan dibaca di mana-mana; sewaktu menunggu teman di elarti, sewaktu naik elarti bersama teman dan selepas menyalakan rokok di belukar bawah landasan elarti setelah habis berbincang bahasa tubuh dengan teman.

Sunday 10 May:

2.30pm - PENCERAHAN DAN KOSMOPOLITANISME
Talk by Khalid Jaafar, director of Institut Kajian Dasar
Khalid Jaafar akan bercakap tentang buku-buku terbitan IKD dan konsep di sebalik penerbitannya. Khalid juga akan menyentuh tentang kontroversi yang melanda IKD akibat beberapa buku yang dikatakan memesong umat Islam.

4.30pm - READING LOLITA IN KL: Forum/Reading 

Presented by Sisters In Islam (SIS) 
Celebrate the freedom to read! Join Marina Mahathir, Cecil Rajendra, and others as they read poetry and excerpts from books, plays, scripts, etc that have been banned in many countries throughout history.

For the full list of events (including those not book-related, click here. Phew!)