The Tiny Lit Fest 2020 is a series of micro-events over 10 days to celebrate and amplify local literary efforts and communities.
This year, this includes masterclasses with prize-winning authors from Singapore and Australia, dialogues and panels about local literature and literary communities, workshops for readers in a digital age, art installations, poetry readings, book launches, publishers’ pitches, and many more.
The festival is supported by the Australian High Commission and Progresif.
The Scoop is official media partner for the event.
1. Reading the Waves, an art installation
Date: Friday, December 4
Time: Installation is open to public from 2pm and will be on display until Dec 13. The Box opening hours are 10am-10pm.
Venue: The Box
Price: Free
Organiser: The Tiny Lit Fest, supported by the Australian High Commission
The launch of Reading the Waves, an art installation created by UBD’s Design and Creative Industries programme, with materials donated by the Brunei Shell Recreation Club. The installation will be open to the public at The Box throughout the festival.
2. From Self-Censorship to Social Media: A Panel on Challenges to Local Journalism
Date: Friday, December 4
Time: 3-4pm
Venue: The OzoneBrunei
Price: Free. Book your seats here.
Organiser: The Scoop
Why do some stories make the news and others don’t? Do reporters just regurgitate press releases without investigating further? Does real journalism exist in Brunei?
All these questions and more in a panel hosted by The Scoop, that explores what purpose journalism serves in a community where independent reporting is limited; why social media and citizen journalism has replaced traditional news sources; and how ‘fake news’ has become such a powerful force in shaping public perception of events.
The speakers will include journalists from several local media outlets ranging from print to digital.
3. In Conversation with Kathrina Mohd Daud, author of “The Fisherman King”
Date: Friday, December 4
Time: 8-9pm
Venue: The Corner, BSB
Price: $5. Purchase your tickets here.
Organiser: Heartwrite Co x Sarah Ghazali
Sarah Ghazali and Heartwrite Co host an intimate conversation with the author of The Fisherman King on writing Brunei, book prizes and local folklore.
4. Comic Book Panel
Date: Saturday, December 5
Time: 3-5pm
Venue: Zoom
Price: Free. Register here.
Organiser: Fanboys Infinite x Social Good Outpost
Khai Anwar of Brunei’s very own comic book store, Fanboys Infinite, will be joined by Nicola Scott of DC Comics and ‘Wonder Woman: Year One’ fame, and the award-winning comic book writer, Andrew Constant, to discuss comics, the impact of the pandemic, and the ins and outs of comic book publishing.
5. Case File: The Unsettled Souls
Date: December 5 & 6
Time: 7.45-9pm (Sat, Dec 5) | 1.45-3pm (Sun, Dec 6)
Venue: Relentless Academy
Organiser: The Creative Core BN x 247 Studios
A private event, please DM @thecreativecorebn for more details.
6. Immersive History Walk in Bandar
Date: Sunday, December 6 & 13
Time: 9am (first tour), 11am (second tour)
Meeting point: The Corner, BSB
Price: Adults $5; children 9yrs and under $2
Organiser: What’s Neue x MedleyHouse
A family-friendly one-hour long immersive walking tour through Bandar, which will bring you through a number of sights, including old “China Town” and the first ever land deed in Brunei – one for history buffs and lovers of a good story.
7. It’s Lit in the Library
Date: Sunday, December 6
Time: 9-11am
Venue: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, BSB
Price: Free
Organiser: B:read, Single Mama Speaks BN and Little Bamboo Brunei
For the second time at the Tiny Lit Fest, fun for all the family in the library, with book-related activities including reading, arts and crafts and discussions. A great way to nurture a love of reading in your little ones.
8. Book and Bake Sale
Date: Sunday, December 6
Time: 10am-5pm
Venue: The Box
Organiser: Books Beyond Brunei
Book lovers and foodies unite! A day of books and bakes at The Box hosted by Books Beyond Brunei.
9. Publishers’ Pitch
Date: Sunday, December 6
Time: Afternoon
Venue: TBC
Organiser: AD Comics
Are you a writer or artist looking to get your work published? Keep an eye on @adcomicsbn for more details on this event that will bring together local publishers.
10. Design Sprint
Date: Sunday, December 6
Time: Afternoon
Venue: The Box
Organiser: Kaleidoscope
If you’ve ever wanted to design a book cover, Kaleidoscope will be hosting this design sprint for a local manuscript. Watch this space!
11. Brunei BookTube + Bookstagram Panel
Date: Sunday, December 6
Time: 4-5.30pm
Venue: The Corner, BSB
Price: $7 for general entry; $5 for students. Register here.
Organiser: Akhmal Aiman
A conversation with local BookTubers and Bookstagrammers — Akhmal Aiman, May Cho, Nisa Isa and Safarah Nordin — to learn more about reviewing books through YouTube and Instagram and creating content to reach a new generation of readers.
12. Children’s Publishing and the Launch of “The Tales of Borneo”
Date: Sunday, December 6
Time: 7-9.30pm
Venue: Zoom
Price: Free. Register here.
Organiser: Heartwrite Co x Social Good Outpost
Ever wanted to write your own children’s book? At this talk, leading Australian and Singaporean children’s publishers and editors will be discussing the ins and outs of children’s publishing. The talk will begin with a special 15-minute debut screening of The Tales of Borneo and a performance by Special Need Learners arranged by the Keningau Vocational College of Sabah.
13. The Stella Prize Masterclass
Date: Monday, December 7
Time: 2.30-5pm
Venue: Zoom
Price: Free. Register here.
Organiser: Heartwrite Co x Social Good Outpost
The Stella Prize is a major literary award celebrating Australian women’s writing, and this digital event will see its director Jaclyn Booton in conversation with two acclaimed writers, the poet Laniyuk and journalist Sarah Ayoub. The conversation (open to all) will be followed by two masterclasses run simultaneously by each of the two authors (limited slots).
14. Self-Censorship in Southeast Asian Writing
Date: Wednesday, December 9
Time: 12-1pm
Venue: Zoom
Price: Free. Register here.
Organiser: Heartwrite Co x Epigram
Hosted by Epigram Books, this digital conversation will bring together the four finalists from the Epigram Books Fiction Prize 2020 — Joshua Kam, Sunisa Manning, Erni Salleh and Kathrina Mohd Daud — to talk about writing and re-writing Southeast Asia.
15. Small Publishers
Date: Wednesday, December 9
Time: 4-5.30pm
Venue: Zoom
Price: Free. Register here.
Organiser: Heartwrite Co x Social Good Outpost
This digital talk will feature small and independent publishers and editors from Australia and Malaysia (Revolutionaries, the Centre for Stories and Buku Fixi) who will be in conversation discussing voices from the margins and the stories that often go untold. The event will also see the launch of Revolutionaries’ debut publication, ‘I AM ARMY’, which features a Bruneian writer.
16. Writing for Theatre: Masterclass with Alfian Sa’at
Date: Thursday, December 10
Time: 2-5.30pm
Venue: Zoom
Price: The talk is free, please register here. The masterclass is $25 and is limited to 12 slots. To book, DM @heartwrite.co or email them at mailto:heartwritepub@gmail.com
Organiser: Heartwrite Co
Alfian Sa’at is the award-winning resident playwright of Wild Rice in Singapore, and the co-artistic director of the biennial Singapore Theatre Festival. In the first part of this digital event, he will be in conversation with local academic Dr Rinni Amran (open to all), followed by a two-hour masterclass on writing for theatre (limited slots).
17. A Year for the Books: Books, Reading and 2020 in Brunei
Date: Thursday, December 10
Time: 7.30-9pm
Venue: The Corner, BSB
Price: $5. Book your seats here.
Organiser: B: Read x Sarah Ghazali
A survey in the UK found people doubling their weekly reading time during lockdown, and while we don’t have similar data available in Brunei, we do have reps from book clubs, bookstagrammers, and booktubers to chat about rising reading culture in 2020.
Join us for an evening with Sarah Ghazali, Ain Bandial, Akhmal Aiman, and @12__read, as they discuss their reading communities, top books of the year, and how events of 2020 have affected reading habits in Brunei.
18. Picnic for Peace
Date: Friday, December 11
Time: 8-11am
Venue: The Box
Price: $10. Contact @moretobloom.bn to book.
Organiser: More to Bloom Mindfulness
This three-hour programme to introduce children to the dialogue of cultural and individual differences, will include mindfulness activities, storytelling, discussion sessions, arts and crafts, and will end with play and a picnic.
19. Book launch and book sales
Date: Friday, December 11
Time: 9am-7pm
Venue: The Box
Organiser: Dr Aammton Alias, M Content Creations, The Unicorn Space & Friends
Join bestselling local author Aammton Alias for a mini-launch of his latest book. The event will also feature an opportunity to meet M Content Creations, which is seeking local writers and illustrators for book, e-book and content creation collaboration.
19. A Night of Female Voices
Date: December 11 & 12
Time: Evening
Venue: TBC
Organiser: Salted Egg Theatre
Private event by invitation only. Contact @saltedeggtheatre for details.
20. Launch of Janji Journal and “Dissection of an Artist” panel
Date: Saturday, December 12
Time: 2pm-4pm
Venue: Dewan Silaturrahim, Pusat Belia
Organiser: The Brunei Writers
The Brunei Writers launch the first issue of Janji Journal¸a local literary journal. The launch will be accompanied by a panel discussion featuring writers, a photographer, an art editor, on the topic of the “Dissection of An Artist”.
21. Pop-up art installation
Date: Saturday, December 12
Time: 7-9pm
Venue: The Collective Makerspace, Tungku
Organiser: Hana Zine and The Collective Art Events
This art installation, featuring fabric portraits and AV-installations, will be a preview of what to expect from Hana Zine’s upcoming visual manifesto in collaboration with Franz ‘Otep’ Lanzaderas of 100 creative visionaries.
22. How To Start a BookTube
Date: Sunday, December 13
Time: 9am-12pm
Venue: The Box
Price: $30. Register here.
Organiser: Akhmal Aiman
Ever wondered how to create your own booktube? This is your chance to learn all the required skills from local digital content creators Akhmal Aiman, May Cho and Bash Harry. This workshop will cover topics such as content creation, idea generation, technical skills, marketing and more.
23. A Cartoon Workshop with CuboiArt
Date: Sunday, December 13
Time: 11am-12.30pm
Venue: CO.LAB
Price: Free. Register here. Limited to 10 slots.
Organiser: The Scoop x CuboiArt
From the creator of the beloved Bruneian comic, Cuboi, comes a sketch workshop for aspiring cartoonists. Bringing his 20 years of experience, Rahim Jahit will take participants through the process of conceptualising a cartoon from start to finish, and show them how to take everyday observations and turn it into social commentary.
While no artistic experience is required from participants, they will need to download the free Autodesk Sketchbook app to a laptop or tablet to participate in this workshop.
24. A Storytelling Adventure
Date: Sunday, December 13
Time: 9-11am
Venue: Kampung Bolkiah Community Development Centre
Organiser: B:read, Single Mama Speaks BN and Little Bamboo Brunei
This pilot event invites children aged 4-12 to explore the world around them through books, play and imagination at the Kampung Bolkiah Community Centre. Based on the children’s book “The Gruffalo”, the children will watch a short animation followed by exciting, educational activities to fuel their creativity and ignite their love for stories.