Earlier this month, I was delighted to find out that Crossing the Farak River was nominated for the Canada Writers’ Trust, #drawtheword challenge. Drawings need to be posted by the end of the month – so there is still time!
To enter, all you have to do is:
- Buy and read a new Canadian book published in Spring 2020
- Draw something inspired by the book
- Post your work at #DrawtheWord on social media, tag @writerstrust, and nominate two more readers to take part
Take part and you can win books! Challengers, Margaret Atwood, Johnnie Christmas and Jenny Heijun Wills will choose 4 winners. The winning artists get a package of Canadian books and the features book authors receive $500 to help them write another. Take a look at the competition on the the Writers’ Trust website.
The Writers’ Trust promotes Canadian writing and supports Canadian writers with fellowships and prizes. It’s a unique organisation. The only one of its kind in the world.
If I was going to #drawtheword for Crossing the Farak River, I think I would draw the puppets from Isak’s family stall. Puppet shows are a big part of entertainment in Myanmar. In fact, public announcements on how to vote in the 2015 election were done as puppet shows in some of the more remote villages.
Back in 2017, I was lucky to meet master puppeteers at a Yangon University Creative Arts conference. Puppet masters train for years in the intricacies of puppet choreography.
Here’s the ogre that inspired one of the scenes in Crossing the Farak River:
Explore some of the other #drawtheword entries to get inspired.