Speakers
International Speakers
Adam Higginbotham’s first book, Midnight In Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World’s Greatest Nuclear Disaster, is an international best-seller and has been translated into 25 languages. It was named one of The New York Times’ 10 Best Books of 2019, won the 2020 William E. Colby Award for military and intelligence writing, and was awarded the 2020 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. His second book, a history of NASA’s space shuttle program and the 1986 Challenger accident, will be published in May 2024.
His narrative nonfiction and feature writing have appeared in magazines including The New Yorker, Wired, Smithsonian and The New York Times Magazine. Many of his stories have been optioned for development in film and T.V. The former U.S. correspondent for The Sunday Telegraph Magazine and editor-in-chief of The Face, he lives with his family in New York City.
Amy Sawitta Lefevre is an award-winning journalist and communications professional with more than a decade of experience reporting on stories from Asia-Pacific. She was Reuters’ deputy bureau chief for Thailand and Indochina, and has led communications at Fortune 500 companies in Asia. Amy is a recipient of The Society of Publishers in Asia’s (SOPA) Award and the Human Rights Press Awards (Grand Prize); she also contributed to a Reuters investigation that won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting. In 2021 her story, “Jungle Camps and Mass Graves,” was published in The Stories Women Journalists Tell (Penguin Random House).
Andreas Harsono has covered Indonesia for Human Rights Watch since 2008. Before that, he helped found the Jakarta-based Institute for the Studies on Free Flow of Information in 1995, and in 2003 he helped create the Pantau Foundation, a journalist-training organization, also in Jakarta. A staunch backer of the free press, Andreas helped establish Jakarta’s Alliance of Independent Journalists in 1994, and Bangkok’s Southeast Asian Press Alliance in 1998. He began his career as a reporter for the Bangkok-based Nation and the Kuala Lumpur-based The Star newspapers, and he edited Pantau, a monthly magazine on media and journalism in Jakarta. His published books include Race, Islam and Power: Ethnic and Religious Violence in Post-Suharto Indonesia, Literary Journalism: An Anthology of In-Depth and Captivating Reporting, with Budi Setiyono, and My “Religion” is Journalism.
Angie Thien has more than a decade of editorial experience across print and online media. Her professional journey includes working and collaborating with renowned entities such as MICHELIN Guide Thailand, L’Officiel Thailand, Thai Airways, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Born in Thailand and raised in the U.S., Angie’s culinary journey began with memories of her mother’s resourceful cooking that preserved Thai flavors abroad. Upon returning to Thailand, her appreciation deepened as she rediscovered distinct regional variations of her cherished childhood dishes.
Today, Angie holds the position of publisher at Elle Thailand magazine, and continues to contribute to various publications on the subjects closest to her heart: gastronomy and global travel.
Angkhana Neelapaijit is the founder and former chairwoman of the Justice for Peace Foundation. She started her human rights activism after her husband, a prominent human rights lawyer, was kidnapped and disappeared in 2004; since then she has worked relentlessly to help victims of human rights abuses in Thailand. One of the country’s most prominent human rights defenders, her dedication has won her several international awards, including the 2006 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, the 2010 De Chevalier De L’Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur from the French President for outstanding work in human rights protection, and the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award.
Angkhana was a member of both Thailand’s Constitutional Drafting Committee in 2007, and the Ad Hoc Committee on Drafting the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearances Act, 2022. She was the commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT) from 2015 to 2019, and in 2022 she was appointed to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID).
Artch Bunnag is a translator and editor who has been supporting the translation of Japanese literature since the beginning of its popularity in Thailand. Currently, he is a co-founder and executive editor of J-Lit Publishing, which mainly produces Thai versions of well-known Japanese modern literature.
Artit Srijan works as a literature critic at The101.world and pens a bi-monthly column on Thai literature for Silpawattanatham magazine. He graduated with both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Thai Literature from Kasetsart University, and went on to teach at universities before leaving to pursue his Doctor’s degree in Comparative Literature at the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University. He is interested in both classic and contemporary Thai literature, as well as history.
Bernardine Evaristo won the 2019 Booker Prize with her eighth book, Girl, Woman, Other; she was the first black woman and black British person to win it. A global best-seller, it occupied the No. 1 position on The Sunday Times Bestsellers List for five weeks, and she was the first woman of color to top the U.K. paperback fiction chart, where the book spent 44 weeks in the Top 10. It has sold over a million copies and there are over 60 translations of her books in more than 40 languages. She has received 77 honors and is Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University London, an Honorary Fellow of St. Anne’s College, University of Oxford, an International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, President of Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance, and President of the Royal Society of Literature.
Two-time recipient of the M.L. Boonlua Debyasuvarn Award, Charoonporn Parapakpralai’s prolific work has ranged from literary criticism, film reviews, and film and TV screenplays to poetry, short stories, and fairy tales. He has authored over 10 books, the latest of which, Writer’s Handbook, is in its third print run. He also writes regular columns in Season Magazine and Tuy’Toon. As a scriptwriter, he is known for the animated film Khan Kluay and the TV series Sarawat Teuan. His most recent film adaptations include Phra Ruang and Tan Yod Duan, both of which are set for release soon.
Chatpong “Chat” Chuenrudeemol obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1994, and his Master’s in Architecture at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design in 2000. After completing his studies in the U.S., Chat returned to his birthplace of Bangkok to form CHAT architects, a practice combining research and design, resulting in innovative multi-scalar projects that aim to stimulate community through strategies that reinterpret authentic local conditions. In 2015, he created CHAT lab, a research think tank for discovering new Thai vernacular “street” typologies, affectionately called “Bangkok Bastards”.
In 2020, Chat received Thailand’s Silpathorn Award, the country’s highest award for contemporary artists, presented by Thailand’s Ministry of Culture. His work has been exhibited both at home and abroad, including in Japan’s TOTO Gallery · MA in the 30th Anniversary exhibition entitled “The Asian Everyday” in 2015.
Cod Satrusayang is a film consultant and producer working out of Southeast Asia. Over the past 10 years, he has served as an advisor and consultant on some of the biggest Hollywood productions filmed in Thailand, beginning with The Hangover Part II in 2011.
Since then, he has established Houghton Street Partners (HSP) to work with the biggest names in Hollywood. HSP, under his leadership, has gone on to consult on major films including Netflix’s Extraction and Finding ‘Ohana, Regency’s True Love, and Warner Bros.’ Meg 2.
In addition to his role as a film consultant and advisor, Cod has worked as industry lobbyist for the Motion Picture Association, dealing with the Thai government and finding ways to bring big-budget productions to Thailand. In this capacity, along with Indochina Productions and HSP, he was instrumental in increasing the film incentive and re-establishing the actor tax exemption. Cod is currently the executive producer on a new HBO MAX series that will premiere this year.
Dominic Chakrabongse has worked in oceans for eight years, tackling illegal fishing and human rights abuses, as well as plastics and marine debris issues. He is the director of Precious Plastic Bangkok (PPB), a recycling organisation that works with local communities across the city, and indeed Thailand, to tackle plastic pollution and provide climate-friendly solutions to dealing with waste. PPB now works with 10 communities across the country to recycle plastic waste into a range of new products.
Edmund Wee is the founder of Epigram Books, an independent publisher in Singapore. Established in 2012 to champion Singaporean literature, it is best known for the multi-award-winning graphic novel, The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye by Sonny Liew, which has been translated into 10 languages. It also organizes the annual Epigram Books Fiction Prize, a manuscript competition that is open to all writers in Southeast Asia. Prior to publishing, Edmund was in communication design; in 2008 he was named Designer of the Year in the President’s Design Award, Singapore’s highest design honor. He was a psychologist and journalist in a previous life.
Elia Barceló is the author of more than 90 crime, science fiction, and fantasy stories published in dozens of languages, including internationally acclaimed novels The Goldsmith’s Secret, The Hippogriff’s Flight, Terrible Disguises and The Long Shadows (coming soon as a T.V. series for Disney+). Considered to be among the three most important female science fiction authors writing in Spanish, her estimated worldwide readership is more than a million. In the late 90s, she started writing books for young adults, such as The Case of the Cruel Artist (winner of the 1997 Edebé Award); The Frankenstein Effect won seven major prizes, including Spain’s 2020 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.
Emma Larkin is a writer living in Thailand. The author of two critically acclaimed nonfiction works—Finding George Orwell in Burma and Everything is Broken—Emma, who writes under a pseudonym, paints a powerful picture of Burma’s turbulent political landscape. Set in her childhood stomping ground of Bangkok, Comrade Aeon’s Field Guide to Bangkok is her first novel, focusing on the ‘‘silent politics’’ that simmer beneath the surface in the Thai capital.
Eric Oey has been involved in the book industry for over 40 years as an editor, publisher and bookseller. He has founded several companies including Periplus, Indonesia’s largest English-language bookstore chain, and currently runs Tuttle Publishing, one of the oldest English-language book publishing companies in Asia, now celebrating its 75th year in Japan. Tuttle publishes over 100 new titles each year across a broad range of categories including martial arts, children’s books, art and architecture, travel, cooking, language learning, crafts and literature. The company maintains offices in Tokyo, Singapore and Vermont, where it was founded in 1832.
Fred Hogge is an author, ghostwriter and screenwriter. His most recent book, Of Ice and Men: How We’ve Used Cold to Transform Humanity, was published in 2022. He also wrote the children’s movie A Mermaid’s Tale and executive produced Stanley Tucci’s film Final Portrait, about the sculptor Alberto Giacometti. He was the original producer of the British Independent Film Awards, which he conceived in 1998. His most recent screenplay, Tiburon, is currently in pre-production.
Glenn Diaz’s first book The Quiet Ones (2017) won Grand Prize at the Palanca—the awards known as the ‘‘Pulitzer Prize of the Philippines”—and the Philippine National Book Award. His second novel Yñiga (2022) was shortlisted for the 2020 Novel Prize, which is awarded jointly by the publishers Fitzcarraldo Editions, Giramondo, and New Directions. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Rosa Mercedes, Liminal, The Johannesburg Review of Books, and others. He teaches literature and creative writing at the Ateneo de Manila University and lives in Quezon City.
Gwen Robinson is editor-at-large of the Nikkei Asian Review, an English-language journal focused on Asian affairs. She’s also a senior fellow at the Institute of Security and International Studies at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University. For nearly two decades she was a senior correspondent and editor with the Financial Times in Europe, Asia and the U.S., most recently as Bangkok bureau chief covering Southeast Asia (2011-14).
Before joining the Financial Times, Gwen was a Tokyo-based correspondent for The Times, and a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute in Sydney. She is also past president and current vice president of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand.
Hannah Beech is the senior Asia correspondent for The New York Times. Previously, she was the Southeast Asia bureau chief for The Times. She lives in Bangkok and was based earlier in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong as the East Asia bureau chief for Time magazine. She has reported from more than 40 countries and territories, focusing on deep investigations and narrative enterprise. Her reporting has covered everything from a hidden AIDs epidemic in China, a nuclear meltdown in Japan, and a resource curse in Mongolia to the Rohingya refugee crisis, tensions in the South China Sea, and the rise of the Taliban. Ms. Beech is half Japanese and half American. She speaks Japanese, Mandarin and French.
Kay Plunkett-Hogge is an acclaimed food and drinks writer and author of 12 cookbooks. In addition to her own titles Kay has collaborated with other people, including Academy Award-nominated actor Stanley Tucci on his second cookbook The Tucci Table. Kay’s Baan: Recipes and Stories From My Thai Home was published in 2020 and immediately became a best-seller, as did her debut, Make Mine A Martini, which came out in 2014.
Born in Bangkok, Kay is a bilingual dual national. She launched her food and writing career after working in the film and fashion industries as a location caterer for names as diverse as Vogue, Stella McCartney, and The Wine Show. Kay lives in Thailand and is currently researching her next books, while developing a range of Thai home-cooking products.
Kriddikorn received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics at Thammasat University but chose to become a journalist. In the past 10 years, he has held positions at print, TV, and digital media companies. He was an editor at Workpoint News and WorkpointTODAY before receiving a Chevening Scholarship to study in the UK, where he received a Master’s degree in Media Studies. Kriddikorn is now News Editor at an international online news agency in Thailand.
Lisa Martin is a Southeast Asia Correspondent with Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Bangkok. She’s also the President of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand.
Lisa is a four-time finalist in Australia’s Walkley Awards—the top prizes for journalism excellence.
Previously, she worked for The Guardian in Melbourne and was based in the Canberra Press Gallery at the Australian Federal Parliament for eight years with Australian Associated Press (AAP).
She is currently working on her first novel manuscript. In August, she undertook a residency at Varuna—a writers’ house—in the Blue Mountains near Sydney.
Liza Lin is the co-author, with colleague Josh Chin, of Surveillance State: Inside China’s Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control. A Fulbright Scholar and an International Trade fellow at the National Press Foundation, she is now a senior correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, focusing mostly on China, supply chains and surveillance. Currently based in Singapore, she has more than 12 years of experience writing about China, and was formerly a correspondent in Shanghai. In 2021, Liza was part of a team named as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting for its coverage of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Liza, alongside other Journal reporters, won the Gerald Loeb Award for International Reporting in 2018 for a series of stories on China’s surveillance state. A proud mum of two, she is also the recipient of awards from the New York Press Club and The Society of Publishers in Asia.
Mai Nardone is a Thai and American writer whose fiction has appeared in American Short Fiction, Granta, Ploughshares, and elsewhere. He lives in Bangkok. Welcome Me to the Kingdom, his first book, was published in 2023 by Random House and Atlantic Books.
Manu Joseph is an Indian novelist, journalist and screenwriter. He is the author of three novels—including The Illicit Happiness of Other People—which have been widely translated. He is a winner of The Hindu Literary Prize and the American PEN Open Book Award, among other honors. His debut novel, Serious Men, was adapted for film. Manu is also the creator of the Netflix comedy, Decoupled. As editor-in-chief of the Indian newsweekly Open, he ran what is widely known in India as “The Radia Tapes”, which exposed how corporate lobbying works on influential journalists. A popular columnist, he used to write the “Letter from India” column for the international edition of The New York Times.
Mihoko Iida is a writer and editor based in Tokyo. Her first book, Japanese Interiors, was published by Phaidon in 2022. For more than 30 years, she has been writing about Japan for a foreign audience and introducing global trends to Japan. She started her career as a staff writer at the Nikkei (also known as The Nihon Keizai Shimbun), covering various beats including finance, design and marketing. She helped launch Vogue magazine in Japan under a joint venture between Nikkei and Condé Nast, where she spent two decades as executive features editor and director of operations /managing editor.
In addition to writing and editing, Mihoko was a T.V. host for the weekly English news program The Nikkei Weekly and a regular commentator on Radio Nikkei’s Asia Today. She is currently a regular contributor at Radio Nikkei.
Narisa Chakrabongse is the founder and C.E.O. of River Books, which publishes a wide range of titles on Southeast Asian art and culture, and is editor of the Oxford River Books English-Thai Dictionary.
She was the founding president of Green World Foundation (GWF), an environmental organization that promotes education and awareness in schools. A well-known media personality in Thailand, she is also on the board of The Anglo-Thai Society, which fosters good relations and cultural interchange between Thailand and the U.K. Narisa has curated several successful exhibitions at Thailand’s National Gallery, the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), River City Bangkok, and in Chiang Mai. She also initiated the Bangkok Edge Festival, directs its concept and curates a variety of activities.
Born and raised in Vietnam, Dr. Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai wrote international best-seller The Mountains Sing, which won multiple awards, including the 2020 Lannan Literary Fellowship for Fiction, the 2021 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award, and was runner-up for the 2021 Dayton Literary Peace Prize. She has published 12 books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction in Vietnamese and English. Her books have been translated into 20 languages and her writing has appeared in major publications including The New York Times. Her latest novel Dust Child has been endorsed by many publications including The Times, Reader’s Digest and The Sydney Morning Herald. Dr. Quế Mai has a PhD in Creative Writing and was named by Forbes Vietnam among 20 inspiring women of 2021.
Nhotti Sasiwimon was born in Tak, the city of valleys, and raised within the walls of her father’s grocery store. A professional author and columnist, her works include short stories and gripping fiction, which often delves into the realm of horror. Her anthology of short stories Dancing on the Soft Arms, which earned widespread acclaim, explores the lives of women across diverse social settings. Prior to becoming a writer, Nhotti worked in various occupations; a Thai language major, she also has a degree in Clinical and Community Psychology. She has a son and daughter, and is married to a fellow writer who publishes under the pen name Jaree Jantrapa.
Nisid Hajari is the best-selling author of Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition, winner of the 2016 Colby Award for military and international affairs. The book was a finalist for the Council on Foreign Relations’ Arthur Ross Book Award and the Shakti Bhatt Prize. It was named one of the best books of the year by The Seattle Times, National Public Radio, The Daily Beast, Quartz and Amazon. Nisid currently writes about foreign policy and national security for the editorial board of Bloomberg News, and spent 10 years as a top editor at Newsweek magazine in New York, where he oversaw a global team of correspondents and editors.
Norman Erikson Pasaribu is a Toba Batak poet writing in Indonesian. Their poetry collection Sergius Mencari Bacchus won first prize in the 2015 Jakarta Arts Council’s Poetry Manuscript Competition; it was translated into English as Sergius Seeks Bacchus in 2019. Their collection of short stories, Happy Stories, Mostly (translated by Tiffany Tsao), won the U.K.’s Republic of Consciousness Prize, and was longlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize.
Orapin Yingyongpathana is the editor-in-chief of Thairath Online, the largest and longest-running mainstream media outlet in Thailand. Her role is to develop a newsroom able to adjust to new technologies and new business models, while balancing journalistic values. Prior to her position at Thairath Online, she was an activist and a co-founder of iLaw, an activist group that promotes people’s participation in law processes, focusing on issues regarding democracy, freedom of expression and human rights.
Oraya Sutabutr started professional life in advertising, co-ordinating research at Khao Yai National Park, and teaching in university before finally finding her true passion in green-space conservation. In 2010, along with eco-conscious friends, Oraya co-founded Big Trees Foundation to promote conservation of urban trees through public campaigns, collaboration between the public and private sectors, and training of arborists or urban tree-care professionals.
Her team of arborists also help care for trees at Neilson Hays Library. Oraya regularly volunteers in the library’s literary programs, such as the annual Young Writers Awards, which always delight her with stories by budding writers who weave their tales of natural wonders and the human connection.
Palin Ansusinha is a translator and co-founder of soi squad, an independent Bangkok-based literary agency founded in 2020 to support Thai writers and help them reach global readers. She translated several Thai short stories, including four in Phu Kradat’s collection Particles of Perpetual Paralysis, published in 2022 by soi press. She also co-translated Uthis Haemamool’s novel The Fabulist, with Ploy Kingchatchaval, which was published in 2023 by Penguin Random House SEA.
Panis Phosriwungchai is a journalist and writer who is currently an editor at The101.world. Her published works include No One Owns Hope Alone, a compilation of documentaries that narrate the stories, struggles, and hopes of people from diverse backgrounds. She has held editorial positions at WRITER magazine and worked as an assistant editor at Matichon Publishing House. Her notable accolades include several Human Rights Media Awards and Outstanding Digital News Awards. She continues to write in various formats, such as articles, documentaries, and interviews. Panis also acts as a master of ceremonies, and is involved in other media works. Hailing from Khon Kaen province, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts from Silpakorn University, and a Master’s in the same field from Chulalongkorn University. Her main areas of interest include culture, history, literature, and the environment.
Patrick Winn is the Southeast Asia correspondent for The World, a radio show broadcast on NPR stations. He is the author of Narcotopia: In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel that Survived the CIA, forthcoming in January 2024. His first book is Hello, Shadowlands: Inside the Meth Fiefdoms, Rebel Hideouts and Bomb-Scarred Party Towns of Southeast Asia.
As a reporter, Winn has won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, a National Press Club broadcast award, and three Human Rights Press Awards from Amnesty International. Much of his work focuses on guerrilla conflict, the narcotics trade, and black markets. He also worked as a consultant for T.V. program Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. Originally from a small factory town in North Carolina, he has lived in Thailand since 2008, and reads and speaks Thai.
Pariyapa Amornwanichsarn, currently working as an analyst for Thailand’s policy on cultural diplomacy at the Ministry of Culture, is an avid reader of Thai contemporary novels and short stories. She has been actively advocating for the promotion of English translations of Thai literature at a government level. Pariyapa is now seeking for a foothold of Thai literature in the drafting of Thailand’s first national blueprint on the enhancement of its global cultural influences; she believes Thai literature is a window to the soul of the people and the country.
Pim Wangtechawat is a Thai-Chinese writer from Bangkok. Her debut novel, The Moon Represents My Heart, was published in June 2023. Television rights sold, after a competitive auction, to 21 Laps and Netflix, with actress Gemma Chan set to star and produce. Pim’s short stories, poems, and articles have been published in various literary magazines and journals, including the Mekong Review, the Nikkei Asian Review, and Yes Poetry. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from King’s College London, and a Master’s in Creative Writing from Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland.
Chairat Pipitpattanaprap, known as Prapt, holds a degree in Industrial and Operations Management from Thammasat University. He developed a passion for reading at an early age and began penning stories, although he didn’t initially recognize them as “novels”. In the early stages of his career, he shared teen comedies online, ultimately publishing five volumes. Over time, Prapt’s writing style matured and, after dedicating several years to honing his skills, he submitted his debut crime novel, Inspector Vedas, to the Naiin Readers’ Awards—and emerged as the First Prize winner! Besides crime, Prapt ventures into various genres, including sci-fi, fantasy, and dystopian fiction.
Saranarat Kanjanavanit, known as Dr. Oy, is an ecologist, former chairperson of the Green World Foundation, and author of the book Homo Gaia, published in 2022. She has written many citizen science guidebooks, which she pioneered in Thailand 25 years ago, along with various environmental detective programs that taught children to explore and care for the living world around them—that’s also their home. Saranarat currently runs a personal conservation project called “Nunienoi Wetland” in Chiang Dao, Northern Thailand. The subject of Homo Gaia, it aims to revive biodiversity in a rewilded food-production land, and serves as a center for connection with nature.
Shane Bunnag is a filmmaker, photographer, and writer. He grew up in England and Greece, and is of Thai and Irish ancestry. Shane’s first book, Chariot of the Sun, a nonfiction exploration of the Siamese past, was published in 2022. He is currently working on a novel set in Athens.
Sharon Wee was born and raised in Singapore. Her book Growing Up in a Nonya Kitchen, first published in 2012, was fully updated this year with new cooking instructions, photographs, and essays on the Peranakan culture. Sharon’s recipes have been featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post, and she frequently gives interviews about her Peranakan heritage.
After graduating from the National University of Singapore, she worked for Mars Confectionery in Hong Kong and China in the 1990s. Sharon has an M.B.A. from New York University and currently lives in Manhattan, where she trained at the French Culinary Institute (now the International Culinary Center). She frequently returns home to Singapore.
Shivani Sivagurunathan has been writing and publishing fiction and poetry for more than 20 years. Her latest book of fiction What Has Happened to Harry Pillai? Two Novellas (Clarity Publishing) and her poetry collection Being Born (Maya Press) both came out in 2022. Shivani’s first book, Wildlife on Coal Island, was published by UPM Press in 2011 and republished by HarperCollins India in 2012. Her second book, Yalpanam: A Novel, was published by Penguin Southeast Asia in 2021. Her short stories and poems have appeared in numerous international journals and magazines including Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, Agenda, and Construction Literary Magazine. Shivani is the national co-ordinator for the World Poetry Movement, and currently teaches English literature and creative writing at the University of Nottingham Malaysia while working on her next novel.
Shrayana Bhattacharya trained in development economics at Delhi University and Harvard University. Her first book of nonfiction Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh: India’s Lonely Young Women and the Search for Intimacy and Independence was published by HarperCollins India in 2021 and by Liberty Books in Pakistan in 2022. Shrayana won the 2022 Atta Galatta-Bangalore Literature Festival Book Prize for Best Non-Fiction. She also won The Times of India and JK Papers’ 2022 AutHer Prize for Best Author Non-Fiction. She lives in Bangkok.
Sonam Wangmo Dukpa has a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from Boston University, a Master’s in International Development from the University of Denver in Colorado, and a Bachelor’s in International Relations and Writing from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville. She has worked at the Asia Society and the Open Society, both in New York, Chemonics International in Washington D.C., and helped set up her husband’s company, Indique Hair, during the start-up phase in Boston. Sonam is currently a co-director for Bhutan Echoes: Drukyul’s Literature Festival, editor-in-chief for Yeewong magazine, and an advisor to GOKAB, a youth centre for dance in Bhutan. She is working on her first novel.
Souvankham Thammavongsa is the author of four poetry books and the short story collection How to Pronounce Knife, which won the Scotiabank Giller Prize and was a finalist at the National Book Critics Circle Awards. Her stories have won an O. Henry Award and appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Granta, and Harper’s Magazine. Souvankham was born in a Lao refugee camp in Nong Khai, Thailand, and lives in Toronto, Canada.
Sunisa Manning’s debut novel, A Good True Thai, is set in 1970s Thailand. Inspired by true events, it details the student uprising that overthrew the military and led to a time of relative freedom in the Kingdom. The book was a finalist for the 2020 Epigram Books Fiction Prize. Half Thai and half American, Sunisa lives with her family in Philadelphia.
Associate Professor Surapeepan Chatraporn, a Fulbright Grantee, is an Associate Fellow of the Academy of Arts, the Royal Society of Thailand, a member of the Organizing Committee of the S.E.A. Write Award, an academic committee member of many private universities, as well as an expert of both the Office of the Civil Service Commission and The Secretariat of the Senate. She was former Deputy Dean, former Director of the International Program of Bachelor of Arts in Language and Culture, Faculty of Arts, and former Deputy Director, Office of International Affairs, Chulalongkorn University. Her expertise includes literature, particularly poetry, cultural studies, public speaking and translation. She is the author of seventeen articles, four books and three research works.
Syarifah Nadhirah is a visual artist and textile designer based in Malaysia. She’s author of Recalling Forgotten Tastes: a book of botanical illustrations that introduces a garland of edible plants and food from the perspectives of the indigenous communities in Peninsular Malaysia. She experiments in printmaking, watercolor and digital illustrations, her main interests residing in the cross-pollination of art and science, bridging both with education and awareness, with a focus on the visual documentation of threatened environmental subjects. Syarifah’s most recent work explores ideas of memory and matter of plant migration, resulting in her solo exhibition, “Measure of Seeds”.
Woranuj Watts, known as Laem, grew up in Bangkok and graduated from Thammasat University with a degree in History. She worked as a reporter, first on Manager and later the Bangkok Post newspapers for 14 years. Graham Watts grew up in South Africa and was awarded an honours degree in Journalism and Politics from Rhodes University before going to graduate school in the U.S. He moved to the U.K., where he worked for more than two decades as a senior editor at the Financial Times. Laem and Graham have co-authored chapters for books on business, economics, and sustainability; they also worked together on two corporate histories in Thailand. After raising their twins in Thailand to the age of 10, the family moved to the U.K.
Tam Chudaree Debhakam, is the owner and head chef at Baan Tepa Culinary Space: a fine-dining restaurant that boasts local ingredients, sustainability, and culinary creativity. This year, it was awarded One Michelin Star and No. 46 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants.
She was the first Top Chef Thailand—and the youngest to win the T.V. competition. After the show, Tam travelled and cooked in six different countries, showcasing modern Thai cuisine around the world. She is also an advocate of food-waste reduction, as chef ambassador for Thai Harvest/ SOS and UNEP campaigns (2015–2017).
After graduating from the International Culinary Center in New York, Tam worked for Chef Dan Barber at Blue Hill restaurant, New York, for two years (2015–2017). The restaurant is renowned for its sustainable food concept. Being located on farmland, the menu showcases organic fresh produce. With her background in farm-driven cuisine, combined with her knowledge of nutrition, Chef Tam’s cooking focuses on responsibly grown and sourced local produce, with some traditional Thai flavours and a modern flare.
Thanyarat Doksone is a Bangkok-based journalist who covers Southeast Asia and other regions for BBC News. Her international deployments have included Ukraine, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Australia. She received a Fulbright scholarship in 2008 to study journalism at the University of Missouri. In 2019 she translated The Sports Gene, a book on the science of sports, by David Epstein. Thanyarat has a keen interest in sustainability and endurance sports. An avid runner, she has finished two Ironman triathlon races and cycles to work regularly.
Thitirat Thipsamritkul is a full-time law lecturer at Thammasat University in Bangkok. Her academic research focuses on the relation between law, market, technology, and human rights. Thitirat is advisor and former chairperson of Amnesty International Thailand. She translated two books from OUP’s Very Short Introductions series, International Law and Human Rights, into Thai.
The experiences in different cities (Tokyo, Kyoto, Strasbourg, The Hague, Kobe and London) motivated Thitirat to become interested in cultural diversity. She is editor of several novels translated from Japanese to Thai, including After the Quake and Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami, Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, Cafe Loose by Fumie Kondo, Tegami by Keigo Higashino, Dinner Tables of Giverny by Maha Harada, and My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday by Takafumi Nanatsuki. One of Thitirat’s passions is to be a bridge between different cultures; this is why she enjoys being moderator and translator in several panel discussions relating to cross-cultured art, design, film, and literature.
Dr. Thon Thamrongnawasawat is a Marine Science lecturer at the Fisheries Faculty, Kasetsart University and a prolific environmental writer. His work has focused on marine ecology, land encroachment and marine pollution, and he has served on 8 of Thailand’s National Boards, including those of marine ecology, fisheries, reform, and tourism. He has written 90 books about conservation, tourism, and environmental education for children. He is best known for his revitalization of Maya Bay in Phi Phi Islands.
Tomorn Sookprecha is an author, translator, and editor whose career has spanned more than 20 years. He has written and translated more than 70 books; his most notable works include Coffee and Tea, Dog and Cat, Music to Cook By and Stone in the Sky, Lava Under the Ocean. Among the many titles he has translated from English to Thai are Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt, The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli, Why Grow Up by Susan Neiman, South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote.
Toshikazu Kawaguchi, born in Osaka, was formerly an aspiring manga artist, and is currently working as a stage director and novelist. His debut novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold became an international best-seller, with more than 3.8 million copies sold worldwide, and was adapted for the screen in Japan. Now it’s becoming a series of five books and the story is continuing.
Uruda Covin was born in Chiang Rai. A professional writer, a chef, and an endurance runner, she has published seven short-story collections, six novels, and seven essays on food. After graduating with a degree in accounting from Payap University, she took a job at a bank and began writing short stories. Shortly after, she resigned from her full-time position and relocated to Prom Khiri district, Nakhon Sri Thammarat province. She lived there for seven years before returning to her hometown. In addition to her fiction and magazine columns, Uruda produces content for her Facebook page, where she shares stories about food and soap-making. Her three passions are novels, food, and beauty, which she loves equally.
Uten Mahamit was born and lives at the western edge of Phayao province, under the shadow of the Pee Pan Nam Mountains. After finishing his studies, he worked as a writer, illustrator, and book publisher. He has also worked in various two-dimensional arts. Uten founded two small publishing houses, Lhek Mad Printing, and Lhek Mad Printing Spin-Off. He’s written many books, including Freelance Fables, Monsoon Season on Heaven, Gopra, and Classroom of Traces. His art exhibitions include “Fungi and Naked Snails” at Angkrit Gallery, “Plot Elements” at Gallery Seescape, the “Ink Cat” series at the gallery in Ran Lao, and the “Atmospherescape” at VS Gallery. He continues to expand his ideas into creative production.
Weerasak Chansongsaeng serves as the Assistant Managing Editor at Sarakadee Magazine. He is a recipient of the 2021 Silpathorn Award, granted by the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, recognizing his significant contribution to literature. His other accolades include a recognition from Thailand’s Green Globe Institute; an Outstanding Award from the Office of the Basic Education Commission, Ministry of Education; and the Mekong River Literature Award. With over 30 years of experience in the documentary field, he lends his expertise as a guest lecturer and speaker to universities, governmental organizations, and private companies throughout Thailand. He continues to serve as a juror for multiple awards, focusing on nonfiction writing and other literary genres.
Will Schwalbe has worked in book publishing (currently as an editor at Macmillan); in digital media; and as a journalist, writing for various publications, including The New York Times and the South China Morning Post. He is the author of Books for Living, Send (co-written with David Shipley), and The End of Your Life Book Club, which was a No. 1 Indie Next pick, an Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Year, and spent more than four months on The New York Times Best Sellers list. His most recent title is We Should Not Be Friends: The Story of a Friendship, which was published in February 2023. Will has served on the boards of Yale University Press, Kingsborough Community College, and the Asian American Writers’ Workshop. He also served for several years as the chair of the International Freedom to Publish Committee of the Association of American Publishers. He lives in New York City.
Win Nimman (aka RomanticraiPoet) is a poet, singer-songwriter and healer. While studying creative writing in New York, he fell in love with the diverse charms of people and became fascinated with recording stories through live poetry performances. He has written seven poetry books including Please Don’t be Cruel to Your Heart, and turned some of his poems into what he calls “Rock ’n’ Romantic” songs. As well as writing, he has organized art exhibitions such as “Miss Candy Heart” and “Hope Factory”, and collaborated with Facebook Thailand on mental-health awareness projects.
Worapoj Panpong was born in Nakhon Ratchasima. He completed his degree in Literature from Silpakorn University and worked as a news reporter for Manager newspaper before starting GM magazine, followed by Open magazine in collaboration with Pinyo Trisuriyadhamma and Prabda Yoon. We All Have Our Own Light was his first book and he has since written more than 30; some of his works have been translated into English and published in PEN Transmissions. He was the editor of WRITER magazine, along with Binla Sankalakeeree, and founded the Nan Poésìe poetry festival. Worapoj acted as the editor for the book Hidden Agenda No. 2, which discusses The King and I among other topics. Additionally, he founded and edited the Nan Dialogue news agency. He sometimes delivers lectures to students. Worapoj currently resides in Nan province, where he works as a freelancer and enjoys learning French.
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Dr. Joëlle Gergis is Australia’s leading climate scientist who regularly writes for the public. Her work has appeared in The Saturday Paper, The Monthly, The Guardian, Griffith Review, Harper’s Bazaar, and The Conversation. Author of Sunburnt Country: The Future and History of Climate Change in Australia, she also contributed to The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg, and Not Too Late, edited by Rebecca Solnit. Dr. Gergis’ latest book, Humanity’s Moment: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope, is an insider’s account of the latest United Nations climate report.
