Thongbay PHOTISANE

  • Asia
  • South-Eastern Asia
  • Laos
Lao

Thongbay PHOTISANE (born 1960, Svanakhet) directs and edits the only monthly literary magazine in Laos, and serves as second secretary of the Lao Writer's Association, editing its newsletter. His most recent short stories, "The Life of Love," "The Love of the Luang Prabang Song," "Life and Family" and "Song of Man" have appeared in Vannasin magazine, the monthly publication of the Lao Ministry of Information and Culture; these were also published as a book. He is the IWP's first representative from Laos. The first Laotian participant in the program, he is here through the US Department of State.

Happening Now

  • Congratulations to our colleagues Jennifer Croft and Aron Aji, who are among those serving as judges for the National Book Awards this year, in their case in the category of translated literature.

  • Ranjit Hoskote’s speech at the 2024 Goa Literary Festival addresses the current situation in Gaza.

  • In NY Times, Bina Shah worries about the state of Pakistani—and American—democracy.

  • “I went to [Ayodhya] to think about what it means to be an Indian and a Hindu... ”  A new essay by critic and novelist Chandrahas Choudhury.

  • In the January 2024 iteration of the French/English non-fiction site Frictions, T J Benson writes about “Riding Afrobeats Across the World.” Also new, a next installment in the bilingual series featuring work by students from Paris VIII’s Creative Writing program and the University of Iowa’s NFW program.

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