Book review

Creative writings of excellence

Title: Channels: Volumes 17 and 18
Edited: Nanda P Wansundera
Pages 210

CHANNELS: Volumes 17 & 18, 2011 and 2012 journal, the publication of the English Writers Cooperative (EWC) containing contemporary Writings give hope and opportunity to the budding writers and to those seeking a platform to give expressions to their inner feelings or expose their hidden talents in the form of essays, prose and as short stories.

The Channels is a yearly publication but ‘due to unforeseen reasons’ the present is a double volume carrying the winners of competitions conducted during the past two years in both short-stories and poetries. It also has included other selected entries, contributions from English Writers EWC members. Volume 17 edited by Ayesha Herath covers 112 pages and volume 18 edited by Nanda P Wanasundera is spread over 97 pages. In the normal circumstances each volume for the respective year is published separately carrying the winning entries. The present volume is an exception to the rule.

In her statement to the readers Nanda says: “the Channel is one of the foremost Sri Lankan journals that carry ‘items’ of creative writings in the two main genres of short stories and poems. “The purpose of thee Channels is to afford a vehicle to creative writers whether well known or experienced or the starter, novice, the beginner in creative writing.

In extension, one aim of the English Writers Cooperative is to encourage as yet unpublished writers who have a flair or interest in creative writings, through the annual competition and also those pieces of creative writings are short-listed. She goes on to explain what it means by creative writing: “creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic or technical forms of literature especially identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development and use of literary tropes”.

The English Writers Cooperative was inaugurated by Anne Ranasinghe, Moureen Senevirathne and Rajiva Wijesinghe twenty years ago with a view to ‘encourage as yet unpublished writers who have flair or interest in creative writing’.

Perusing the pages of the current double volume edited by Nanda and Ayesha, I was much impressed by the efforts the editorial boards have pit in to make the present volume readable with very appealing and inspiring writings. ’The Reminiscence of a Childhood Nightmare (poetry); Desecration in a Temple (short story): Class on the railway sleepers: Song of a slave and Kusuma’s triumph at the samithiya’ are worth reading. In the volume 18, the reader will come across ‘Woman that I am; and this is not our war’ are timely and invite the attention of serious readers with sober minds to grasp and assimilate event polluted by circumstances.

Channels is an open forum, a space wide open for those willing to test one’s latent talents and EWC should reach the villager living beyond boundaries of the city.

- Wiruma