New Ink 5 honours Richard De Zoysa Poetry and history in conversation

 (Left to Right) Gamini Akmeemana, Lawanya Wijesekara, Ruchira Fernando and Carmel Miranda (Moderator)

 The New Ink 5 panel discussion was held at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES), Kynsey Terrence, Colombo 07, on March 22. There were three different panels engaged in discussing different topics. The first two panels were dedicated to discussing poetry and history and the final panel was held in memory of ‘Richard De Zoysa’

The New Ink Forum is an independent platform which was established in 2020 by a voluntary group of literature enthusiasts to showcase emerging English literary work from Sri Lanka. It fosters a relaxed and engaging space where writers, critics and readers can connect and exchange ideas.

The first panel was centered on the theme of poetry and history. Ruchira Fernando, author of the poetry collection “Whispers of a Love,” shared that his initial inspiration stemmed from a lecture that responded to a piece of writing he had shared. He read aloud a poem from his collection titled ‘Sugar Bloom Delight’. Lavanya Wijesekara, author of ‘Muse, Martyr, Epiphany’, spoke about how she began writing during her teenage years. She read one of her poems from her collection called ‘Lime Light.’ Meanwhile, Gamini Akmeemana, author of the historical novel ‘The Shark Binder’, read a few excerpts from his book. He also won the Gratian Prize in 1997 for “The Mirage.” The panel was hosted by Carmel Miranda, author of the book ‘Crossmatch’ awarded the Gratian Prize in 2020.

The second panel was based on the theme of poets in conversation. The panel consisted of Dilantha Gunawardena, author of the poetry collection “Cell Cycle Donuts and Poppadums.” He read the poems ‘An Exercise Book’ and ‘A Nurse’ from his collection. Gayathri M. Hewagama, author of the poetry collection “Tea House Blues.” “I think poetry is a fundamental way of us expressing ourselves,” she explained. ‘A Bonfire on the Beach’ and ‘The False Poet’ were recited from her collection. Palitha Ranathunga, the author of the poetry collection “Paulownia Dear, We May Not Be That Lucky,” said that one can’t learn how to write poetry, but be thorough with the lexical and syntax. He read out the poems ‘Hiroshima Bomb Blast’ and ‘The Writer’s Block’ from his collection. The panel was hosted by Hasitha Wickramasinghe, author of “Connected by a Breath.”

The final panel discussed the writing of Richard De Zoysa. Discussing his legacy, Purnima Pilapitiya and Rehan Amarathunga read selections of Richard De Zoysa’s work. Meanwhile, Prof. Prabha Manurathne discussed how Richard De Zoysa has been represented in Sri Lankan writing. According to Prof. Manurathna, Richard was sharp and politically minded, keenly aware of his poetry. Pilapitiya read Zoysa’s poem ‘The Animal Crackers.’ Meanwhile, Amarathunga recited ‘Good Friday 1975’ from Richard De Zoysa’s collection. The panel was hosted by Crystal Baines. 

(Left to Right) Dilantha Gunawardena, Palitha Ranathunga, Hasitha Wickramasinghe (Moderator) and Gayathri M. Hewagama