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Website for the artist Tom Cho

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  • Tom 4:41 am on 28 July 2010 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
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    My Yes function 

    Doing some research for this story I’m working on. This is from William James’ (1960) The Varieties of Religious Experience. James is discussing different mystical states of consciousness and he notes the intoxicating effects of alcohol:

    The sway of alcohol over mankind is unquestionably due to its power to stimulate the mystical faculties of human nature, usually crushed to earth by the cold facts and dry criticisms of the sober hour. Sobriety diminishes, discriminates, and says no; drunkenness expands, unites, and says yes. It is in fact the great exciter of the Yes function in man.

    William James, your delightful description excites my Yes function.

     

  • Tom 1:20 am on 16 July 2010 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: fanculo, lookwhosmorphing, translation   

    L’esorcista! 

    A little while ago, some of the pieces from my book Look Who’s Morphing were translated into Italian. The translator, Elena Carletti (a wonderful intern at Giramondo Publishing), has also been very proactive in submitting these works to Italian literary journals. Coming up soon, two pieces will be published – along with some photos showing a few locations where I like to write – at a journal called Storie.

    But even sooner than that, an online journal, Il Paradiso Degli Orchi, has just published my piece The Exorcist, now known as L’esorcista. Check it out:

    L’esorcista

    P.S. I grew up in a neighbourhood that had a strong Italian community and I learnt Italian at school so I recognise some of the words in the piece – especially, I admit, the swear words. (The swearing works well in Italian.)

     

  • Tom 11:29 am on 10 July 2010 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
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    Finding a way in 

    Beginnings are usually intimidating -- in life and in the world of writing. When it comes to writing, the blankness of the screen or page can visually impress upon you that you are lacking -- lacking words, lacking foresight into the nature of the outcome, lacking the gumption to even begin.

    Over the last few weeks, I’ve started writing the very first piece for my new book. During this time, I have encountered every day that punishing sense of lack. How to begin? How to find a way in? The spatial concept of ‘in-ness’ seems appropriate here. It can feel to me as if I am required to penetrate through something so densely intimidating that I can only imagine it as three-dimensional. I shall imagine writer’s block as literally a block, then.

    In reality, there are many ways in. And, in my case, one of my ways in involved returning to what seems like a native vocabulary for me as an artist: popular culture. This clip among others helped:

     

  • Tom 11:00 am on 9 July 2010 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: , living   

    Sometimes writing has to make way for living 

    It’s been a sudden development but I’ll be moving house in a few weeks. And now I also have the flu. And my computer is sick too.

    In short, I’m not able to write fiction at present – and this comes at a time when I really want to, when the piece I’ve been working on has started to come good.

    Yep: sometimes writing has to make way for living.

     

  • Tom 6:34 am on 9 July 2010 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
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    Winter Stories 

    I have a reading coming up. There’ll be mulled wine. Sounds good, eh?

    Asialink Winter Writing Series presents

    Winter Stories

    Thursday 15 July, 6:00pm-7:30pm

    Sidney Myer Asia Centre
    Cnr Swanston Street and Monash Road
    University of Melbourne

    On a cold winter’s night, gather close for some good old-fashioned story-telling with all the right ingredients: mulled wine, spiced chai and a range of great tales from the region. Winter Stories places five of Australia’s punchiest fiction writers in a comfy armchair, hands them a microphone, and lets them take you away.

    Follow an all-women landmine clearing team through the fields of northern Cambodia, fish up the past with a Japanese abalone diver and a Buddhist monk, and walk the French-inflected streets of colonial Hanoi.

    Featuring: Laura Jean McKay, Catherine Cole, Xenia Hanusiak, Kalinda Ashton, Pip Newling and Tom Cho.

    Winter Stories includes the launch of The Perfumed River, a new anthology that offers diverse perspectives on Vietnam. Work from the anthology presents a portrait of a unique nation’s cultural strength, built from struggles through colonization by the French, occupation by the Japanese, the American War, and the transition to a modern tourist economy.

     

  • Tom 8:42 am on 4 July 2010 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
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    Felt a bit stressed today about some forthcoming life changes… and yet I also did some of my best writing in ages. Morphing makes for good writing.

     

  • Tom 6:24 am on 2 July 2010 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
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    Launching Voiceworks magazine tonight 

    I’m launching the latest issue of Voiceworks magazine tonight at Bella Union Bar at the Trades Hall (corner of Lygon and Victoria Streets, Carlton). The gig goes from 6-8:30.

    Voiceworks provided me with my second ever poem publication and one of my earlier short fiction publications. There are a few lit journals in Australia that I have particular affection for and Voiceworks is one of them. It’ll be good to hang at a Voiceworks gig again.

    P.S. Here’s how my launch speech begins:

    Whitney Houston once sang: “I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.”

    Learning to love youth arts is the greatest love of all.

    Edit: Coming soon-ish… my full launch speech.

     

  • Tom 3:11 pm on 1 July 2010 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: race,   

    Tonight, I turned into an angry Asian. Watch out, Ouyang Yu. I'm gonna steal your claim to fame. On 1-7-2010 15:07:03 from Echofon
     

  • Tom 3:49 am on 28 June 2010 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
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    Just killed off a character. I don’t do that often. A water-skiing accident, if you must know.

     

  • Tom 11:00 am on 25 June 2010 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: politics,   

    Why I am not a poet 

    "I like Ike" is prob the most memorable rhyming political campaign slogan. I'm having problems finding good words that rhyme with "Tony". On 23-6-2010 11:35:14 from Chromed Bird

    After I tweeted this, a fair few people gave me useful suggestions about what rhymes with Tony. ‘Phony’ was quite popular. I reckon the best of the lot was ‘baloney’ (thanks, kirsty_l). I also appreciated ‘macaroni’ (and various other pasta names) (thanks, Kill Your Darlings). Someone who will remain nameless (and perhaps shameless) was watching porn at the time she was tweeting, and her rhyme suggestion was quite unnecessary although very memorable.

     

  • Tom 11:09 am on 24 June 2010 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: lolcats   

    use teh force 

    Here is an image to get my rebooted website off to a classy start. We can all appreciate the wisdom of a Jedi, even a dark Jedi Kitteh.

     

  • Tom 10:25 pm on 21 June 2010 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment
    Tags: , tomcho.com, , writersfestivalparody   

    Welcome and yay! 

    Here it is – my rebooted website. My fiction pieces seem to be getting longer but most of my posts here will be shorter. Due to Twitter, I have really come to enjoy micro-blogging but, hey, why should Twitter get all of my best lines? (This isn’t the end of my longer, more reflective posts though. I like doing those and will still occasionally throw them out here.)

    You can also expect to see more pictures, videos and other media here. I’ll now be tagging posts too. In fact, via the gigs tag, you’ll still be able to find out about my latest gigs. (That old favourite, the Melbourne Writers’ Festival parody, has a tag too: writersfestivalparody.) But far more importantly, I hope this website will better reflect the streaming thoughts of my day-to-day artistic practice and life. So consider this blog both a glimpse into and a part of my studio.

    There are still more changes to come but this is how it’s looking so far. So, in conclusion, welcome and yay!

     

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