Language Today: Let’s Suss it Out

Thammika Songkaeo is a transnational novelist, essayist, and filmmaker of Thai origin. Described by Elle Singapore as “dissecting motherhood, marriage, and the cost of selfhood with razor-sharp precision,” her third-culture perspective and accompanying observer’s eye, shaped by a lifetime of globetrotting since 1992, deeply inform her work. Her debut novel Stamford Hospital was named by Prestige magazine as one of the 10 must-reads for International Women’s Day 2025, alongside works by Margaret Atwood and Simone de Beauvoir. A Bread Loaf scholar, National Geographic Storytelling grantee, and trained dancer, Songkaeo blends literature, movement, and wordlessness to explore the human psyche. 

Thammika Songkaeo adalah novelis transnasional, esais, dan pembuat film yang berasal dari Thailand. Elle Singapore menggambarkannya sebagai sosok yang “membedah isu keibuan, pernikahan, dan harga diri dengan ketajaman luar biasa.” Perspektifnya sebagai warga dunia dan mata pengamat yang tajam, yang terbentuk dari kehidupan berpindah-pindah sejak 1992, sangat mewarnai karya-karyanya. Novel debutnya, Stamford Hospital, dinobatkan oleh majalah Prestige sebagai salah satu dari 10 bacaan wajib untuk Hari Perempuan Internasional 2025, bersama karya-karya Margaret Atwood dan Simone de Beauvoir. Sebagai penerima beasiswa Bread Loaf, hibah Storytelling dari National Geographic, dan penari terlatih, Songkaeo memadukan sastra, gerak, dan keheningan untuk mengeksplorasi sisi-sisi terdalam jiwa manusia.

Wawan Kurniawan is from Makassar, a city on the eastern Indonesian island of Sulawesi. He writes poetry, short stories, essays, novels, and translates some of his favorite works. In 2021, he published a poetry collection titled Museum Kehilangan by GPU. In early 2025, he released a novel titled Seratus Tahun Kebisuan by Diva Press.

Wawan Kurniawan berasal dari Makassar, salah satu kota di Sulawesi. Ia menulis puisi, cerpen, esai, novel, dan juga menerjemahkan beberapa karya favoritnya. Pada 2021, ia menerbitkan buku puisi berjudul Museum Kehilangan lewat GPU. Di awal 2025, novelnya yang berjudul Seratus Tahun Kebisuan terbit lewat Diva Press.

Zech Soakai is a storyteller, educator, and award-winning performance poet. Raised in South Auckland, he considers his work as a writer, orator, and educator significant in village building and warrior raising—so that his communities may continue to flourish. Zech was privileged to attend the Rhodes Poetry Retreat in Monolithos under the tutelage of Greek-Australian poet Luka Lesson. His written works can be found in Rapture: An Anthology of Performance Poetry in Aotearoa New Zealand by AUP in 2023, and Remember Me: Poems to Learn by Heart from Aotearoa New Zealand by AUP in 2023. Zech is now writing his poetry manuscript at a furious pace for his upcoming first solo collection after a successful stint as Guest Curator for Auckland Writers Festival 2025.

Zech Soakai adalah pendongeng, pendidik, dan penyair pertunjukan peraih penghargaan. Dibesarkan di South Auckland, ia memandang perannya sebagai penulis, orator, dan pendidik sebagai bagian penting dalam membangun komunitas dan menumbuhkan jiwa-jiwa pejuang, agar masyarakatnya dapat terus tumbuh dan berkembang. Zech berkesempatan mengikuti Rhodes Poetry Retreat di Monolithos di bawah bimbingan penyair Yunani-Australia, Luka Lesson.Karya-karyanya dimuat dalam Rapture: An Anthology of Performance Poetry in Aotearoa New Zealand AUP, 2023 dan Remember Me: Poems to Learn by Heart from Aotearoa New Zealand AUP, 2023. Saat ini, Zech tengah menulis manuskrip puisi untuk koleksi solo perdananya, setelah sukses menjalani peran sebagai Kurator Tamu di Auckland Writers Festival 2025.