Sharpened Word Presents : Writing Children's Books for Malaysia

About the Author - TUTU DUTTA

Sometimes known as ‘the weaver of tales,’ Tutu Dutta is a writer of children’s and Young Adult books.

She has a B Sc from the Universiti Putra Malaysia and an M Phil from the University of Malaya. As an undergraduate, she won a scholarship from Japan Airlines, to attend Summer School at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan, which was a life changing experience.

She is the author of eight books, including Timeless Tales of Malaysia, Eight Treasures of the Dragon, and the middle grade series The Jugra Chronicles. Based partly on folklore and partly on history and imagination, The Jugra Chronicles is set in 17th Century Borneo. Her first picture book, Phoenix Song, was published by Lantana Publishing (UK) and illustrated by Martina Peluso. Phoenix Song is also her first book to be translated into Malay; Lagu Cenderawasih was published by Oyez! in 2016.

She has lived in five different cities: Singapore, Lagos, New York, Havana and Zagreb, as the wife of a Malaysian diplomat. She has a daughter, Shona, who was born in Singapore. Tutu Dutta is now back home in Kuala Lumpur.

About the Author - DAPHNE LEE

Daphne Lee is an editor and writer with more than twenty years experience in the publishing industry. She was a sub-editor and feature writer at The Star a decade, and wrote a weekly column about children’s books for twelve years.

She now has a monthly column that focuses on the Malaysian book industry and continues to contribute regularly to the newspaper’s literary pages. Nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2011 for her work as a promoter of reading, Daphne is a staunch supporter of the development of regional literature. The commissioning editor at children’s and YA publisher at Scholastic Asia since 2009, Daphne also edits for the African Bureau of Children’s Stories, is a freelance editorial consultant and holds workshops in creative writing.