From Thailand to US and Scotland, poet shows a good side of globalisation
Molly Thapviwat is a performer who circumnavigates the globe with apparent ease and considerable skill
These days, globalisation tends to get a bad rap, even from people who will quite happily munch out-of-season raspberries and watermelon from places far, far away.
From complaints about over-tourism to outraged claims about the ‘cultural appropriation’ of various national dishes (cream in your carbonara anyone?), people the world over seem to be increasingly annoyed by ‘foreigners’ for one reason or another.
However, every now and then, there’s a chance to extol the virtues of truly globalised culture and the Wigtown International Poetry Prize has just provided one such example. For it has been won by Molly Thapviwat, a former child actress and English teacher from Thailand.
And that’s not all. She’s also an Elvis Presley tribute act (she doesn’t actually play him, instead appearing as the late American singing superstar’s ‘little sister’). As for her winning poem, it was inspired by the 1980s miners’ strike in this country.
From Thailand to America and Scotland, Thapwivat is a performer who, culturally speaking, circumnavigates the globe with apparent ease and considerable skill. Congratulations to her and we look forward to hearing about her next exciting artistic adventure.
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