Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1321294
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 DECEMBER 2020 7 CULTURE A radio panto in the dark ĠULBIENA is literally around the corner. Ġulbiena – A Radio Panto in the Dark will exclusively go live today on 103 Malta's Heart, Calypso Radio, XFM and Mag- ic Malta. That means it will be available on those stations on- ly at 8pm, with no repeats so make sure not to miss out. Produced by Teatru Malta in collaboration with Spazju Kreattiv and the Malta Com- munity Chest Fund, this will be the only pantomime taking place this Christmas in light of the Covid-19 restrictions and the third installment from the Panto in the Dark series. Not much has changed other than the play being performed live on the radio as opposed to in a sound booth. Audienc- es are still expected to tune in with their headphones to keep the panto in the dark experi- ence alive from the safety of their homes. What is even bet- ter is that it's completely free of charge this year, so make sure to tune in. So what is it about? … With one hour to go, our protagonists are preparing for the arrival of a very special mystery guest and everything must be perfect! There's one problem. Something crucial is missing… The Ġulbiena of course! To retrieve their precious Christmas plant they must journey into the Witch's creepy cottage, where nobody has dared to enter before. Their adventure won't be an easy one but with your help they might just make it out alive. Ġulbiena - A Radio Panto in the Dark is written and di- rected by Vikesh Godhwani and Marta Vella. Cast includes Chucky Bartolo as the dame, Samuel Farrugia, Anton Saliba and Davinia Hamilton. For more information visit www.teatrumalta.org.mt or call 21220255 today. Contemporary Maltese literature in London FOUNDED in 2020 in London by Kat Storace and Jen Calleja, Praspar Press is a not-for-profit micro-publisher created to sup- port contemporary Maltese lit- erature being published in Eng- lish and in English translation in the UK and internationally. Their first project as a press will be a collection of writings by Maltese writers printed and bound together in a published anthology. In recent years, small press- es in the UK have been on the rise, offering a refreshing al- ternative to the bigger, more established publishing houses that traditionally dominate the market. This has encouraged a prolif- eration of diverse and intersec- tional voices from all over the world, in English and in trans- lation. It's also a fact that a large pro- portion of writers who publish their books with small presses start out by publishing their writing in literary journals and anthologies. This anthology of Maltese writing will be a way for us to scout for talent and to offer an international platform to new and emerging writers. The idea is to establish a mu- tual relationship between au- thor and publisher, through which we both can develop and benefit together in the long term. The anthology will be a beau- tiful printed edition featuring poetry, short fiction, novel ex- tracts and literary non-fiction in English and in translation by Maltese writers. It will be sold and distribut- ed online via the Praspar Press website. The project is being supported by the National Book Council of Malta. Kat Storace is a London-based writer and editor. She has worked in magazine and lit- erary publishing in Malta and London and is currently crea- tive strategist at graphic design studio Gunter Piekarski. Jen Calleja is author of I'm Afraid That's All We've Got Time For (Prototype), Goblins (Rough Trade Books) and Seri- ous Justice (Test Centre). She is literary translator from Ger- man of Marion Poschmann, Wim Wenders, Kerstin Hen- sel, Michelle Steinbeck, Gre- gor Hens, and more, and was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize 2019.