I'm off!

Hello friends!

I am out of here! I was going to take all of January off, but with Christmas and a huge uni assessment threatening to kill me before the end of the year, I’m going to skulk off now.

For premium subscribers, this means no payment for the next six weeks and a delay in renewal for annual members. For people who haven’t subscribed — you won’t be able to! Not until I untick the box and we’re back on. 

I have some big ideas on where this project is heading next year, so I’m looking forward to seeing you all then. 

In the meantime, here are some of the names I’ll be following to stay up to date.

Enjoy your summer, as much as you can, or if you’re in the Global North, don’t freeze.

Erin Cook

🇰🇭 Campuccino

Campuccino is one of the newer additions to my inbox, but already Cambodian writer Darathtey Din is a must-read for me. Darathtey isn’t a journalist by trade but, as she writes, she has loads of experience as a politically minded blogger and a professional writer. The combination of her immense skills is helping to fill the vacuum left by the collapse of press freedoms in recent years. An absolute must to stay across Cambodia. 

🇻🇳 Vietnam Weekly

Duh, we’re (myself) big fans of Mike Tatarski here at Dari Mulut ke Mulut HQ (the co-working space). Like Cambodia, Vietnam is one of my weaker spots so his Vietnam Weekly is required reading for me. Covering both the big region-relevant stories and the more domestic and city-level, his newsletter is well worth the bargain price. If you’re a Vietnam nerd and not on it yet, I don’t know what to tell ya. But if you’re an ~archipelagic Southeast Asia nerd, like me, it’s also well worth it to stay on top!

🇸🇬 We, the Citizens

Not even sure what to say about Kirsten Han’s We, the Citizens from Singapore. I refer to it constantly, it’s one of the most important publications I keep track of and short of a Michael Barr or Cherian George book nothing is as valuable to understanding Singapore. I’ll be first on the book pre-order list, but for now, stay up to date with the newsletter.  

🇵🇭 Slow News Day

Jonathan de Santos, a Manila-based journalist, is one of those people you call a friend even though you’ve only ever chatted on Twitter. I just feel like we get along really well, okay?! I really love what he’s doing here with Slow News Day. It’s half reporting and analysis and half reporter’s notebook and an absolute must for anyone particularly interested in media in the region (Splice gang, that means you!). 

🇲🇾 The Malaysianist

I love the Malaysianist. Emmanuel Samarathisa is a KL-based journalist for the Vibes who has recently relaunched his newsletter. The timing couldn’t be better because what the heck is going on over there. Let Emmanuel guide you through the House of Cards that is Putrajaya and the business machinations of Kuala Lumpur.

🇮🇩 Indonesia Intelligencer

I’ve recently taken a step back from Indonesia Intelligencer but it’s still a must-read for me every Friday. Now in the more than capable hands of the Coconuts Jakarta gang, it’s required reading for anyone aware of how important the country is to the wider world but aren’t glued to their Detik notifications (can’t relate). 

Couchfish

Sure, it might be a while off before any of us can travel the region the way we’ve been dreaming but for now, we can live through Couchfish. From the gang that brings you Travelfish, follow along on a trek around Southeast Asia and plan your post-pandemic trip.