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When I submitted a photograph that I’d taken of a piece of shutter art in the racy, party district of Lan Kwai Fong in Central, Hong Kong, little did I dream that some months later, the photograph would appear in the glossy pages of a coffee table book. Murals, created by the co-founders of the wonderfully eclectic literary journal, The Hooghly Review and curated by multi-talented writer, François Bereaud, began its existence in print thanks to Press Pause Press, an apologetically zero-social media literary magazine. The other delightful discovery was that my photograph had been paired with the luminous poetry of a dear friend, activist, gemologist and accomplished poetess, Shikha Sawhney Lamba. Find us both, and many others, in the pages of this singular, visually provocative, limited run publication (available to purchase at this link).

News

April 20, 2026

Murals is now in print!

If I can create a mirror for even one child in the world, I will have accomplished something meaningful

Read a little of what I've written

Writing

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Speaking & School Visits

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"Maureen was agile, warm, brilliantly organized - a joy to speak with"

"I was stunned at how much time and thought she had put into preparing ...and then how spontaneous, fun and thoughtful she was as our conversations unfolded. Helping to organise the Hong Kong Literary Festival in 2023, Maureen was as professional, kind and engaging as any such host i've ever known, and as a writer herself - as well as so many other things - she brought more to our interactions than I had any reason to expect. "

Pico Iyer, Author

© Derek Shapton

"What Maureen did on our days was the first of its kind"

"She showed our senior elementary girls how refreshing it is to read stories where the contexts are relatable, and the characters look like them and carry some of the same emotions as they do. To be seen and heard in a diverse world is comforting.
Maureen’s hands-on techniques were engaging and facilitated meaningful interaction during the workshop. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the sessions.

English Dept. Head

"Thank you for telling us that we should put down our phones and not be imprisoned by our phones.

"Nowadays actually many people use their phones all the time and never put it down, also I am one. After listening to you, I think I would like to try a day without my phone, and I can already foresee many new experiences in my ‘daily’ life

Secondary School Student

Kind words from cool people

Read my musings as a Malaysian writer, wandering the earth, listening to the universe and writing the stories behind my photographs. 

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Maureen Tai is a Malaysian award-winning writer, storyteller and notable speaker based in Hong Kong. Her agent is Karly Dizon at Fuse Literary.

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