Fablemaker: Poems

by Mandy Moe Pwint Tu

"A blazing display of bravura and bravado . . . each of [Tu's] utterances [is] a lesson in runic risk." -ko ko thett, poet and translator



Selected by Ng Yi-Sheng as the winner of the 2024 Gaudy Boy Poetry Book Prize.

Born out of a myriad of griefs in the wake of Myanmar's violent return to military rule, Fablemaker alchemizes the pains of a fractured life into heart song.

On February 1, 2021, Myanmar's military staged a coup d'etat, imprisoning the country's democratically elected leaders and declaring a state of emergency. In response, the people of Myanmar sustained ongoing protest acts in full defiance the military. Mandy Moe Pwint Tu's debut, Fablemaker, written during the Spring Revolution, weaves together a troubled familial history and a national reckoning.

The collection follows the speaker as she contends with her father's untimely death, her country's crisis, and her de facto exile to the United States. Wrought with tenderness, the poems bear witness to loss, rage, grief, and love-and the fables she created to survive it all. Through Burmese folklore, formal invention, and addresses to a "dear fellow fablemaker," Tu strives to imagine a self and a world that, after their devastation, recover.

Genres: Poetry

122 pages, Paperback

Published September 3, 2025

Reviews

[Sookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

when nation (fatherland) and father are similes.

the daughter, a girl, experiences turmoil of a fledgling nation filled with conflicts, monsoon and lovely greenery, the exquisite country with complicated history and the dysfunctional family with scattered family members. A lovely reflection of the self, of family, of country and the world in which it all inhibits.

Loved this collection.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gaudy Boy for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kristiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fablemaker by Mandy Moe Pwint Tu is a superb poetry collection reflecting upon the speaker's relationship with their father and their home country. Through the motif of 'Dear Fablemaker' poems, Tu explores the impact a violent and then absent father has on a child, and in turn how this stands as a metaphor for the turmoil experienced by Burma, then Myanmar. If we consider the speaker's home country as a 'fatherland', we see how the speaker's relationship to the self, identity and others is impacted by the speaker's father as he battles himself, alcoholism and, later, Covid-19, all while the place they yearn to call home is irrevocably changed by political upheaval and state violence. And what makes Fablemaker so brilliant is how this raw and gritty subject matter is woven through with sensory and figurative language - there is a softness of rain, water and air that pervades all of the hurt; - suggesting that love and hope still remain even in the face of immense loss and grief.

[Sagar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mythic and exquisite

[Hannah Wilkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angry, loving, lost, growth, reconcilement- some of the words I would use to associate to these works.

Each poem is hard hitting and written with such clever choice and use of each word. It speaks from the soul, from suffering and abandonment; from loss and exile.

Very lyrical- I loved to see the yuzana form of two Burmese poetical forms (than-bauk and ya-du) and the explanation of how it worked and where the word yuzana derives from. To go back and see how this was deployed in the works was much appreciated.

Yet another book released to me by publishers GaudyBoy through NetGalley, and another favourite on the list. Thank you for this copy, I am looking forward to reading more from this publisher and author.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the very first line I was hooked. I knew I was about to read a tight, artistic, profound collection. Sure as hell, I'm absolutely obliterated by the line "Ever time I crack an egg I think of skulls." Like what the fuck is that? How is it so simple and so great and so... I don't know-- and that I don't know feeling is poetry to me. It passes that Wislawa szymborska test for me-- "Don't bear me ill will, speech, that I borrow weighty words, then labor heavily so that they may seem light." Because this collection feels so light that I know how heavy the labor must have been. Good shit.

Thanks for the ARC.

[Seher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hadn’t heard anything about this author before, and honestly, this cover isn’t my favourite. That being said, the Mandy Moe Pwint Tu is amazing. She does tell us fables; but they also capture loss and grief and the anxiety of being away from a troubled land, and from the troubled ones we love.

To paraphrase a much better writer, if I liked this book less, I might be able to talk about it more!

I hope this book and writer aren’t slept upon because this collection was amazing!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this!

[Kira K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoughts:
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This poetry collection handles the complexity of grief when difficult relationships are involved and also the lived experience of Myanmar's political struggles and military coup in emotive details. Some of the poems have an air of myth and fantasy with dragon metaphors which shows the complicated relationships even better.

Favourite Quote:
“DEAR FELLOW FABLEMAKER,
There is a country drowning. Mine.”

[Jonathan Koven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spectacular, soul-bearing triumph of a debut that anyone can enjoy, even non-poetry readers. I loved Tu’s earlier chapbook Monsoon Daughter—its catharsis, grace, and precision of language—and this full-length is even more gutsy and more refined as it covers her family history, her home country Myanmar’s military occupation, and the xenophobia she faces as an American immigrant. Tu is fearless in reckoning with her personal and political griefs, her sense of alienation, and her devotion to art as both expression and resistance. An utterly enchanting memorial.

[Josh Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

An ocean of grief. A tsunami of disdain. Truly encapsulating. The fable-creation that Mandy Tu presents for the reader is astounding. Aside from MONSOON DAUGHTER, I’ve never seen a poet fight for the humanity of Myanmar before. Excellent collection of poems.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning. Necessary. Sopping-wet with revolutions, reimaginings, and reverence.

[Mogyoro · Rating 5 out of 5]

An aptly-titled, beautiful, lyric blend of myth-like poetry, personal history, and Myanmar's trauma.

Thanks to Gaudy Boy and Netgalley for the ARC!