MANGKHUT

STORIES IN THE AIR

A new book by Richard Armstrong

Mangkhut: Stories in the Air is a hybrid: part memoir, part travelogue, part voice book. Richly illustrated, it includes the author’s own original artwork and photographs, as well as contributions from noted artists and friends. The cover image
is by artist Mary Frank.

The book takes the reader on a many-layered journey. Information gathered through Armstrong’s work with the human voice over five decades is interspersed with notes from a five-week writing journey, which took him to Cheung Chau, Hong Kong, to Chiang Mai, Thailand and to Southwest England. The title of the book arose on that journey: Mangkhut is the name of a deadly typhoon that hit the Philippines and Cheung Chau in 2018, and also the name of a delicious Thai fruit.

There is one underlying theme: that the voice and the psyche are interlinked and reveal each other. “This principle is fundamental to my work,” says Armstrong, “and leads to reflections on racism and gender, mythology and biology, repression and liberation, birth and death. My intention is to prompt the reader to ask fundamental questions about self and identity.” For readers drawn to art, travel, voice, performance, psychology, and personal transformation, Mangkhut: Stories in the Air offers a rare opportunity to explore these themes in a beautifully written and produced volume—an object of lasting value. The book is edited by longtime friend and collaborator Christine Graves.

Mangkhut: Stories in the Air will be available in two editions:

  • A softcover edition, printed to exacting standards on high-quality paper.
  • A limited edition of only 75 copies. This fine-linen-bound hardcover volume will be made to the same exacting standards, with each copy signed and numbered by the author.

Both will be printed by Conveyor Studio, known for its superior quality and craftsmanship.


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Richard Armstrong’s Mangkhut: Stories in the Air is a most moving and intimate evocation of a life, crystallized through multiple prisms: a passionate, stained-glass study or rich traveling tapestry. He draws us into his biography through stories – about himself, about those closest to him, about strangers. And he surprises us by inviting us to see how these seemingly unconnected beings and experiences cling together, finding character in contrast. He reveals secrets about teaching, about performing, that echo long after. Like the painter that he is, he uses the power of collage and the freshness of color to guide us through this luxuriant journey. Love in many guises bursts through this panorama. His sensitivity to the infinitely small events of life – that resonate with the deep intimation of childhood, adulthood and approaching old age – is expressed in a generous, rare and inimitable voice. –Kevin Crawford. Voice teacher, poet, co-author of Roy Hart
Richard is one of my main teachers and a lasting mentor. Mangkhut: Stories in the Air offers the opportunity for many more to come into contact with his teaching, his person and his unique vision. –Barbara Hannigan. Conductor and soprano