Adrian Fleur

Writer

United States

I'm a South African writer based in Minneapolis.

I studied the Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing at University of Oxford, and this year, I'll be starting the MA in Creative Writing at Kingston University, London.

My most recent work was longlisted for the Fish Memoir Prize, shortlisted for the New Millennium Writing Awards, and placed as a semi-finalist in the Short(er) Fiction Contest by American Short Fiction. I have also been published online with The Write Launch and Silver Rose Magazine.

I'm currently working on my novel which is set in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, and deals with grief, belonging, and solidarity among class, gender and race.

Portfolio
Silver Rose Magazine
06/28/2022
Seven Summers by Adrian Fleur

Climbing higher with you was the first drug, my first rush. I once rolled on a stone as I jumped, and you caught my arms in yours and pulled me up. For a moment, you looked at me deeply. You were only just beginning to hate me.

The Write Launch
11/01/2021
The Bicycle Crash | by Adrian Fleur | The Write Launch

Once it was June it was hard to remember the despair of March. The winter was always slightly too long, the dark skies and short days lingering just past what was reasonable for any human to endure. It was a despair which infused all former pleasantries with an unexplainable sourness; you could hardly bother with hellos or how are yous.

Blog
Market of Eden

My travel and food blog about Chiang Mai and the rest of Thailand. This is the place I present my South East Asian world and its many trinkets. Welcome to my Market of Eden.

Magazine - Articles in Print

Citylife Magazine
08/08/2014
Big Fish, Little Fish: Why Thailand's Drug Laws Just Don't Work

The latest infamous victim of Thailand's draconian drug laws is a Thai ex-model who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for carrying a small amount of cocaine through a Bangkok airport. Since then, she has attracted thousands of supporters and the attention of the international media, with many calling Thailand's notorious drug penalties unreasonably harsh and outdated.

Citylife Magazine
06/06/2014
Starving for Perfection: A Look at Eating Disorders in Thailand

A beautiful young girl sits before me - her fingers twirling through her hair, her hazel eyes glittering as she reveals the secrets of her past. "I had a monster in my head," she says. "Eating disorders are mental illnesses, and I was sick."

Citylife Magazine
05/05/2014
Exporting the Elderly: A Look at Elder Care in Northern Thailand

"All the baby boomers have grown up, grown old, and lived longer lives than their parents did before them. Populations are ageing, everywhere in the world, and there are more Alzheimer's sufferers than ever before." Marc Dumur's gaze wanders over the nearly-finished elder care resort beyond the window.

Citylife Magazine
04/01/2014
Hazed and Confused: A Look at Northern Thailand's Smog Problem

Pluming smoke obscures the path of the speeding van, which brakes into corners and swerves over potholes to make it back to Chiang Mai from Nong Khai in good time. The passengers are groaning behind me; one has already been sick while another has had an alarming outburst: "Slow down, man!

Citylife Magazine
03/03/2014
Dirty Litter Secrets: Chiang Mai's Garbage Problem

Standing amidst mountains of garbage on a hot day, I wonder to myself, "How green is Chiang Mai?" I am at a cleaning and sorting centre in Sansai, just a short ten minute drive out of Chiang Mai's old city, where I stand beneath chaotic stacks of beer boxes piled up to the warehouse ceiling.

Website - Opinion Editorials

Chiang Mai CityNews
04/18/2014
Thai Sob Story Ads Make the World Sniffle... Not Change

What inspired me to write this piece is that I want us all to remember that being a good person doesn't come from shedding a tear for a fictional character that's been served up by clever advertisers to evoke your goosebumps.

Website - Photographic Features

Chiangmaicitynews
First Cheese Bar in Chiang Mai at Rimping Maya

The cheese bar is proud to employ people who possess the enthusiasm for food and the talent to match breads, cheeses and wines based on people's palates. One of the employees mentions that because Thai people don't eat a lot of cheese, canapés are a good way to expose them to the many different tastes of cheeses from around the world.

Chiang Mai CityNews
11/15/2013
A Day Amongst The Crowds: Central Festival Opening

The inside of Central Festival Mall. Yesterday, I got on my motorbike and made the 1 km journey to newly opened Central Festival Mall. It took me half an hour because there was so much traffic. Nevertheless, I confidently followed the hundreds of cars closer and closer to the enormous building, and was waved into a parking area by a poor harassed-looking security guard.

Website - News Features

Chiangmaicitynews
Not-So-LGBT-Friendly: Thailand Still Has a Long Way to Go

Thailand promotes itself as a country accepting of all lifestyles including LGBT people, but a recent article by Time Magazine paints a much darker image of the country's supposed tolerance and accepting attitudes. The article depicts many people's negative perceptions of Thailand in terms of LGBT tolerance and highlights crimes involving LGBT people that have taken place in recent years.

Chiangmaicitynews
Singha, Leo Heiress Spills Her Political Views, So Customers Spill Her Beer

Boon Rawd Brewery has been around since 1933, and is most well-known for Singha brand of beer, soda water, water, as well as other famous products like Leo Beer and Moshi Green Tea. The owners, the Bhirombhakdi family, are the 6th richest of the lot in Thailand , headed by the formidable 86-year-old Chamnong Bhirombhakdi.

Chiangmaicitynews
Possible Sanctions for Thailand's Nightmare Fishing Industry

CityNews - The London-based Environmental Justice Foundation released a report on Tuesday, 4th March, that accuses the Thai government of doing too little to curb human trafficking and human rights violations in the fishing industry. They have called on the United States, the country where most of the exported seafood ends up, to impose economic sanctions on Thailand until they clean up their act.

Chiang Mai CityNews
03/27/2014
Update on Shocking Uyghur Trafficking Investigations

On 13th March, police came across a secret jungle camp in Songkhla where more than 200 Uyghur people had been living, and 120 of them were later fined by Thai police despite pressure from human rights groups to help the group of instead of punish them.

Chiang Mai CityNews
Another Update on Uyghur Situation: China Wants Them Back

We previously reported the case of police coming across a secret jungle camp in Songkhla where more than 200 had been living, and 120 of them were later fined by to help the group of instead of punish them. More were later discovered, bringing the total number of suspected Uyghur refugees brought into Thailand in March alone to over 400.

Website - Daily News

Chiang Mai CityNews
50 Deaths in Thailand From H1N1 Flu Prompt Free Shots For Public

CityNews - The Public Health Ministry of Thailand has reported that there have been 50 deaths from influenza A virus (H1N1) this year so far, and that the illness has already affected over 30,000 people across the country - a 36% increase in flu cases over last year's statistics.

Chiangmaicitynews
Thai Parents Charge UK Daughter With Lèse Majesté

CityNews - Thai parents of a Thai-born woman who has relocated to the United Kingdom have asked police to take legal action against her, saying that she is guilty of violating Section 112 of the Criminal Code (the part that covers lèse majesté).

Chiangmaicitynews
Scandalous Monk Returns to Thailand After 20 Years in Exile

CityNews - The former monk Phra Yantra Amaro Bikkhu spent the last two decades living in the United States, and has recently been spotted in the Southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat, where he is staying at his sister's house with a small group of old followers.

Chiangmaicitynews
Teenage Rich Kid Who Killed 9 People Won't Spend a Day in Jail

CityNews - On 27th December 2010, a 16-year-old Orachorn "Praewa" Thephasadin Na Ayudhya drove her Honda Civic into the back of a van on the elevated Don Muang highway in Bangkok. The van tumbled over the safety barrier at the edge of the road and passengers were violently thrown from the vehicle, which landed on the concrete several metres below the road above.

Chiangmaicitynews
Jamie Foxx Says He Might Retire to Chiang Mai in Thai TV Interview

Jamie Foxx Says He Might Retire to Chiang Mai in Thai TV Interview Apr 23, 2014 CityNews - Thai television sensation Woody got the chance to interview the main stars of the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone) but his interview with Hollywood actor, musician, and stand-up comedian Jamie Foxx is by far the most entertaining, and also, relevant - Jamie expresses his love for Chiang Mai and reveals his plans to possibly retire there in the future.

Chiangmaicitynews
Yingluck Petitioned by Foundation to End Dog Smuggling Trade

CityNews - The Soi Dog Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Phuket, has been caring for, rehoming and rehabilitating street dogs for years, as well as sterilizing over 60,000 dogs and cats which ultimately keeps them off the streets.

Chiangmaicitynews
Over 1000 Animals Confiscated from Luggage in 2013 Alone

CityNews - Thai officials at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok are fed up with finding smuggled species of wildlife , with over 1,000 animals already discovered in this year alone. The majority of the animals are endangered or protected species, and Thailand is well-known for being a globally significant trade hub for wildlife trafficking.

Chiangmaicitynews
Far Too Many Budget Airlines Worrying for Thailand's Future

CityNews - The ASEAN Open Skies Policy is expected to be fully implemented next year, despite concerns that there are still a number of deficiencies in ASEAN's aviation sector, as well as the disappearance of MH370 highlighting the disunity between certain ASEAN countries.

Chiangmaicitynews
Gay Israeli Parents Struggling to Get 65 Thai Children Home

CityNews - The Israeli government has caused a furore with Israeli parents of about babies born or to be born through surrogate mothers in Thailand. The Thai law says that babies born in Thailand are Thai citizens and the Israeli Interior Ministry has stalled on granting the children Israeli citizenship.

Chiang Mai CityNews
03/28/2014
Recurring Findings Prompt Serious Action Against The Dog Smuggling Trade

On Tuesday, 25th March, hundreds of dog skins and bones were discovered in a forested area of the north-eastern province Sakon Nakhon, where business is booming for dog-smugglers because of their access to the Mekong River and close proximity to the Laos border.

Chiang Mai CityNews
03/18/2014
Sad and Mysterious Murders in Thai National Park

Environment CityNews - On Sunday, 16th March, the headless, charred corpse of agaur (the largest bovine species in current existence) was discovered by Kui Buri National Park officials on a routine patrol of the area. Once the case was reported to the police, the provincial police chief ordered an urgent investigation into the death of the protected animal.

Chiangmaicitynews
Thailand's Richest People and Wealthiest Stock Portfolios

CityNews - The Chirathivat family, owners of the multi-billion baht Central Group and the second-richest family in Thailand, have now taken the top spot in Thailand's list of wealthiest stock portfolios. It is believed that almost 67 billion baht in stocks is collectively held by the 31 heirs.

Interviews with Bloggers

Chiangmaicitynews
8 Miles From Home

Two expats in a car along with their adorable dog explore Northern Thailand and capture its fascinating beauty with breathtaking films and photographs. Passionate about their work, they share their daily experiences of Thai life filled with magnificent nature, delicious food and spontaneous adventures - read all about these passions here.

Chiang Mai City News
01/31/2014
Tieland to Thailand

Twenty-something married couple Christopher and Angela Scott, both from DC, Washington, sat down with me one afternoon to discuss Chiang Mai, life as an expat, and juggling a flourishing blog with full-time teaching. Christopher grew up in a military family who travelled extensively, allowing him to live in Italy for 6 years and Bahrain for 2, while Angela's first taste of the outside world was Thailand.

Chiang Mai City News
02/26/2014
Siam and Beyond

Read this interview with Siam and Beyond writer Ryan, who speaks Thai fluently and practices Tibetan Buddhism. At Siam and Beyond, he writes about his life in Chiang Mai and other topical issues like the influx of Chinese visitors and lack of a public transportation system.

Chiangmaicitynews
Where to Eat in Chiang Mai?

Follow Alice while she explores the food scene in Chiang Mai, and navigates her way through Thai, Japanese, Italian and more cuisines in the city. Her blog is filled with helpful information for hungry tummies with empty or bulging wallets, with honest recommendations for everything from cheap eateries to expensive restaurants.

Chiang Mai City News
02/13/2014
Traveling with JC

The story goes like this: two solo travellers meet on a beach in South Korea surrounded by friends, and spend the night chatting away while everybody else saunters off to sleep. From then on, the two become inseparable.