Together they make the collection a delight to read, with a mix of background information, interviews, dialogues, quotes and essay narrative - plus a considerable measure of emotional intimacy.

The most successful contributor is Orasom Suthisakorn, who doubles as the book's editor and writing coach. A bestseller for a decade, her writing's hallmarks include high literary quality, originality and well-researched themes. Her book on life behind bars was made into a successful feature film.

Orasom and her team spent all of 2004 preparing and conducting four workshops for 40 aspiring writers from universities across the country. Funded by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth), the project is about providing opportunities.

The resulting book has the unique voice of well-balanced and youthful optimism. Given the social mission to be achieved, the exercise could have been plagued with grand narratives by the self-righteous, but readers will find not one accusing finger.

Far from the condemnation typical of news stories given the feature treatment, all the stories here are thoroughly explored, informative and entertaining.

A handful of the topics are familiar but never outdated: children selling garlands on the street, homeless kids, vagabonds at Sanam Luang and abandoned dogs.

The other six topics come from lesser-known worlds.

Siriluck Jutin's article on the Ragnarok online game craze opens the collection. The longest story of all is probably also the best at describing the modern trend and those who are involved in it.

There is excellent background information, interviews and observations from many angles, including the gaming parlour operators. Creative writing is appropriately used to paint a vivid picture of the activity and its impact on the players. Cases of fraud over the buying and selling of Ragnarok characters are also investigated.

Although the writer allows her disapproval to emerge at the end, the overall voice is highly non-judgemental.

The so-called dek siew - first-year university students who retake entrance exams to become first-year students in a new faculty - is well-portrayed with actual examples from Naresaun University in Phitsanulok province.

A close look at life with foster parents on Krabi's Lanta Island earns the writer, at the end of her research, a much more intense love of and appreciation for her own parents.

An in-depth story on the secret world of the so-called phi wak - university seniors who tyrannise freshmen - includes profiles of some sophomores who've taken that role.

Again, the writer tries to present a well-balanced view, despite the fact that society increasingly frowns on the practice.

Then there are the highly paid agents of exam cheating, who sit near their clients and signal the correct answers. The job requires thorough planning, but like any other underground activity, betrayal and risk are inevitable.

With much optimism, another writer explores the realm of blind masseurs at a parlour on Bangkok's Soi Ekamai that's soon to be revamped by the Health Ministry.

The spa and massage fad has made it necessary, the ministry says, to standardise masseurs and their workplaces.

For Orasom, who has developed into a full-fledged independent feature writer, choosing her own themes for books, is convinced that feature writing is about life and truth, so it cannot be less illuminating than any other literary genres.

The good news is that she is committed to devoting much of her time and energy to nurturing young writers. This book is only the beginning.

By Sukanya Hantrakul