From 7 to 16 November 2025, the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) returns with its 28th edition under the theme Shape of Things to Come. Organised by Arts House Group (AHG), this milestone festival coincides with Singapore’s 60th year of independence, offering audiences the chance to “dream, question and reimagine a world that is inventive, inclusive and deeply human through the transformative power of literature.”

Festival Director Yong Shu Hoong shared that the theme was inspired by H.G. Wells’ classic The Shape of Things to Come, a speculative work about utopia emerging from crisis. “From what I understand, it’s actually a book about a utopia that emerges from a period of great chaos – war, plague, economic slump. All very familiar and too close for comfort, I suppose,” he said. “But I also want to think of it as something that is more hopeful… looking towards the future with some hope and optimism. After all, this is SG60, right? I can’t get too dark into all the doom and gloom.”

Yong emphasised that SWF has always been more than a literary gathering. “It’s really a space where diverse voices can meet, a space for dialogue and somewhere where we can reflect on questions that matter to us most as individuals as well as a society,” he said. “This year carries an even deeper resonance as Singapore marks its 60th anniversary. We invite everyone to reflect on our shared journey, imagine the paths ahead, and engage with the defining questions of our identity and our place in the world.”

One of the most anticipated highlights of SWF 2025 is the return of award-winning author Ken Liu, who last visited Singapore during the 2017 edition. A pioneer of Asian speculative fiction in the West, Liu is celebrated for The Paper Menagerie, the first work to win the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards. His presence anchors the Festival’s brand-new Sci-fi Spotlight track, which explores how technology, culture, and imagination can shape humanity’s future.

Liu will deliver the Festival Keynote Talk: The Future of Art in the Age of AI, where he examines how artificial intelligence might reshape human creativity. He will also join Singaporean fantasy author Neon Yang for Myth, Machine and Memory on opening night, featuring an intergenerational conversation that promises to set the tone for the Festival’s exploration of identity, storytelling, and technology.

“We are very excited to share in terms of our Sci-fi Spotlight, which highlights how science and technology can transform humanity and the world at large, particularly from an Asian perspective,” Yong explained. “Ken Liu is one of those rare authors whose work stretches our vision of distant worlds while also reflecting our lived histories.”

Other luminaries in the track include R.F. Kuang, best known for her Poppy War series, the novel Yellowface and the recently-published Katabasis, as well as China’s Hao Jingfang (Folding Beijing), alongside Southeast Asian voices exploring time travel, speculative futures, and cultural memory. Programmes such as Beyond the Time Machine and The Edible Future invite audiences to step into imaginative terrains where science fiction becomes a mirror of contemporary society.

To mark Singapore’s diamond jubilee, SWF 2025 introduces the SG60 Homage track, a tribute to six decades of publishing across the nation’s four official languages. A travelling exhibition Behind the Pages: Evolution of Publishing in Singapore, will open at The Arts House before journeying to other locations. Panel discussions will bring together publishers past and present to discuss how Singaporean stories resonate on the global stage.

“This is a tribute to our publishing history, making use of the 1960s as a pivotal period,” Yong said. “We’ll look at how early publishing shaped the decades after, leading to the boom in the ’80s and ’90s, and to the vibrant scene we have today.”

With over 200 programmes and more than 300 presenters, SWF 2025 continues to offer something for everyone. Families can explore the playful SWF Playground with events like Sci-fi Yoga at Mandai Resort and Draw Your Story: A Comic Workshop with Eisner Award-winning artist Faith Erin Hicks. Young adults will encounter bold conversations in the Youth Fringe, such as Gloriously Crashing Out: Rage as a Literary Aesthetic and Is This the End of the World? featuring YA luminaries like Neal Shusterman.

Community initiatives include Stories Across Generations, where youths document their grandparents’ coming-of-age experiences, and Snippets of the Future, a micro-writing challenge for students imagining Singapore in 60 more years. Pop-up events in heartland malls and libraries will bring the Festival spirit directly to neighbourhoods.

Food lovers can join the Salon Series, intimate literary-meets-culinary experiences featuring writers like Fuchsia Dunlop, Balli Kaur Jaswal and Marylyn Tan in collaboration with Singapore’s F&B scene. “This reimagines the social side of literary exchange,” said Yong, “in a way that is fresh, intimate, and delicious.”

In keeping with Singapore’s multilingual heritage, SWF 2025 strengthens programming across Chinese, Malay and Tamil, curated by Yap Seow Choong, Ilyia Kamsani and Chitra Ramesh. Highlights include Liu Zichao and Wong Koi Tet on the power of non-fiction, M. Raihan Halim’s masterclass on screenwriting, and spoken word showcases like Kaviperukku – Aspire the Infinite. Selected programmes will also feature simultaneous live interpretation to make them accessible across communities.

From speculative futures to stories of heritage, SWF 2025 is set to be a landmark edition. Sharon Tan, Executive Director of Arts House Group, noted, “By curating diverse, high-calibre programmes that place Singaporean writers alongside leading global talents, SWF serves as a vital platform for cultural exchange and artistic excellence.”

As Yong put it: “Working very closely, very tirelessly with partners, writers and the community, we are really proud of the programmes, the ideas, the voices that are defining this year’s festival. I hope you find it thoughtful, inspiring, and resonant.”

The 28th Singapore Writers Festival runs from 7th to 16th November 2025. Early Bird Festival Passes go on sale from 23 September to 6 October 2025 at singaporewritersfestival.com.