Singapore Writers Festival 2019: A Bigger Party Than Expected (Preview)

In celebration of Eurasian literary pioneer Rex Shelley, the Singapore Writers Festival is once again collaborating with the Arts House in bringing festival goers a wild night of fun and performances around the entire building with A Bigger Party Than Expected. Taking inspiration from Rex Shelley’s seminal novel The Shrimp People, The Arts House is set to transform into a Eurasian wedding, as we watch characters Bertha … Continue reading Singapore Writers Festival 2019: A Bigger Party Than Expected (Preview)

Singapore Writers Festival 2019: An Interview with Festival Director Pooja Nansi

Poet Pooja Nansi has some big shoes to fill after taking on the role as director of the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF). Following Yeow Kai Chai’s departure, the fiesty, spoken word poet has since taken over and brings her own brand and ideas of what the SWF should look like to this year’s edition. But speaking to her over coffee, Pooja is humble about this … Continue reading Singapore Writers Festival 2019: An Interview with Festival Director Pooja Nansi

Review: The Page on Stage – Seven Views of Redhill

Childhood comes back to haunt these siblings in the final edition of the Page on Stage 2019. You ever go to a family gathering and meet all your relatives, each one taking their turn to reminisce about the past? That’s kind of what Seven Views of Redhill feels like, only a lot more dramatic, and a lot more bittersweet. Rounding off the Arts House’s The Page … Continue reading Review: The Page on Stage – Seven Views of Redhill

The Page on Stage: An Interview with Lee Thean-Jeen, Lim Yu-Beng and Janice Koh (Seven Views of Redhill)

Following their last edition of The Page on Stage in July, this October, The Arts House continues their streak of successful stage adaptations of local literary short stories with their third and final instalment for the year – Dora Tan’s Seven Views of Redhill. Once again pairing a television director with prominent local actors, this time around, Seven Views of Redhill is helmed by director Lee Thean-jeen, in his … Continue reading The Page on Stage: An Interview with Lee Thean-Jeen, Lim Yu-Beng and Janice Koh (Seven Views of Redhill)

Singapore Writers Festival 2019: A Greater Focus on Language with A Language of Our Own (Preview)

The 22nd annual Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) returns this November with the theme “A Language of Our Own”. Now headed by new Festival Director Pooja Nansi, this edition seeks to examine the role of languages in the formation of identities and communities at a time when the world is becoming increasingly globalised, yet fractured, bringing together a host of influential writers from both Singapore and … Continue reading Singapore Writers Festival 2019: A Greater Focus on Language with A Language of Our Own (Preview)

Singapore Writers Festival 2019: A Language of Our Own (Preview)

The Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) is back this new November for its 22nd edition, welcoming on board poet Pooja Nansi as Festival Director, following Yeow Kai Chai’s exit. This year’s festival takes on the theme of A Language of Our Own, set to explore the role of language in the expression of identities and formation of communities in the 21st century. Some of the biggest … Continue reading Singapore Writers Festival 2019: A Language of Our Own (Preview)

Review: The Page on Stage – Missing presented by The Arts House

Love goes hand in hand with loss in this moving adaptation of Ng Swee San’s short story. While K. Rajagopal is best known for his acclaimed work on film, the director of A Yellow Bird admitted in Missing’s post show discussion that he was nervous about helming this theatrical work, considering how film and theatre are two very different mediums. The truth is, he had absolutely nothing to worry … Continue reading Review: The Page on Stage – Missing presented by The Arts House

Preview: The Page on Stage – Missing presented by The Arts House

The Arts House’s Page on Stage series has been growing from strength to strength, starting off at the 2018 edition of Textures with an adaptation of short stories from Gopal Baratham, Colin Cheong, Philip Jeyaretnam and Simon Tay, and at the 2019 edition of Textures, with the pared down but very moving Samping, from Math Paper Press’ Balik Kampung series. Now, the series is back for its third part, going beyond Textures to present Ng Swee … Continue reading Preview: The Page on Stage – Missing presented by The Arts House

Book Review: Nimita’s Place by Akshita Nanda

Parallel narratives of an Indian grandmother during Partition and her granddaughter in modern day Singapore make for a satisfying debut.  Reading Nimita’s Place feels a little like moving in to a new house – to an ethnically Chinese person reading this, the parallel narratives seen through the eyes of both protagonists present worlds that are rapidly changing, initially unfamiliar, yet places that Akshita eases us into to … Continue reading Book Review: Nimita’s Place by Akshita Nanda

Singapore Writers Festival 2018: The Ghost In Your Head (Review)

A novel idea with flawed execution.  Immersive productions are all the rage these days, with audiences often demanding to experience art beyond the usual mediums. Naturally, one of these art forms would be literature, where one’s imagination is already subject to go wild as we visualise fantastic worlds and characters within their pages, and lends itself perfectly to theatrical adaptation, with our spectral thoughts manifesting … Continue reading Singapore Writers Festival 2018: The Ghost In Your Head (Review)