Singapore Writers Festival 2019: The Festival Opens + A Bigger Party Than Expected (Review)

The 22nd edition of the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF), was officially opened at the National Gallery Singapore earlier this evening by Guest of Honour, Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. The opening ceremony saw Ms Sim reflecting on the literary arts as an important expression of the Singaporean identity, and how the … Continue reading Singapore Writers Festival 2019: The Festival Opens + A Bigger Party Than Expected (Review)

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

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)

Preview: The Multitudes Within Us by Wong Yun Qi and Agnes Chew

“We are both fluid and limitless. We expand and contract according to our whims, our caprices, and our desires. Let us never be limited by the fetters of definition.” – Agnes Chew, The Desire for Elsewhere It’s time to travel into a musical, lyrical wonderland as you take a deep breath and step through the looking glass with pianist Wong Yun Qi and writer Agnes Chew (author of … Continue reading Preview: The Multitudes Within Us by Wong Yun Qi and Agnes Chew

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)

Singapore Writers Festival Director Yeow Kai Chai’s Final Edition Draws To A Close

After 10 days of exciting programmes, pop ups, local and international authors and new ways of engaging with literary arts, the 21st edition of the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) finally drew to a close last Sunday, after opening audiences up to the many worlds authors created and brought to life through their writing and thoughts. On the final day of SWF 2018, we began first … Continue reading Singapore Writers Festival Director Yeow Kai Chai’s Final Edition Draws To A Close

Singapore Writers Festival 2018: The State of The World According To David Sedaris, Irvine Welsh, Mariko Tamaki and Margaret Stohl

With a theme like 界(Jie): The World(s) We Live In, it’s impossible for the Singapore Writers Festival not to fill itself with programmes and events that discuss the state of affairs surrounding the world today. At times horrifying with the increasingly dismal state of politics and disasters, at times completely absurd with the odd news we come across, and at times even hopeful, from finding inspiration … Continue reading Singapore Writers Festival 2018: The State of The World According To David Sedaris, Irvine Welsh, Mariko Tamaki and Margaret Stohl