So this might not come across as a surprise to you, but we’re kinda obsessed with writing (who would’ve thunk!). This November, our fellow wordsmiths, penmen (and penwomen), and bookworms in Singapore have a reason to rejoice; a much-anticipated event on the cultural calendar is making its comeback.
As one of Asia’s premier multi-lingual literary events, the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF), presented by The National Arts Council, is bound to feed your inner culture vulture. Featuring everyone from investigative journalists and graphic novelists to musician-poets and even YouTube essayists, SWF is lined up with pivotal players of the literary scene around the world. What’s more? Decked with a myriad of immersive activities at The Civic District – this stretches from The Esplanade to the Asian Civilisations Museum – SWF will be an exciting meeting point for writers, academics, thinkers, as well as festival-goers simply looking for a spesh day out. No matter if you can’t differentiate Dickens from Kureishi, you’ll definitely be inspired when this fest is done with you.
The essentials
Featuring almost 330 Singapore and international literary talents, the festival’s 19th annual edition evaluates the state of the world through its first ever non-English theme, “Sayang”. The colloquial Malay term, Sayang (which can translate to both “darling” and “a wasted opportunity”), is the focal point of the festival, which hopes to epitomise the paradoxical nature of the human condition, which involves both affection and sacrifices in pursuit of modernity.
So what’s gonna happen?
A lot! During the 10-day festival from 4 to 13 November, you can meet your favourite authors in person, grab tips on writing engaging stories, catch a multi-sensory performance or two; just to name a few. What’s more? To commemorate 50 years of diplomacy between Japan and Singapore, SWF will host a guild of 10 Japanese writers and speakers as part of its Country Focus. Any fans of Japanese culture out there?
Our top picks
With countless events to choose from, it can be a daunting task to set your mind on which events to attend. But to aid you with your decision-making, we’ve rummaged through the extensive programmes for this year’s SWF and found seven that pique our interests.
1) Privacy versus Surveillance: What the Panama Papers mean for everyone in the 21st Century
Sign up for this intriguing SWF Lecture, which presents one of the two prolific German journalists who dropped a bombshell and startled the world with the controversial Panama Papers. This lecture will dabble in the issue of cybersecurity and transparency in the Internet Age.
November 12, 4pm-5pm at the Victoria Theatre
2) The Whens and Whys of “Sayang”: How a word captures our Region’s History
Fascinated by this year’s poetic theme? Then head down to a lecture by Farish Noor – a political scientist, historian and Associate Professor at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies in the Nanyang Technological University. He’ll examine the etymology of the word “Sayang” and its multi-layered significances in Southeast Asia.
November 5, 11.30am-12.30pm at The Arts House – Play Den
3) Unwritten Country
Keen to find out more about Singapore’s heritage and literature, and how this shapes the nation’s future? Join in this enriching double-bill lecture conducted by two prominent figures of Singapore literary scene – Gwee Li Sui and Boey Kim Cheng.
November 5, 3pm-4pm at The Arts House – Chamber
4) Malam Lawak Sastera (Literary Comedy Night)
This two-hour variety show featuring the key players of the Malay literary scene as well as artistes from the arts and entertainment industry. From poets and theatre practitioners to comedians and pantun (poem) masters, they will perform various kinds of lawak (comedy acts) that is set to capture the laughter and smiles of festival-goers.
November 5, 8pm-9.30pm at Victoria Theatre
5) Unravelling the US Presidential Election
Meet Evan Puschak, the brilliant creator of The Nerdwriter – a popular web series of weekly video essays that scrutinise subjects from throughout the art world, film, television, music, paintings and more. At this classroom series talk, this YouTube essayist looks into the intricacies of the highly debatable US Presidential Election, and its repercussions on Singapore and the rest of the world.
November 12, 7pm-8pm at The Arts House – Play Den
6) Sonnets for Modern Times
Distance yourself from Shakespearean sonnets no more! Get your dosage of both traditional and modern Shakespearean wonders at this workshop by Philip Terry, where he’ll show how accessible Shakespearean sonnets can be, even in today’s world.
November 5, 7pm-8pm, at The Arts House – Living Room
7) Melding Fact and Fiction
Elevate your writing chops by participating in a masterclass conducted by award-winning writer-journalist, Lionel Shriver. This masterclass looks at how to skilfully intertwine fact and fiction, by writing fiction based on real-life events – from school massacres and terrorism, to obesity and the world’s economy.
November 12, 7pm-8pm at The Arts House – Living Room
Still unconvinced? Check out what went down at the previous instalment of SWF, and perhaps that’ll change your mind:
See you there!
Singapore Writers Festival runs from 4-13 November 2016, at various locations. Buy the Festival Pass ($20) here. For the full list of programmes, click here. For information on ticketing, click here.