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[title]Literary lovers, take your noses out of the pages and meet the authors behind your favourite novels and poems at the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF). From October 30 to November 8, the annual multilingual – and multicultural – festival takes over the virtual space to connect readers, authors, thinkers and festival-goers from Singapore and around the world through a diverse line-up of multi-disciplinary programmes. This marks its first-ever digital edition where its well-loved programmes have been innovatively reimagined for audiences of all ages – no matter where they are in the world.
Centred around the theme of 'intimacy', this year’s festival explores the idea of staying connected in a time of distance as we gather virtually with some of the world’s most acclaimed authors, poets, graphic novelists, and thinkers. Take part in new online experiences in the form of digital installations, podcasts, and vodcasts while also enjoying festival favourites such as thought-provoking panel discussions, workshops, readings, and exhibitions. True to its multicultural ethos, these programmes are presented in English, Malay, Chinese, and Tamil. English subtitles are available for pre-recorded and video-on-demand programmes. Here’s what you can expect at this year’s Singapore Writers Festival.
Photograph: Singapore Writers Festival
Tap into the minds of award-winning international headliners
If the circuit breaker has given you writer’s block, engage in conversations with the world’s most accomplished wordsmiths and connect with them as one creative individual to another. Tap into the brilliant minds of novelist Zadie Smith of the best-selling fiction White Teeth, poet Tracy K Smith of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Life on Mars, poet Sharon Olds of Stag’s Leap, acclaimed cartoonist Art Spiegelman of the graphic novel Maus, Hugo Award-winner Liu Cixin, and author Cassandra Clare of the bestselling young adult fiction series The Mortal Instruments.
They are also joined by two-time Booker Prize-winner Margaret Atwood of the worldwide phenomenon The Handmaid’s Tale, author Sarah Lewis of bestselling non-fiction The Rise, writer-photographer Teju Cole of the PEN/Hemingway Award-winning novel Open City, and acclaimed journalist Naomi Klein of seminal books The Shock Doctrine and No Logo.
Celebrate the legacy of local literary figures
Delve further into the world of SingLit with The Singapore Writers Festival Literary Pioneer Exhibition. The returning series features the works of Tamil writers and Cultural Medallion recipients P Krishnan, Singai Ma Ilangkannan, and Rama Kannabiran whose works span across short stories, novels, poetry, and radio. Presented in an interactive and multi-sensorial digital exhibition in both English and Tamil, uncover the untold stories of Singapore’s Indian community from World War II to the years of industrialisation and urbanisation in the 1970s and 1980s through these writers’ lenses.
Photograph: Singapore Writers Festival
Explore the world of SingLit through interactive programmes
This year’s festival features 20 innovative commissions that bring a whole new dimension to the experience of literature, which is an all-time high in festival history. Join in the interactive experience of Play This Story: The Book of Red Shadows, a gripping psychological horror narrative that takes place entirely over email based on a fictional universe created by speculative fiction author Victor Fernando R Ocampo.
For a more tangible experience, check out A Call Away, a participatory hands-on activity inspired by Alvin Pang’s best-selling collection What Gives Us Our Names where participants unpack a package of unknown contents while guided by the voice of a stranger through a cryptic phone call.
The experiential session Dearest S, on the other hand, allows you to select between English and Mandarin as you navigate the idea of intimacy and identity with a character named J through a chatbot conversation.
Check out more programmes in other languages
Beyond the English language, the festival also features intercultural programming across all disciplines and in various languages including Malay, Chinese and Tamil. Discover the power of words in poetry and how they can connect souls with Malay poets Samsudin Said, Aqmal Noor, and Mustaqim Ahmad in Bait-bait Puisi Penghubung Jiwa (Connecting Souls Through Poetry).
In the Mandarin panel session From Singapore to Hong Kong, writers from the two cities share their views and ideas of connection and isolation through letters that they have exchanged with one another.
Ever wonder what the process of literary translation is like? Find out what goes on behind-the-scenes with Transcreation: Translating A Language You Don't Know. In this workshop, join four translators who will guide you through the art of transcreation with a unique project with Cordite Poetry Review.
Secure your tickets
Digital Festival Passes are available at $20, and includes full access to all programmes by international A-List speakers – another first this year that you won’t want to miss. While some programmes are free, select experiential programmes are ticketed separately at $10. All Digital Festival Passes and tickets are available to purchase online via Sistic. For more information, visit singaporewritersfestival.com.
This article is brought to you by the Singapore Writers Festival organised by the National Arts Council, and is part of the #SGCultureAnywhere campaign.