programme download - Singapore Writers Festival

PROGRAMMES 7 – 9 NOVEMBER
history and domestic story marks one of the strongest
features of this literary tradition, as seen in Stella Kon’s
play Emily of Emerald Hill. With the play as a focus, this
lecture by writer Shirley Lim will examine Peranakan
writing and culture in Singapore and the region.
To register, email your name and contact details to:
nhb_acm_conference@nhb.gov.sg from 17 Oct to
5 Nov 2012.
In conjunction with The Peranakan Museum.
PANEL: Quiet Faith; Finding a Voice
featuring: lilia labidi, lee tzu Pheng
mOderated By: angie chew monksfield
Wed 7 nov | 7.30pm – 8.30pm | FESTIvAL PASS
ilovebooks.com Pavilion, campus green, Smu
How do contemporary women writers relate to
their faiths? Poet Lee Tzu Pheng shares from her
new writings, including religious essays and poems
inspired by Catholicism, while Lilia Labidi elaborates
on the role of Islam in the lives of Middle Eastern
women and its creative expression in literature.
CANCELLED
Roots before
branches
To better understand where
we are today, and where we are
headed – as individuals or as a country - we
could take a leaf from the languages, stories
and lessons of the past. SWF 2012 highlights
biographies, historical non-fiction and fiction
in the following sessions:
SESSIONS TO WATCH OUT FOR:
• WOrkSHOP: Who Said latin is dead? | pg 33
• Panel: telling a life Story | pg 35
• Panel: raffles: Saint, Scoundrel or… | pg 45
• Panel: researching Singapore History | pg 22
• meet tHe autHOr: S r nathan | pg 34
• Brand neW BOOkS: raffles and the British
invasion of java | pg 39
OFF THE PAGE: When Harry Met Sally 2012
Wed 7 nov | 7.30pm – 9.30pm | FREE
(Registration required)
tcc @ Smu
Single book-lovers out there, aged 40 and under,
looking for like-minded friends. This session is
organised just for you! Partake in specially created
interactive games based on popular literary works and
print-to-screen movies that promise to stimulate your
creative juices and keep the conversation going. Come
prepared for an evening where the literary sparks fly!
Please register at: whenharrymetsally2012@gmail.com
(spaces are limited)
In collaboration with the National Library Board.
BRAND NEW BOOKS: Unrest by Yeng Pway Ngon |
The Scent of the Real by Alvin Pang | Transparent
Strangers by Loh Guan Liang
Wed 7 nov | 8.30pm – 9.30pm | FREE
festival Pavilion, campus green, Smu
Three authors present a mélange of works: Yeng
Pway Ngon’s epic narrative follows the journeys
of four characters from post-war Singapore to the
1980s, as they discern where their loyalties lie; Alvin
Pang’s chapbook of poems, reflections, diary entries
and other meditations looks at the erotic impulses in
ordinary Singapore life; while Loh Guan Liang’s debut
collection of poems forces the everyday to become
unfamiliar, so we can understand ourselves better.
Please refer to pg 48 for after dark programmes.
THURSDAY | 8 NOVEMBER
BRAND NEW BOOKS: The Forbidden Hill
Chronicles – Crown of Earth’s Desire by Terry Ho
thu 8 nov | 7pm – 8pm | FREE
festival Pavilion, campus green, Smu
The Forbidden Hill Chronicles – Crown of Earth’s Desire
is the first book in a series by Terry Ho. A fantasy novel
based on Singapore’s history and his own Peranakan
heritage, the story starts off in modern day Singapore
and moves swiftly into an alternative dimension
inspired by the forgotten history of Singapore when
it was still known as Temasek. An avid fan of sci-fi and
fantasy novels, Terry also weaves elements of magic,
folklore and science into his story.
OFF THE PAGE: Poetry of Song (Concert Finale)
thu 8 nov | 7pm – 9pm | FREE
Switch, ntuc trade union House
Timbre Music Academy and the Singapore Writers
Festival bring you the concert finale of Poetry of
Song 2012! After voting for your favourite English and
Mandarin songs – based on this year’s theme ‘Roots’, –
on the official SWF website, come join us at Switch to
find out which poem-songs come out tops. Hear singersongwriters
from the Timbre Music Academy and the
Singapore music scene such as Mang Irama Dusqie
(Goodfellas), Sara Wee (53A), Surath Godfrey (Raw
Earth), Phaze, The Switch Gang and recording artiste
Tay Kewei create melodies and bring these songs to life.
Co-organised with Timbre Music Academy.
SPECIAL FESTIvAL PASS EvENT: Dramatised
Presentation of Desmond Sim’s The Chair
thu 8 nov | 7.30pm – 8.30pm | FESTIvAL PASS
(Registration required)
2f Special exhibition gallery, tPm
Creative Director: Richard Tan | Playwright: Desmond
Sim | Producer: Edmond Wong
An ornate chair makes its way from China to Malacca
as part of a set of furniture for a rich Malaccan
businessman. There it begins an odyssey spanning
five generations of a Peranakan family, from poverty
to wealth, hurtling headlong into World War II and
beyond. Staged for the public for the first time in
Singapore, this play is a moving story of one family,
their origins and their deep connection to a unique
and rich culture.
Post-show dialogue at 8.30pm.
Registration required, visit www.singaporewritersfestival.com
for more information (spaces are limited).
Supported by Kim Choo Holdings Pte Ltd.
WORKSHOP: Who Said Latin is Dead?
inStructOr: tai yu Hsiang
thu 8 nov | 7.30pm – 9.30pm | $20
ilovebooks.com Pavilion, campus green, Smu
Classics scholar Tai Yu Hsiang takes us on a short
romp through the history of Latin literature, explaining
its enduring influence on European culture, and, in
particular, on the English language, literature and
poetry. Surprise yourself by learning some basic Latin
that will have you reading a passage in Latin by the
end of the evening. Suitable for teens and above.
BRAND NEW BOOKS: A Monsoon Feast
thu 8 nov | 8.30pm – 9.30pm | FREE
festival Pavilion, campus green, Smu
The launch of the anthology A Monsoon Feast brings
together acclaimed writers from Singapore and
Kerala. The audience will be treated to a 360-degree
blitz of digital and traditional media that blend the
sights, sounds, tastes, smells and cultures of the two
vastly different places. In the conversation that arises,
the best that Singapore and Kerala have to offer
comes to the fore.
Please refer to pg 48 for after dark programmes.
FRIDAY | 9 NOVEMBER
WORKSHOP: Singapore Literature for
Reluctant Readers
inStructOr: angelia Poon
fri 9 nov | 3pm – 6pm | $30
ilovebooks.com Pavilion, campus green, Smu
If you’re scratching your head over how to get young
teens to read, this hands-on workshop will offer some
homegrown solutions. Taking participants through
various interesting Singapore literary texts, it offers
strategies to engage reluctant readers between the
ages of 12 to 15. Suitable for Literature and English
Language teachers, parents, educators and those who
want to best use Singapore stories to connect with the
young.
BRAND NEW BOOKS: Interactive children’s book
launch – Tabungan Alysha (Alysha Saves the Day)
by Surtini Sarwan
fri 9 nov | 6.30pm – 7.30pm | FREE
(Registration required)
ilovebooks.com Pavilion, campus green, Smu
A first by MediaCorp Radio station Warna 94.2FM,
this dual-language (Malay-English) interactive book
teaches two- to four-year-olds the values of saving
and sharing. Join the Warna deejays as they bring the
story to life through a storytelling session that also
showcases the interactive elements in the e-book.
To register, visit www.ilovebooks.com from 22 Oct to
11 Nov 2012.
Presented by www.ilovebooks.com
SWF 2012
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