programme download - Singapore Writers Festival

PROGRAMMES 10 NOVEMBER
MEET THE AUTHOR: Pico Iyer
Presented by the British Council, Singapore
mOderated By: yeoh Siew Hoon
Sat 10 nov | 2.30pm – 3.30pm | FESTIvAL PASS
glass Hall, Sam
Is the world just one big transit lounge? Does the
restless travel writer ever tire of hitting the road?
Veteran travel writer and all-round nice guy Pico Iyer
sheds light on finding new inspirations everywhere
and the fraught meaning of home.
PANEL: You Can Write Too!
featuring: jolene goh, jeremy tiang, Sharon
ismail, lucas Ho
mOderated By: alison lester
Sat 10 nov | 2.30pm – 3.30pm | FESTIvAL PASS
ilovebooks.com Pavilion, campus green, Smu
Reprising last year’s popular panel, this discussion
brings together writers from diverse, even surprising,
fields. Find out what makes them tick, how they were
published here and overseas, and get inspired to pick
up your pen!
Waxing Lyrical
The art of song-writing
hails from the beginning of
civilisation. How do lyricists use
words and work with the music? Find out
what it takes to put together a soaring ballad,
a feet-thumping hit or a catchy song to bring
people together. And hear some of the
inspired creations first-hand!
GET INSPIRED AT THESE SESSIONS:
• WOrkSHOP: edhugai – tamil Songwriting | pg 41
• Panel: Hitting the right notes | pg 22
• Panel: Sing a Song for Singapore – Writing
national day Songs | pg 19
• Off tHe Page: Poetry of Song (concert
finale) pg 33
• Off tHe Page: Pooja nansi | pg 26
PANEL: Introducing Middle East Writing
featuring: lilia labidi, Hisham Bustani,
izzeldin abuelaish
mOderated By: Hussin mutalib
Sat 10 nov | 2.30pm – 3.30pm | FESTIvAL PASS
the ixora room, tPm
Made up of many countries, cultures, and languages,
the Middle East is as connected as it is divided. Come
listen to writers from Tunisia, Jordan, and Palestine
discuss literature from their region and frame its
contribution to world literature.
Curated by The Arts House.
LITTLE LIT!: Zeus on the Loose
featuring: john dougherty
Sat 10 nov | 4pm – 5pm | FREE
Big Steps, School of information Systems, Smu
It isn’t easy to chaperon a guy centuries older than you —
especially when the guy is a Greek god and is expected
to help you in times of trouble! For ages 6 and up.
BRAND NEW BOOKS: Vanishing Point by
Felix Cheong | The Nevermind Girl and Other
Stories by Rosemarie Somaiah
Sat 10 nov | 3.30pm – 5pm | FREE
festival Pavilion, campus green, Smu
Felix looks at the theme of disappearance in its many
forms, both physical and psychological, in his new
work Vanishing Point, praised by Boey Kim Cheng for
its “trenchant wit and well-observed details [which]
are mesmerising and subtly satirical, subversive of
the values of the global city”. Then join Rosemarie as
she explores the struggles of adolescents and young
adults in society today, throwing up issues of selfesteem,
peer pressure, loyalty to friends, following
rules and more.
PANEL: Crossing Genres
featuring: grace chia krakovic, alfian Sa’at,
Shirley geok-lin lim
mOderated By: goh eck kheng
Sat 10 nov | 4pm – 5pm | FESTIvAL PASS
glass Hall, Sam
Can poets write novels? Can novelists write plays?
Can adult fiction authors write children’s books?
A group of genre-bending writers, who collectively
cover novels, poetry, prose, plays, films and essays,
offer their perspectives.
PANEL: Getting Lost; Getting Inspired
featuring: Pico iyer, Pamela Ho, ng king kang
mOderated By: yu-mei Balasingamchow
Sat 10 nov | 4pm – 5pm | FESTIvAL PASS
ilovebooks.com Pavilion, campus green, Smu
Wanderlust. Exotica. Adventures. Such is the
discourse we expect of travel writers, but what lies
behind the romance of the road? This panel traces the
route from itinerary to captivating travelogue.
PANEL: The Arab Spring and Literature
featuring: lilia labidi, Hisham Bustani, khalil
mOderated By: miral fahmy
Sat 10 nov | 4pm – 5pm | FESTIvAL PASS
the ixora room, tPm
Writers from different parts of the Arab World talk
about the effect of the Arab Spring on the arts and
creativity, and on literature in particular. Hisham
Bustani (Jordan), Khalil (Algeria) and Lilia Labidi
(Tunisia) share their varied experiences of changing
times in the Arab World.
Curated by The Arts House.
OFF THE PAGE: Class Acts – Creative Voices from
our Teachers
Sat 10 nov | 5pm – 7pm | FREE
Switch, ntuc trade union House
Wonder what your ’chers are penning while not
correcting your scripts? Come hear them perform or
read their very own poetry or stories in this exciting
new event. Featured names include writer-teachers
Laremy Lee, Heng Siok Tian, Gemma Pereira, Ann
Ang and many more. Enjoy an evening of poetry,
narratives, music and drama as they bring their written
works to life. Audience members will also get a chance
to “vote” for which pieces they like, while poet Yeow
Kai Chai and academic Jennifer Crawford offer their
witty critique as the official Sounding Board.
LITTLE LIT!: The Sister Sunshine Series
featuring: Wu meizhen
Sat 10 nov | 5.30pm – 6.30pm | FREE
Big Steps, School of information Systems, Smu
Follow popular children’s writer Wu Meizhen into the
delightful and wondrous worlds of the Sister Sunshine
series. Bring your biggest, brightest and cheeriest
smile along, because you may just get a chance to
have your picture taken with Sister Sunshine herself!
Suitable for families.
This session is in Mandarin.
豆豆文学!《阳光姐姐小说派》
嘉宾:伍美珍
十一月十日, 星期六 | 5.30pm – 6.30pm | 入场免费
Big Steps, School of information Systems, Smu
请跟随风靡儿童文学界的著名作者伍美珍进入充满
乐趣及奇幻的阳光姐姐世界。届时,也记得带上自己
最灿烂的笑容,因为你将有机会与阳光姐姐合照!
此节目将以中文进行。
BRAND NEW BOOKS: Raffles and the British
Invasion of Java by Tim Hannigan
Sat 10 nov | 5.30pm – 6.30pm | FREE
festival Pavilion, campus green, Smu
SWF 2012
Author Tim Hannigan sheds shocking new light on Sir
Stamford Raffles. Typically celebrated as a hero, liberal
and visionary, Raffles is here revealed to have crushed
dissent, looted palaces and incited massacres to fulfill
his own ambitions. These revelations emerge from
historical events that Tim examines in his narrative
history-cum-biography: the bloody battles and
furious controversies that marked the British’s shortlived
and violent rule in Java from 1811 to 1815.
MEET THE AUTHOR: David Almond
mOderated By: r chandran
Sat 10 nov | 5.30pm – 6.30pm | FESTIvAL PASS
glass Hall, Sam
Straddling whimsical illustrated children’s books and
dark philosophical tales, David Almond is clearly one
of the most innovative children’s authors today. But
his path to success was unlikely – the Carnegie Medal
Winner and twice Whitbread Book Award winner
started out as a hotel porter. Listen as he recounts his
fascinating journey from that to a popular author who
has sold over a million copies.
PANEL: Homeland, Origins, Beginnings
featuring: alexis Wright, maung Pyiyt min, Simon tay
mOderated By: tan dan feng
Sat 10 nov | 5.30pm – 6.30pm | FESTIvAL PASS
ilovebooks.com Pavilion, campus green, Smu
Is home where the heart is? Our authors talk about
their relationship with their homeland: a complex
fraught dialectic explored in their writing. From
the physical landscape engrained in childhood to
inevitable loss and change, expect an insightful
discussion.
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