programme download - Singapore Writers Festival

AUTHORS & SPEAKERS
Chris Newson (Singapore) PG 46
Publishing professional Chris Newson has
worked in the industry for 12 years, with a
career that spans Singapore, London and the
US. He is currently general manager and
publisher at Marshall Cavendish, Singapore.
A firm believer in the future of e-books and in the Asian
market for books, Chris has, in his time at Marshall Cavendish,
published Asia-oriented titles, like chick-lit series Asian Chic,
fiction and non-fiction by Asian authors and the publisher’s
signature Asian cookbooks.
Christopher Tan (Singapore) PG 40
Cultures, ingredients and places inspire food
writer and consultant Christopher Tan.
A columnist for The Sunday Times and
Appetite magazine, a contributor to local
and international periodicals such as Saveur,
Food & Travel and The Peak, and a co-author of several
books about food; he creates articles and recipes, and styles
food for photo shoots. He is also the author of Slurp: Soups
to Lap Up and Love, a collection of soup recipes from around
the world.
Cyril Wong (Singapore) PG 14, 28, 48, 49
A prolific poet and author, Cyril Wong has
published several poetry collections, most
recently Satori Blues (2011), and also wrote a
collection of short stories, Let Me Tell You
Something About That Night (2009).
Anthologies featuring his work include Language for a New
Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia and
Beyond (2008) and Chinese Erotic Poems (2007). He founded
international poetry journal online, Softblow, and is a creative
writing mentor under the Creative Arts Programme and the
Mentor Access Project, as well as a judge for the Golden Point
Award for English Poetry in Singapore.
Danièle Weiler (France - Singapore) PG 22
A French lady who has steeped herself in
knowledge about Singapore, Danièle Weiler
has written various articles about the
country and co-authored the book The
French in Singapore with Maxime Pilon. She
is no stranger to familiarising herself with lands beyond her
own, having worked in Tahiti where she became interested in
Polynesian history and contributed to a book about local
medicinal plants. After that she moved to yet another
adopted land — Hong Kong — and became a teacherlibrarian
at the Lycée Français, before coming to Singapore
in 2001 where she has lived since.
Dave Chua (Singapore) PG 18, 22, 44
A fiction writer who is also active in the film
industry, Malaysian-born Dave Chua has
been winning awards for his writing for many
years. His short story, Father’s Gift, won a
Singapore Press Holdings-National Arts
Council Golden Point Award in 1995; and his first novel, Gone
Case, swiftly followed suit by bagging the Singapore
Literature Prize Commendation Award in 1996. It was
subsequently adapted into a graphic novel. His latest
collection of short stories, The Beating and Other Stories
(2011), has been longlisted for the 2012 Frank O’Connor
International Short Story Prize.
David Almond (UK) PG 35, 39, 42, 45
Easily one of the most well-regarded authors
of books for children and young people,
Briton David Almond has an impressive
portfolio of titles to his name. He wrote the
famous Skellig, Clay, The Savage and many
other novels, stories and plays. His work has been translated
into over 30 languages and is widely adapted for stage and
screen. Recent books include My Name is Mina (a prequel to
Skellig), and Slog’s Dad, a collaboration with the artist, Dave
McKean. His latest novel is The True Tale of the Monster Billy
Dean.
David Seow (Singapore) PG 42
David Seow is the author of several
well-received children’s picture books,
including the Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di
series. In 2011, his book There’s Soup on My
Fly! was a finalist for the Society of Children’s
Book Writers Crystal Kite Members’ Choice Award. It was
also one of eight books short-listed for the Hedwig Anuar
Children’s Book Award at the Asian Festival of Children’s
Content. David is an active member of the Singapore chapter
of the SCBWI.
Desmond Sim (Singapore) PG 15, 22, 33
A man of many talents, Singaporean
Desmond Sim is a playwright, poet, short
story writer and painter. His poems were first
performed in 1969, when he was nine years
old, and since then he has penned more than
150 poems. He has also written over 20 plays and held a
number of both joint and solo painting exhibitions. His
accomplishments include a Merit award for the Singapore
Literature Prize for Poetry for his collection of poems Places
Where I’ve Been (1993), and Play of the Year accolade in the
2002 Life! Theatre Awards for Autumn Tomyum.
Devagi Sanmugam (Singapore) PG 40
Chef Devagi Sanmugam is one of
Singapore’s most dynamic and talented food
personalities. Known widely as the ‘Spice
Queen’, she has authored 19 cookbooks and
runs her own culinary consultancy. Besides
conducting workshops and master classes, creating menus
and developing recipes, Chef Devagi also guides clients on
food product specifications, ingredients, portion sizes,
detailed production methods and procedures to ensure
consistency. Her cookbook Indian Heritage Recipes was 1st
runner up in the recent Gourmand World Cookbook Award
2012.
Dick Lee (Singapore) PG 22
Doyen of Singapore pop and fashion, Dick
Lee was one of the first to champion Asian
elements in pop music and he wrote music
and collaborated with top Asian artistes to
develop a new Asian identity. His albums Life
Story, Life in the Lion City and The Mad Chinaman, and stage
musicals such as Beauty World, Fried Rice Paradise and
Forbidden City, have firmly established him as a foremost
singer-songwriter, and he remains a firm fixture in the
fashion, theatre and entertainment scenes in Singapore
today.
Djamal Tukimin (Singapore) PG 19
Poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic,
activist and archivist, Djamal Tukimin was
one of the founders of Grup Gelorasa, which
promoted experimentation with, and
appreciation of, modern Malay poetry in the
late 1960s and early 1970s. His plays include O (1975), Di
Persimpangan (1977) and Seekor Kerbau Legam Di Dalam
Mimpi Sang Pengeran Tomtom (1994). Among his books is
Arus Teater Melayu, which is about the history and future of
Malay theatre in Singapore. In 2007, two prestigious Malay
literary awards were conferred to him: Anugerah Tun Seri
Lanang by Majlis Bahasa Melayu Singapura and Anugerah
Warisan Kencana by Taman Warisan Melayu.
Djamal Tukimin (Singapura)
Penulis puisi, drama, aktivis dan juru arkib, Djamal Tukimin
merupakan salah seorang pengasas Grup Gelorasa yang
menggalakkan penggunaan eksperimen dan apresiasi
puisi Melayu moden pada akhir 1960-an dan awal 1970-an.
Drama-dramanya termasuk O (1975), Di Persimpangan
(1977) dan Seekor Kerbau Legam Di Dalam Mimpi Sang
Pengeran Tomtom (1994). Di antara buku-bukunya termasuk
Arus Teater Melayu, yang mencatatkan sejarah dan masa
hadapan teater di Singapura. Pada 2007, beliau menerima
dua anugerah sastera berprestij iaitu Anugerah Tun Seri
Lanang oleh Majlis Bahasa Melayu Singapura dan Anugerah
Warisan Kencana oleh Taman Warisan Melayu.
SWF 2012
Edmund Wee (Singapore) PG 51
Edmund Wee is the publisher and CEO of
Epigram Books, probably one of Singapore’s
most stylish publishers. Approaching
publishing from a design perspective has
allowed Epigram Books to forge a reputation
as a truly cutting-edge publisher. Buoyed by the success of
the Amos Lee series Epigram Books has managed to
successfully combine aesthetic consideration with
commercial nous.
Eleanor Wong (Singapore) PG 25, 46, 49
Writer, lawyer and academic Eleanor Wong
combines her legal and literary skills to
strong effect in her plays and poems. Her
plays often deal with controversial subjects,
and she is best known for her
trilogy, Invitation to Treat, which explores female sexuality
and gender politics. Her other plays The Joust addresses the
transition from totalitarianism to democracy, while The
Campaign to Confer the Public Service Star on JBJ is a
political satire. She co-authored a collection of poetry with
Madeleine Lee, y grec, and recently published Life – Science,
22 poems accompanied by Chinese translations.
Elena Chia (Singapore) PG 46
A devotee of Mandarin theatre, Elena Chia
appeared in numerous plays, including
William Shakespeare’s The Tempest in
Mandarin, as well as Wilderness, Home,
Wang Zhao Jun and Ruan Ling Yu. She has
also worked as a radio presenter for Rediffusion. Most
recently, she was cast in a leading role in Sandcastle, a film
directed by local director Boo Junfeng, which premiered at
the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. Elena is vice-president of
Singapore I-Lien Drama Society.
谢 芝 炫(新 加 坡)
谢芝炫的舞台演出经验丰富,常受邀参加新传媒电视剧和
教 育 电 视 的 演 出 。舞 台 剧 代 表 作 有 :《 原 野 》、《 家 》、《 王
昭君》、《阮玲玉》等。她也曾担任前丽的呼声兼职广播
员。2010年第一次参与本地新锐导演巫俊锋的长篇电影作品
《沙城》的演出,演技深受好评。芝炫于1983年加入艺联剧
团,目 前 是 剧 团 副 团 长。
Emily Lim (Singapore) PG 42
Emily Lim, an award-winning author of 14
children’s picture books, is the first writer
outside North America to win three medals
for children’s books at the IPPY Awards (the
world’s largest book awards) since its
inception 14 years ago. Emily’s books have been translated
for the Korean and China markets, crossed platforms into
animation, App and e-books, and adapted to sell-out shows
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