programme download - Singapore Writers Festival

AUTHORS & SPEAKERS
at the Esplanade theatre. Her most recent books are used
across kindergartens and lower primary schools in
Singapore. Emily’s first book for adults, Finding My Voice is
based on her personal story of losing her voice and
discovering a new voice in writing and publishing.
Eric Tinsay Valles (Singapore) PG 18, 31
Having called Manila, Taipei and Singapore
home, poet Eric Tinsay Valles tackles the
issues of identity and migrancy, and does so
with humour and empathy. His poetry has
been featured in Reflecting on the Merlion
and Routledge’s New Writing: The International Journal for
the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing, and he has
published a poetry collection A World in Transit. He has read
at the Universities of Melbourne, Chichester and Oxford, and
attended a writing residency in the Vermont Writing Studio,
USA.
Eshkol Nevo (Israel) PG 41, 42, 46
One of Israel’s brightest new voices, Eshkol
Nevo works mainly in Hebrew and has
written three bestselling novels. Dealing with
the themes of journeys, borders and identity,
both that of a writer’s as well as an Israeli’s,
his novels Homesick, World Cup Wishes and Neuland, have
been translated into English and have won acclaim with
audiences in Israel and around the world. While continuing to
tell stories of his homeland, Eshkol teaches creative writing
and thinking at the Sam Spiegel Film & Television School, Tel
Aviv University, Sapir College and the Open University.
Faeza Abdurazak (Singapore) PG 45
Faeza Abdurazak holds a BA in Arabic
Language and Literature (minoring in Islamic
scholarship) from the International Islamic
University Malaysia and an MSc in
International Relations from Nanyang
Technological University. A research assistant with the
Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore,
Faeza is fluent in Arabic, loves the Arabic language, and is
passionate about Arabic literature, especially contemporary
works by women writers.
Farish A Noor (Malaysia) PG 23, 25, 48
Dubbed the ‘rock star professor’, Dr Farish A
Noor gets attention for his erudite and
provocative books, as well as his liberal social
and political views. He is the author of
Moving Islam: The Tablighi Jama’at
Movement in Southeast Asia, From Majapahit to Putrajaya:
Searching for Another Malaysia and The Other Malaysia:
Writings on Malaysia’s Subaltern History. This passionate
thinker and world traveller has taught in Berlin, Leiden, Paris
and is presently Senior Fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of
International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.
Farish A Noor (Malaysia)
Digelar ‘profesor bintang rok’, Dr Farish A Noor mendapat
perhatian kerana buku-bukunya yang bersifat ilmiah dan
provokatif, dan juga pandangan-pandangan sosial dan
politiknya yang liberal. Beliau telah mengarang buku-buku
berikut: Menggerakkan Islam: Pergerakan Tablighi Jama’at
di Asia Tenggara, Dari Majapahit ke Putrajaya: Mencari
Sebuah Lagi Malaysia dan Malaysia yang Lain: Tulisantulisan
Mengenai Sejarah Marhaen Malaysia. Pemikir dan
pengembara yang penuh ghairah ini pernah mengajar di
Berlin, Leiden dan Paris dan kini merupakan Zamil Kanan
di Pusat Pengajian Antarabangsa S Rajaratnam, Universiti
Teknologi Nanyang.
Felix Cheong (Singapore) PG 28, 38, 41
Prolific writer Felix Cheong is the author of
eight books, four collections of poetry and,
most recently, a collection of short stories,
Vanishing Point. Cheong has been invited to
writers’ festivals all over the world, from
Edinburgh to West Cork, from Austin to Sydney, where he
reads his wide-ranging, all-encompassing works. He
received the National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award in
2000 and was nominated for the Singapore Literature Prize
in 2004. He currently lectures at various tertiary institutions
in Singapore.
Francesca Main (UK) PG 29, 50, 51
Francesca Main is the editorial director of
Picador and has, since 2002, worked in
publishing and been responsible for many a
writer’s career. With Picador, she publishes
literary fiction with a broad appeal and is on
the constant lookout for new writers. Francesca had
previously worked for Penguin Books and Simon & Schuster,
where she first began acquiring and publishing fiction.
Gao Xiao Qing (Singapore) PG 44
Gao Xiao Qing is a first year student at
Nanyang Junior College’s Language Elective
Programme, where he studies H2 Chinese
and Chinese Literature. He is also a student
under the mentorship of the School Resident
Writers Programme.
高小青(新 加 坡)
南洋初级学院语文特选课程高一学生,修读H2华文与文学,
参加驻校作家计划的写作训练班。
Grace Chia Krakovic (Singapore) PG 31, 38, 49
Grace writes under her maiden name, Grace
Chia. In 1998 she impressed readers with her
debut collection of poems, womango. Since
then, many of her other poems and short
stories have been published in Singapore
Literature in English: An Anthology, The Straits Times,
SilverKris, Di-Verse City, as well as in online journals like
HOW2 and Stylus Poetry Journal. She was the first female
Singaporean writer to be invited to both the Austin
International Poetry Festival and Queensland Poetry
Festival, and recently released her second poetry collection,
Cordelia.
Grace Chua (Singapore) PG 47
Grace Chua is a journalist with The Straits
Times. Her poems have been published in
QLRS and the anthology From Boys To Men.
Her first collection of poetry, The Stamp
Collector’s Wife (firstfruits publications), was
published in 2010.
Grace Kalaiselvi (Singapore) PG 26
Fluent in English and Tamil, Grace Kalaiselvi
is a bilingual actress and storyteller with
stage, television and film experience. She has
appeared in Tamil versions of Macbeth and
An Inspector Calls, and participated at the
Singapore International Storytelling Festival.She also acted
in and helped with translating the mostly Tamil film by Eric
Khoo, My Magic. For the last seven years, Grace has
extended her skills to teaching drama and storytelling in
Singapore schools, as she hopes to impart these crafts to the
younger generation.
கிேரஸ் க ைலச்ெசல்வி (சிங்கப்ர்)
ஆங்கில ழிையம் த மிழ் ழிையம் ச ர ள மாக
ேபகின்ற கிேரஸ் க ைலச்ெசல்வி ேமைட, ைலக்காட்சி
மற்ம் திைரப்பட அபவம் ெபற்ற ந ைகயாக ம் க ைத
ல்லியாக ம் ப ணிரிகிறார். இவ ர் த மிழ் ழியில்
அரங்ேகற்றப்பட்ட Macbeth ம ற்ம் An Inspector Calls
ன்ற நாட க ங்க ளில் ந த்ம் Singapore International
Storytelling Festival-இல் ப ங் ெபற்றார். Eric Khoo My
Magic என்ற த ைலப்பில் இய ற்றிய திைரப்ப ட த்ைதத் த மிழில்
ழிப்ெபய ர்த்ம் அப்ப ட த்தில் ந த்ள்ளார். க ட ந்த
ஏ வ ட ங்க ளாக ந ப்திற ன் மற்ம் க ைத ல்ம்
திற ன்க ைளம் இன்ைறய த ைலைறயின ட ன் ப கிர்ந்
ள்ள உள்ளார் .
Grant S Clark (Singapore) PG 23
Journalism and children’s literature both find their home in
writer Grant S Clark. Born in Britain ‘just before England won
their only World Cup’ and now residing in Singapore, Grant
has had his books published all over the world. His acclaimed
SWF 2012
Monkey Magic adventure series for seven to
11 year-olds and his to-be-released Space
Buttons deal with crimes against nature and
our bid to save the Earth, while his
journalistic work for an international news
agency has seen him cover major sporting events, including
four World Cups and two Olympic Games.
Gretchen Liu (Singapore) PG 22
A former journalist, book editor and author
with a special interest in Singapore’s
architectural heritage, visual heritage as well
as the history of the Golden Age of Travel,
Gretchen Liu is the author of several books
on Singapore and its history. These include The Singapore
Foreign Service: The First 40 Years; A Pictorial History of
Singapore 1819-2000; In Granite and Chunam: Singapore’s
National Monuments; and Pastel Portraits: Singapore’s
Architectural Heritage. She was involved in the restoration of
Raffles Hotel, working on heritage projects and producing
several books marking the restoration efforts.
Gwee Li Sui (Singapore) PG 27, 42, 47
A familiar name in Singapore’s literary scene,
Gwee Li Sui is a poet, graphic artist and
literary critic. He wrote Singapore’s first
full-length graphic novel, Myth of the Stone
and published a volume of humorous
verse, Who Wants to Buy a Book of Poems? Known for his
forward thinking and essays on cultural subjects, he is often
called upon for his opinions and views. Most recently, he
edited Sharing Borders: Studies in Contemporary
Singaporean-Malaysian Literature II, Telltale: Eleven Stories
and Man/Born/Free: Writings on the Human Spirit from
Singapore.
Gwen Lee (Singapore) PG 29, 43
Interdisciplinary US-based Singaporean
talent Gwen Lee has written pieces as
diverse as short stories and children’s fiction,
and her works have been published in
several books and periodicals, including the
Asia Literary Review. One of her most recognised works is a
children’s picture book Little Cloud Wants Snow! Having
trained as an architect, she also writes copious articles about
architecture and design, and is editor-at-large of Singapore
Architect magazine. Testament to her multi-hyphenate skills
is the fact that she has also previously worked as a manga
artist, a Japanese translator and a humour columnist.
Han Tan Juan (Singapore) PG 46
In a sentence, Han Tan Juan sums up his life as ‘made’ in
Johore, Malaya, in 1942, and ‘processed, packaged and
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