programme download - Singapore Writers Festival

AUTHORS & SPEAKERS
America, and North America. His latest work, The Man Within
My Head, was published in 2012.
Prem Anand (Singapore) PG 25
With a career in local television, Prem Anand
is responsible for many of the shows that
have graced our television screens. Most
notably he brought us Singapore’s hit
comedy spoof The Noose. As its creator and
head writer, he is the person behind the concept, the
characters and the laughs. Previously, he produced shows
like Makan Places Lost & Found, The Arena, Sports@SG and
The School Nationals. Prem is currently a senior research
writer with MediaCorp Studios, where he has been since 2003.
Rafaat Hamzah (Singapore) PG 16, 18
A poet, actor, director and producer who has
also penned songs as well as scripts for
television and theatre, Rafaat Hamzah has
been writing since the late 1980s. Describing
his poetry as “bold, succinct” and echoing
issues “close to the heart of his people,” he has seen his
poetry featured in newspapers and on radio, and published
his compilation of poems, Yang Bilang, in 2007. An awardwinning
actor, he has appeared in more than 40 stage plays
and 35 television dramas. In Kallang Roar The Movie (2008),
he portrayed Malaysian football legend Mokhtar Dahari.
Rafaat Hamzah (Singapura)
Rafaat Hamzah merupakan seorang penyair, pelakon,
pengarah dan penerbit yang turut menulis lagu dan skrip
untuk televisyen dan teater, dan mula menulis sejak akhir
1980-an. Menjelaskan puisinya sebagai “berani, ringkas dan
menggemakan isu-isu yang dekat di hati masyarakatnya”,
puisi-puisinya mendapat tempat di akhbar dan radio.
Antologi puisi Yang Bilang diterbitkan pada 2007. Pelakon
dan pemenang anugerah ini telah berlakon dalam lebih
daripada 40 drama pentas dan 35 drama televisyen. Dalam
filem Kallang Roar The Movie (2008), beliau berlakon
sebagai pemain bola sepak legenda Malaysia, Mokhtar
Dahari.
Richard Lord (Singapore) PG 22, 49
Richard Lord is the author or co-author of
some 20 books. Amongst the many books
he has edited is the anthology, Crime Scene
Singapore (Monsoon Books, 2010). One of
his stories from that collection was adapted
as the MediaCorp mini-series Keong Saik Street, first
broadcast in March of this year. He is currently the editor of
the Crime Scene Asia series of crime fiction books. He is now
finishing up work on his full-length crime novel, Beggar’s
Bounty, scheduled to appear in early 2013.
Richard Tan (Singapore) PG 22, 30, 33
Baba Richard Tan has been actively
promoting the Peranakan culture since the
1980s. Over the years, he has taken on
numerous roles as playwright, director,
choreographer and he has gone on to
produce old and new works that bring out this rich and
colourful heritage. Co-founder of The Main Wayang
Company, Singapore’s only professional cultural arts and
Peranakan theatre group, Richard believes one of the ways
to further revive the Peranakan way of life is to bring back
the spoken language of their very own, the Baba patois.
Rilla Melati (Singapore) PG 20
Imbued with a love of drama, television and
writing, media personality Rilla Melati
started her career as a child star in the now
classic Malay children’s series Mat Yo Yo.
Since then she has gone behind the camera
to write for many award-winning children’s television
programmes including the hit pre-school series Tra La La.
She has also written children’s books Tikus Putih Adil and
Gajah untuk Adil, and continues to entertain and educate
children with her Malay language education company, Mini
Monsters, which she co-founded with Malay media
champion Najip Ali.
Rilla Melati (Singapura)
Disemai dengan cinta untuk drama, televisyen serta
bidang penulisan, personaliti media Rilla Melati memulakan
kerjayanya sebagai bintang kanak-kanak di rancangan siri
Melayu klasik Mat Yo Yo. Sejak itu, Rilla telah melibatkan
dirinya disebalik tabir dengan menulis untuk program
televisyen kanak-kanak yang telah banyak memenangi
anugerah dan diantaranya ialah rancangan popular untuk
pra-sekolah - Tra La La. Rilla juga merupakan penulis untuk
buku kanak-kanak yang bertajuk Tikus Puti Adil dan Gajah
untuk Adil. Rilla akan terus menghibur serta mendidik kanakkanak
melalui syarikat pendidikan Melayunya, Mini Monsters,
yang ditubuhkan bersama Najib Ali.
Rita Zahara (Singapore) PG 21, 40
Rita Zahara, bilingual television presenter,
newsreader, television producer and
director, lecturer, scriptwriter and journalist,
has now added entrepreneur, cook and
author to her long list of achievements.
Through ATER, her integrated media agency, she continues
to expand her presence in the culinary world, with television
cooking programmes she conceptualises, directs and
produces, and cookbooks she creates; tapping on her late
mother’s and grandmother’s legacy of recipes.
Rita Zahara (Singapura)
Rita Zahara merupakan seorang penyampai televisyen dwi-
bahasa, pembaca berita, pengarah televisyen, pensyarah,
wartawan dan penulis skrip. Beliau kini telah menambah
lagi pencapaiannya dengan menjadi seorang usahawan dan
penulis buku. Melalui ATER, sebuah agensi media bersepadu
miliknya, Rita terus memperluaskan kehadirannya dalam
dunia masakan menerusi program memasak televisyen
dimana konsep dan arahan rancangan merupakan hasil
beliau sendiri. Kehadirannya di dunia masakan diperluaskan
lagi dengan buku masakan yang diciptanya menggunakan
resepi turun-temurun arwah ibu dan neneknya.
Robin Loon (Singapore) PG 15
Dr Robin Loon has been writing for the
Singapore theatre since 1989. His recent
works as a playwright include Mata Hati
(Teater Ekamatra, 2011) and DNR (ABVTRI,
2011). A practising playwright/dramaturg
and theatre researcher/educator at the NUS Theatre Studies
Programme, Robin is deeply committed to nurturing new
writing talent and content creation specifically for the
theatre in Singapore. Robin’s Chinese translation of Chay
Yew’s A Language Of Their Own premiered at Singapore Arts
Festival 2012.
伦 尚 人(新 加 坡)
伦尚人博士自1989年以来就是新加坡剧坛幕后的重要剧作
家。他是剧艺工作坊作家实验室首批成员之一,1992年以
来与剧团与艺术总监王景生维持着密切的合作关系。他的
近期剧作有: Mata Hati (马来剧团“视野剧团”, 2011年)、
DNR (ABVTRI,2011年)、《兰芳记》(与徐家辉合作,2010
年ACF项目)、RPM (剧艺工作坊,2009年)、120(剧艺工作
坊、2007年)。2007年至2009年 期 间,伦 尚 人 博 士 为 新 加 坡
艺术节一个发掘剧场新进导演的平台 FULL FRONTAL担任
戏 剧 编 剧 顾 问,接 着 担 任 2010年至2012年“ 共 作 室 ”( OPEN
STUDIO)项目的戏剧编剧顾问。除了从事编剧与担任戏剧
顾问,他也在新加坡国立大学戏剧系执教与从事研究。最新
作品是把谢耀原著的英文剧本A Language of Their Own翻
译成中文版的《男男自语》,并已在2012年新加坡艺术节上
首次公演。
Roger Jenkins (Singapore) PG 17, 27, 44
Roger Jenkins has been a professional
storyteller since 1998. Thanks to his
spontaneous, comedic and often
participatory style of telling, he is a popular
performer and storytelling trainer in schools,
libraries and at community events. He has performed at
festivals in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Perth, Hong
Kong, Bahrain, and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2012,
he self-published a resource book, Stories for Moral
Education, in two volumes (Juniors and Teens) which are
both proving popular with teachers and parents.
SWF 2012
Rohit Brijnath (Singapore) PG 14, 40
Veteran sports journalist Rohit Brijnath has
interviewed and written about the who’s
who in the sporting world. He has
contributed to illustrious sports publications,
most notably in India, such as India Today,
The Sportstar and Sportsworld at the start of his career. He
has also contributed to the BBC News online. In 2011 he
co-authored a biography of Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra
entitled A Shot at History. He currently resides in Singapore,
where he writes for The Straits Times.
Rosaly Puthucheary (Singapore) PG 14
Rosaly Puthucheary, a Singaporean with
roots in Johor Bahru, has been writing poems
since 1952. Two volumes of poems, Pillow
Your Dreams (1978) and The Fragmented Ego
(1978), were reissued under the title Mirrored
Mirages in 2008. Dance on His Doorsteps (1992), her third
volume, was followed by Footfalls in the Rain in 2008. Her
second novel, In the Wake of Terror, was published in 2012.
S M Zakir (Malaysia) PG 17, 19, 26
Syed Mohd Zakir Syed Othman, better
known as S M Zakir, is a journalist and author
who has written short stories, poetry, film
criticism, a biography, socio-cultural essays
and political commentary. He started writing
in 1990 and is now secretary general of the Malaysian
National Writers Association. His works include Merengkuh
Langit, Sajak-sajak Petualang: Manusia Mimpi and Filem Dan
Pemikiran, with his most recent book being Ahli Politik,
released in 2012. He is currently based in Selangor and writes
columns for several magazines.
S M Zakir (Malaysia)
Syed Mohd Zakir Syed Othman, lebih kenali sebagai S M Zakir,
merupakan seorang wartawan dan penulis cerpen, puisi,
kritik filem, biografi, esei-esei sosial-budaya dan komentar
politik. Beliau mula menulis pada 1990 dan kini merupakan
setiausaha agung Persatuan Penulis-penulis Kebangsaan
Malaysia (PENA). Karya-karyanya termasuk Merengkuh
Langit, Sajak-sajak Petualang: Manusia Mimpi, dan Filem Dan
Pemikiran, dengan karya terbarunya, Ahli Politik, diterbitkan
pada 2012. Beliau kini menetap di Selangor dan menulis
beberapa ruangan untuk sejumlah majalah.
S R Nathan (Singapore) PG 34, 35
Former president of Singapore S R Nathan
has had a long and illustrious career
spanning both the public service and the
private sector. It is well covered in his
memoirs An Unexpected Journey: Path to
the Presidency. This journey involved starting off as a
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