programme download - Singapore Writers Festival

AUTHORS & SPEAKERS
medical social worker in 1955, before moving up the ranks to
later become permanent secretary of the Ministry of Home
Affairs, executive chairman of the Straits Times Press and
director of several other media companies, chairman of
Mitsubishi Singapore Heavy Industries, high commissioner
to Malaysia and ambassador to the United States of America,
culminating in a two-term presidency, from 1999 to 2011.
Seetha Lakshmi (Singapore) PG 44
Seetha Lakshmi is currently associate
professor at the Asian Languages and
Cultures Academic Group of the National
Institute of Education. For the past nine
years, she has been involved in research
projects on the Tamil language, presented over 30 papers at
local and international conferences, published more than 50
articles, reviews and book chapters, and written more than
10 books either as a sole or co-author. Outside her academic
work, she writes Tamil short stories and also has extensive
experience in journalism and broadcasting.
சீதா லட்மி (சிங்கப்ர்)
டாக்ட ர் சீதா ல ட்மி த ற் நன்யாங் ழில்ட்பப்
பல்கைலக் கழகத்தின் ஒ பதியான ேதசியக் கல்விக்
கழகத்தில் ஆசிய ழிகள் மற்ம் பண்பாகள் ைறயில்
இைணப் ேபராசிரியராக உள்ளார். கடந்த ஒன்ப
ஆண்களாகத் தமிழ் ழிைய றித்த ைறகளில் ஆய்த்
திட்டங்கைளப் பிறடன் இைணந் ேமற்ண் வகிறார்.
உள்ர் மற்ம் அைனத்லக மாநாகளில் 30க்ம் ேமற்பட்ட
ஆய்க்கட்ைரகைளப் பைடத்ள்ளார். தனியாகம் பிறடன்
இைணந்ம் 10க்ம் ேமற்பட்ட ல்கைள ெவளியிட்ள்ளார்.
இதழியலிம் ஒலிபரப்த் ைறயிம் நல்ல அபவம் ெபற்றவர்.
Seno Gumira Ajidarma (Indonesia) PG 14, 24, 28
Since the start of his creative writing career
in 1974, Seno Gumira Ajidarma has written
numerous works that have been translated
into several languages and garnered a string
of awards. Works available in English include
Eyewitness, containing short stories about the Indonesian
occupation of East Timor; Jakarta at a Certain Point in Time,
comprising stories, essays and a play about Indonesia’s
post-Suharto era; and the novel Jazz, Perfume, and the
Incident. Seno currently lectures at the Jakarta Arts
Institute’s (Institut Kesenian Jakarta) Faculty of Film and
Television, and at the University of Indonesia.
Seno Gumira Ajidarma (Indonesia)
Kerjaya penulisan kreatif Pak Seno bermula pada 1974 dan
beliau bertugas sebagai wartawan tiga tahun kemudian.
Sejauh ini, beliau telah menghasilkan banyak karya yang
diterjemahkan ke beberapa bahasa dan menerima pelbagai
anugerah. Karya-karya Pak Seno yang telah diterjemahkan
ke bahasa Inggeris termasuk Saksi Mata, yang mengandungi
antologi cerpen mengenai pendudukan Indonesia di Timor
Timur; Jakarta Pada Suatu Ketika memuatkan cerita, esei
dan drama mengenai Indonesia selepas zaman Suharto;
dan novel berjudul Jazz, Parfum dan Insiden. Pak Seno kini
mengajar di Fakulti Filem dan Televisyen, Institut Kesenian
Jakarta, dan di Universiti Indonesia.
Seraphina Lum (Singapore) PG 49
Armed with an enormous talent, a passion
for art and a slight rebellious streak,
Seraphina Lum is on the rise to making her
mark as an illustrator making art on her own
terms. Her work is provocative, tongue in
cheek, spiritual and metaphysical. She brought to life the
tragic romance in one of the four main classical novels of
China in her debut graphic novel, A Dream of Red Mansions.
Shabir Tabare Alam (Singapore) PG 19, 41
Shabir Tabare Alam won the inaugural
Vasantham Star singing competition in 2005
and never looked back. Since then, he has
gone on to be one of the most successful
music producers in the Singapore Indian
music scene. He has recorded three studio albums, scored
music for film and television, performed at national events, and
appeared on stage and in television series. One of his latest
works was composing, writing and arranging the song, Singai
Naadu, the official Tamil song for the 2012 National Day Parade.
ஷபீர் தபாேர ஆலம் (சிங்கப்ர்)
2005-ஆம் ஆண்ல் ந ைடப்ெபற்ற தல் வ ச ந்த ம் ஸ்டார்
ட்யில் ெவற்றிப்ெபற்ற ஷ பீர் அப்திலிந் திம்பிப்
பார்த்த தில்ைல. த ற்ைதய சிங்க ப்ர் இைசச் ழ லில்
மிக ெவற்றிகரமான இைசயைமப்பாளர்க ளில் ஒவ ராக
திக ழ்கிற ஷ பீர் ன் இைசவ ட்க ைள ப ைடத்தட ன்
ைலக்காட்சி நிக ழ்ச்சிக க்ம் திைரப்ப ட ங்க க்ம்
இைசய ைமத்திக்கிறார். இவ ர் நாட க ங்க ளிம்
ைலக்காட்சி நிக ழ்ச்சிக ளிம் ந த்திக்கிறார். 2012-ஆம்
ஆண்ன் ேதசிய தின அணிவப்பில் இட ம்ெபற்ற ‘சிங்ைக நா’
என்ற பாட ைல இவர் இய ற்றி இைசய ைமத்ள்ளார்.
Shaffiq Selamat (Singapore) PG 36
Shaffiq Selamat is a translator and creative
writer. His poems, short stories and essays
have appeared in various local and overseas
publications, and he has translated many
creative works from Malay into English. He
translated two Malay novels, Aylana, by Manaf Hamzah and,
Batas Langit, by Mohamed Latiff Mohamed; and a drama,
Malam Ulang Bicara by Masuri S N; and has also translated
several poems by Johar Buang and Rozana Karim, among
others. One of Johar Buang’s poems that Shaffiq cotranslated
with Rasiah Halil, Panggung, was displayed in MRT
cars and train stations as part of the 2011 Moving Words
campaign.
Shamini Flint (Singapore) PG 22
Behind an overweight, sweaty police
detective is a woman named Shamini Flint.
Creator of the series Inspector Singh
Investigates, Shamini is, as a crime mystery
writer in Singapore, a rare breed. When she
is not writing about Inspector Singh’s misadventures,
Shamini is an environmental activist who also writes
children’s books with environmental themes. She is noted for
promoting fair trade products and donates part of her
books’ proceeds to the World Wildlife Fund. Before
becoming a writer, Shamini was a lawyer until she decided
she could better change the world through writing.
Sharon Ismail (Singapore) PG 20, 38
Sharon Ismail is an educator and television
personality whose illustrated children’s book
What Sallamah Didn’t Know is now a primary
school English text. The book was based on
what was once a family secret: her Chinese
mother was adopted as a baby by an Indian father and a
Malay mother. Formerly a morning show host and an
award-winning actress, she now lectures at Ngee Ann
Polytechnic while still pursuing her passion in theatre and
television. She is preparing a sequel to her first book.
Sharon Ismail (Singapura)
Sharon Ismail merupakan seorang pendidik dan personaliti
televisyen. Buku kanak-kanak berilustrasinya, What
Sallamah Didn’t Know (Apa Yang Tidak Diketahui Sallamah)
kini menjadi buku teks Inggeris di sekolah rendah. Buku
tersebut berdasarkan sebuah rahsia keluarga: ibunya yang
berketurunan Cina diambil sebagai anak angkat ketika masih
bayi oleh pasangan yang berketurunan India (bapa) dan
Melayu (ibu). Sharon pernah bertugas sebagai juruacara
rancangan waktu pagi di televisyen dan pelakon yang
memenangi anugerah. Kini, beliau mengajar di Politeknik
Ngee Ann sambil meneruskan minatnya dalam bidang teater
dan televisyen. Sharon sedang menyiapkan buku susulan
bagi buku pertamanya.
Sharon Lim (Singapore) PG 15,20
The editor-in-chief of ELLE Singapore,
Sharon Lim, has over 20 years of extensive
experience in newspaper and magazine
work under her belt. Since joining ELLE in
1993, she has risen steadily from features
writer to editor-in-chief today. Sharon also features regularly
on television and on radio, as an expert on issues such as
fashion, lifestyle and women’s concerns. Sharon has also
written columns for TODAY newspaper and has been a board
member of the NAFA fashion faculty since 2006.
SWF 2012
Sharon Ong (Singapore) PG 49
One of the founding directors and
proprietors of Starfish Literary Consulting
Pte Ltd, a boutique firm which caters to the
publishing needs of authors, music
composers and publishers, Sharon Ong’s
other full-time ‘day job’ is writing XXX-rated erotica under a
pseudonym. She wrote her first erotic novel accidentally
over six weeks in 2008, and is now preparing two titles for
publication and working on the third and fourth novels in the
series. Two of her short stories were published in Best of
Southeast Asian Erotica. Sharon is also currently developing
several book projects on fitness-related themes such as
bodybuilding and yoga.
Shehan Karunatilaka (Sri Lanka – Singapore) PG 14, 28
Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka was
born in Galle and raised in Colombo. He has
written rock songs, travel stories,
advertisements and basslines. His first novel,
Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, is
the story of an alcoholic journalist’s quest to track down a
missing cricketer of the 1980s. Published to great acclaim in
India, the UK and the US, it won the 2012 Commonwealth
Book Prize for Asia, the 2012 DSC Prize for South Asian
Literature and the 2008 Gratiaen Prize. Shehan currently
lives in Singapore, where he is playing bass, growing his hair
and writing his second novel.
SherMay Loh (Singapore) PG 15
Children’s writer SherMay Loh has gotten her
writing career off to a good start. Her debut
mystery/adventure novel, Archibald and the
Blue Blood Conspiracy, for 8 to 13 year olds,
was the first Southeast Asian children’s book
to win a Bronze Medal at the 2011 Moonbeam Children’s Book
Awards. It was also nominated for Best Children’s Book at
the Popular Readers Choice Awards that same year. The
much anticipated sequel, Archibald and the Black Knight’s
Ring, was released in June 2012.
Shin Kyung-Sook (Korea) PG 23, 27
Shin Kyung-Sook is the author of numerous
works of fiction and is one of South Korea’s
most widely read and acclaimed novelists.
Please Look after Mom, winner of the 2011
Man Asian Literary Prize, is her first book to
appear in English and will be published in 19 countries. She
has been honoured with the Manhae Literature Prize, the
Dong-in Literature Prize, and the Yi Sang Literary Prize, as
well as France’s Prix de l’Inaperçu. While she calls Seoul
home, she is currently a visiting scholar at Columbia
University in New York City.
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