Apart from poems, Jamal also writes drama scripts, essays and short stories. He is actively involved in arts and cultural programmes in Singapore. He was the founder of the Grup Gelorasa. His poems are published in Puisi-Puisi Nusantara and Punchak Sembilan.


Jayanthi Sankar is known world-wide for her narrative style in fictional writings with Singapore back drop, in simple and realistic narration in Modern Tamil Literature since 1995. She Started with Singapore's Tamil Murasu, subsequently contributed to print Medias in India and other countries like the US, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Canada, Malaysia. Her readers from all parts of the world have identified her works to possess a universal appeal and therefore several of her short stories have repeatedly been commented by both readers and critics as very suitable for translation into other languages. As of 2010, she has authored more than 20 books, which includes 6 short story collections, 5 novels and one novelette collection. Her books not only attract World Tamilians towards Singapore Tamil Literature, but are also very notable which is event from the recognitions they have got in way of prizes and awards. Her short story collection ‘Pin Seat’ was shortlisted for Singapore Literature Prize - 2008. She has won many other prizes and awards including Thisai Ettum Literary Award 2009, Ilakkiya Sindanai December - 2008 and Thiruppoor Arima Sakthi Award twice – for one of her short story collections and the other for her Novel ‘manappirigai’. Some of her short stories are being translated into other languages.


J.M. Sali started writing in 1955 and has over 50 books to his credit. Sali has won many literary awards which include Kannan Magazine (Tamil Nadu) Children’s Novel Prize (1959), Chennai Children’s Writers Association’s Award (1962), Best Tamil Novel Award from the Tamil Nadu Government (1978), Best Children’s Book Prize (1995), and the National Book Development Council of Singapore Book Award (1996). Some of his short stories have been translated into English, Hindi, Urdu and Sinhalese. His works have been prescribed as text books in colleges & universities.


Playwright, director, poet and storyteller. Runs The See-Hear Storytellers with hearing-impaired actor Dennis Tan; Founder and Artistic Director of Dramaplus Arts, 1995; runs the Community Outreach programme through the 3.14 Company. Wayang Tempest, which he directed, received 8 nominations, including Play of the Year at the Life! Theatre Awards 2001. From the Belly of the Carp, Singapore River Voices, 1996, won the Singapore Literature Prize 1995.


Born in 1964
A Cambridge educated lawyer, Jeyaretnam won second and first prizes in the 1983 and 1985 National Short Story Writing Competitions for Campfire and Evening under Frangipani respectively. First Loves (1987), his first book, comprising nine linked stories, was on The Straits Times bestseller list for a record 18 months.

Jeyaretnam has written two novels, Raffles Place Ragtime (1988), which deals with the rat race, and Abraham s Promise (1995), which was Highly Commended in the 1996 NBDCS Awards. Tigers in Paradise (2004) collects both works, and includes two essays on Singaporean literature in English.

Jeyaretnam received the NAC s Young Artist award in 1993, and the SEA Write Award in 2003. A senior counsel in private practice and an adjunct professor at NUS, Jeyaretnam has been President of the Law Society since 2004.


Johar Buang has written in several genres since the early 1980s but is reputed as a poet in the Malay Archipelago. Many of his literary works were printed in various publications, anthologies of poetry and short stories in Singapore as well as overseas. His creative writings have been translated into English, Mandarin and Russian. Johar Buang has won several awards such as the Hadiah Sastera Anugerah Persuratan (by Malay Language Council); Golden Point Award; Anugerah Sastera Darul Iman Malaysia; National Book Development Council of Singapore’s Book Award; and Islamic Poetry Prize Negara Brunei Darussalam. Among his poetry that had been published are Cahaya Di Negeri Ini, Sahara, Dinding-Dinding Kaca, Cinta Pohon Tamar and Perahu Melayu Di Lautan Khulzu.


Neil’s first job was with JWT India, part of the WPP Group: the world’s biggest marketing services company. It taught him how to write and craft advertising stories. In 1993 he was offered a job in Singapore at an Omnicom Group advertising agency. He took it and decided to settle down here with his wife, Amrita, and their two children. Today, Neil is the Executive Creative Director of DDB Singapore – also an Omnicom Group agency – where he supervises the creative output of a highly talented and busy creative department. His first book The Falling Raindrop is one of the 14 books under the First-Time Writers & Illustrators Publishing Initiative Jointly organised by the National Book Development Council of Singapore and the Media Development Authority.


Writer and journalist. Born 3 April 1910, Poole, UK. Publications Manager, Singapore International Chamber of Commerce; Founder President, Singapore Union of Journalists. Publications: Singapore: Past, Present and Future; The David Marshall Trials, 1981; David Marshall's Political Interlude, 1982; Lee Kuan Yew: Struggle for Singapore 1968. Awards: Order of Freedom (Cambodia); Order of Merit (Egypt).