08 Jan

Magazine Publishers Association (Singapore) Annual General Meeting

National Library Board, Singapore

With the hopes of uniting both print and online magazine publishers to serve as a representative platform for the magazine publishing industry in Singapore, about a quarter of the estimated 200 magazine publishers here have formed the Magazine Publishers Association (Singapore). Members of its recently elected 10-seat committee include local publishing giants MediaCorp and Singapore Press Holdings.

Said the association’s President Mr Ho Sum Kwong, who is also Managing Director of Appetite Media, “Currently, the magazine medium ranks fourth in Singapore’s annual advertising spending at five percent market share after television, newspapers and radio. Through the collaborative and professional efforts of MPAS, we hope we can increase this to 10 percent, which was the status 10 years ago.”

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President: HO SUM KWONG [Appetite Media]
Vice President: ANDREW SMART [Fairfax Business Media]
Honorary Secretary: GILBERT CHEAH [Edipresse (Singapore Tatler)]
Honorary Treasurer: JAMES SEE [Aboutwe Publishing]

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

GREG DUNCAN [Asia City Publishing]
PHILIP KOH [MediaCorp Publishing]
ELEANOR YAP [Spring Publishing]
LEE KOK CHEW [SPH Magazines]
JULIE SHERBORN [ACP Magazines]
KENNETH TAN [Eastern Publishing Group]

AUDITORS

JUSTIN RANDLES [Lighthouse Publishing]
ANDREW YEO [Editec International]

First Time Writers and Illustrators Publishing Initiative 2007

Organised by the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) and Media Development Authority (MDA), the First-Time Writers and Illustrators Publishing Initiative is an annual competition that aims to nurture aspiring local writers and illustrators as well as develop fresh talents in the local publishing industry.

The response to this initiative was very heartening, with NBDCS and MDA receiving over 100 entries for the Children’s Book contest category. Winners will be awarded a grant of $8,000 to publish their books.

Screen to Print: Transformative Literature

The association between the printed word and the silver screen has always been a close one. Numerous box office hits have been derived from literary classics and best-selling novels.

In recognition of this close bond, the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) and the National Library Board (NLB) have launched Screen to Print, an initiative that aims to preserve and promote Singapore’s cinematic heritage by translating prominent Singapore films into novels.

The film selection panel comprising Mr Felix Cheong, award-winning author and poet, Ms Ong Sor Fern, Straits Times Life! reporter, Dr Edna Lim, NUS lecturer and Mr Tan Bee Thiam,executive director of the Asian Film Archive, selected three films to be movelised for this landmark project.  The three films are 12 Storeys, 4:30 and Eating Air. They will be written by James Toh, Yong Shu Hoong and Ng Yi Sheng respectively. The books are expected to be launched in November 2007. Screen to Print is supported by the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (MICA).

28 Apr

The Illusionist-National Short Story Writing Contest Prize-Giving Ceremony

The Illusionist—National Short Story Writing Contest drew to a successful close on 28 April, with Stephanie Yap, reporter from the Straits Times, bagging the first prize.

Organised by Archer Entertainment Asia Pacific Pte Ltd (Archer Entertainment) in conjunction with the film release of The Illusionist, this contest aims to honour the long-standing association between literature and the silver screen.

Over a hundred contestants, ranging from students to systems analysts, took part in this Writing Contest. Guest of honour, Mr Lee Suan Hiang, Chief Executive Officer of the National Arts Council, is glad to see private companies play a bigger role in developing the Singapore arts scene. “Such writing contests provide aspiring writers with opportunities and recognition,” he elaborates.

Mr Kevin Wong, Director of Archer Entertainment, is also “pleasantly surprised” by the enthusiasm of the contestants, which shows that “there is a hunger to write and hence, potential to develop this literary interest”.

Out of the hundred-odd entries received, Stephanie’s short story about a bonds trader in New York, stood out for its crispness of language and vivid usage of imagery, said Meira Chand, novelist and one of the judges for the contest.

Stephanie’s story is part of a novel she wrote during her student days at the University of Chicago. Since she was not one of the industrious students who spent their holidays working, she quips, she had a lot of time to explore the city and let her imagination run wild.

Stephanie received a $500 cash prize and Faber-Castell Ambition Cocowood Writing Instruments worth $1,000.00.

15 May

Publishers Writers Network

Satish Kumar, renowned spiritual emissary, environmentalist and chief editor of Resurgence magazine, joined NBDCS at the Arts House on 15 May 2007 for an evening of scintillating conversation and exploratory musings.

In an informal talk session, Mr Kumar shared with the thirty-odd people present, his beliefs, philosophy and aspirations for the world. Enkindled by Ghandi’s selfless devotion to the people, he became a campaigner for land reform; fired by the example of Bertrand Russell, he undertook an 8,000 mile peace pilgrimage, walking from India to America without any money to deliver packets of ‘peace tea’ to the leaders of the four nuclear powers.

Mr Kumar also spoke on wide-ranging topics, from renouncing violence as a means of resolution to the necessity of intellectual introspection as a path to peace, to his founding of the Small School in Hartland, which includes ecological and spiritual values as part of its curriculum.

Strangely enough, Mr Satish Kumar’s talk at the Arts House had been brought about by a confluence of unlikely factors. Mrs Vashima Goyal, Educational Consultant of Child at Street 11 Childcare Centre (www.street11.org.sg), impressed and intrigued by Mr Kumar’s many achievements, had dropped him an email inviting him to Singapore for a chat. To her great surprise, his favourable reply accepting her invitation came almost instantaneously. “It only shows Mr Kumar’s humility and greatness of spirit—that despite the string of accolades to his name, he is still a warm and personable man who does not put on any airs” said Mr Dilip Mukerjea, the facilitator for the session.

Mr Kumar rounded off the session by leaving the audience concrete action points that they could take in contributing to the creation of a sustainable future.

  * Read the Resurgence magazine. It is a forum for novel ideas and a vehicle to take these ideas further.
  * Form small discussion groups to take up concepts and issues. Ruminate on how one can integrate and connect the three principles of soil, soul and society where ‘soil’ symbolises environmental sustainability, ‘soul’, spiritual development and ‘society’, betterment of humanity’s lot.
  * Communicating through articles, poetry or other media, the harm mankind are causing to the earth and the counteractive measures we can take.
  * Lastly, take action to conserve resources and energy. Practice what you preach; be the change that you wish to bring about.

18 May

Singapore Book Club

It was an electrifying evening as Ng Yi Sheng, noted playwright and author of critically-acclaimed poetry collection Last Boy rapped, sung and performed a selection of poetry to an appreciative audience during the Singapore Book Club session held on 18 May 2007, at the Arts House, Ear Shot Cafe.

25 May

World Book Fair

Suntec City Convention Centre

Organised by the Singapore Press Holdings (Chinese Newspapers Division) and Marshall Cavendish Business Information, the World Book Fair kicked off on 25 May 2007 at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Spanning a total of 13 days, the World Book Fair showcased publishers such as noted Chinese content and comics publisher, Asiapac, general interest magazine publisher, Reader’s Digest and acclaimed academic publishing house, Grolier International. Publishing associations from around the region, including the Indonesian Book Publishers Association, The Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand and Language and Literature Bureau of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport of Brunei also lent their support for this endeavour to build up a regional publishing value chain.

Those who dropped by the World Book Fair were also treated to a host of exciting activities and events. The National Secondary Schools Cross-Talk Competition was held amidst a sea of ardent students cheering their respective teams on. The Singapore-Malaysia Primary Schools Bilingual Olympiad also saw the brightest of the two nations pit their wits against one another.

25 May

Singapore Book Industry Seminar

“Get rich with books”—this was the intriguing theme of the Singapore Book Industry Seminar, jointly organised by the National Book Development Council of Singapore, Marshall Cavendish (Business Information), Singapore Press Holdings (Chinese Press Division) and the Singapore Book Publishers Association as part of the World Book Fair. Guest of honour, Mr Seto Lok Yin, Assistant Chief Executive (Industry Development) of the Media Development Authority, kick-started the seminar with a heartening welcome address on the potential prospects of the US$700 million publishing sector in Singapore.

The audience, similarly enthused, quizzed the speakers, which included Mr Edmund Wee (Managing Director of Epigram Pte Ltd), Mr David Buckland (General Manager of Pansing Distribution Pte Ltd), Mr Kenny Chan (Store Director of Kinokuniya Book Stores of Singapore) and Mr R. Ramachandran (executive Director of the National Book Development Council of Singapore), on various aspects of the publishing process, such as the criteria of book selection for retailers, the distribution process and the marketing value chain.

The ASEAN Book Publishers Association were also present for this rare event as professionals and amateurs in the book trade took valuable time off from their routines chores for a brief get-together to strengthen old ties and forge new alliances.

“This marks the beginning,” says Mr R. Ramachandran, “of the convergence of regional publishers to develop the immense potential of the burgeoning Asian market for books.”

Indeed, it is to be hoped that Singapore would be able to host more of such publishing conventions, to promote regional exchange of ideas and facilitate the creation of a mass market for regional publications.

Local Lizard To Be Screened At The Cultural Centre of the Phillippines

Translated from Lian He Zao Bao. Read original article here.

Singapore writer and Resident Playwright of The Necessary Stage Haresh Sharma’s creation Lizard has been invited abroad to be part of the Philippines’ Virgin Labfest, and will be staged at the Cultural Centre of the Philippines (CCP) on 28 June 2007.

Virgin Labfest is a writer’s platform organised by the CCP, and focuses on presenting international experimental creations. This year sees the third edition of the Virgin Labfest, with a total of 18 short plays being performed.

One of the highlights will be a performance of Sharma’s Lizard, alongside other highlights such as works by Thailand’s Narumol Thammapruksa and Japan’s Yoji Sakate.

An Absurdist Comedy created in 1996

Written by Haresh Shrma in 1996, Lizard is a comedy revolving around a mother, son and daughter.

The inspiration for Lizard had stemmed in part from the media debate about laws for parental support at the time.“Then, the government was considering imposing a law to make it mandatory for children to take care of their aging parents, and children who refuse to do so will be subject to punishment by law. I feel that this — to have the law enforce an act and responsibility within the family — reflects an interesting side of Singapore’s society, and this became a springboard for my play”, explained Sharma.

Sharma is excited about how Lizard will be received by audiences abroad. In fact, this is a bumper year for Sharma, since in April, he was also invited by Scotland’s 7:84 Theatre Company to write a play around the theme of reunion that was showcased alongside 3 other playwrights’ works, as part of the 300th anniversary of union between England and Scotland.

Sharma has also recently been invited to Kuala Lumpur to run a 2-week playwriting workshop for Malaysian playwrights, directors and actors.

Will Not Deliberately Court Foreign Markets

Sharma said that his recent invitations to present work abroad is because The Necessary Stage is also concurrently getting more known and established abroad through tours and collaborations with international artists. For instance, CCP managed to get in touch with him because the person in charge at the centre was interested in the work of TNS.

Although his workload has increased due to these foreign commissions and presentations, Sharma stated that he will not change his writing style to write something that will appeal to the foreign markets.

He said, “My works will still be based on societal issues and problems in Singapore, will still investigate the responses and mindsets of Singaporeans, and will utilize Singlish where necessary.”

His recent workshop in Kuala Lumpur was entitled Fundamentally Happy Workshops, and he said that this reflects his attitude towards a creative ideal.

Secret Hoarder

First of Series of Children’s Books Featuring Native Wildlife in Singapore’s Rainforests

Adeline Foo, mum-of-three and winner of the First-Time Writers & Illustrators Publishing Initiative 2006, jointly organised by the Media Development Authority and National Book Development Council of Singapore, has published her second book.

This delightful sequel to Ben’s Friends from the Rainforest, illustrated by award-winning artist Miel Prudencio from the Straits Times, records the adventures of the brown Plantain Squirrel, a local residing in the garden city of Singapore.

A story told with gleeful charm, this tale winds up with Rainforest Facts, taking readers to new informative heights, learning about “flying” creatures residing in a tropical rainforest and the right ‘code of conduct’ in visiting the forest.

Secret Hoarder is the first of four books in the “Rainforest Friends” series, published by Booksmith Productions and supported by the Media Development Authority of Singapore.