SBC at Singapore Writers Festival 2023

Our programmes at the Singapore Writers Festival spotlight Southeast Asia’s literature, culture and the arts, and will feature presenters from the region in conversation with Singaporean writers.

SWF 2023 Theme:  Plot Twist   

Maybe living in strange times means embracing strange approaches. An unexpected outcome, a sudden change in direction, unlikely connections. This year at SWF we’re embracing the unpredictable. What happens when you put things that seemingly don’t have anything in common, together? No spoilers please! 

Join us at more than 200 programmes over two Festival weekends. From Festival favourites to unexpected new offerings, there is something for everyone of all ages in this year’s exciting line-up that spans immersive experiences, exhibitions, performances, film screenings, meet-the-author sessions and conversations.  

For more info, please visit https://singaporewritersfestival.com

17 November 2023 - 26 November 2023

In Collaboration With:
Singapore Writers Festival

18

Nov

Sat

4pm – 5pm (SGT) | location The Arts House, Gallery ll

Keep these Southeast Asian writers on your radar because they’re about to make some serious waves. Breaking into the scene with debut novels, fresh takes, and new perspectives, find out how they're shaking up an already saturated literary market and shaping Southeast Asian writing.

This programme is co-presented with the Singapore Book Council.

Speaker(s): Quinton Li, Nadia Ayesha, Thea Guanzon

Moderator(s): Joyce Chua

18

Nov

Sat

4.30pm – 5.30pm (SGT) | location The Arts House, Play Den

If there's one garment that brings Southeast Asia together, it's the kebaya. In light of the joint multi-national 2022 UNESCO nomination for the beloved traditional attire, we examine its historical and contemporary significance to the region and unravel how narratives of its provenance and heritage exist at the intersection of globalisation, feminism, and postcolonialism.

This programme is co-presented with the Singapore Book Council.

Speaker(s): Oniatta Effendi, Lee Su Kim

Moderator(s): NA

19

Nov

Sun

7.30pm – 8.30pm SGT | The Arts House, Screening Room

Join these writers as they discuss ways in which they interrogate dominant narratives in queer representation and use fiction to explore societal expectations and assumptions about gender and sexuality in SEA.

This programme is co-presented with the Singapore Book Council.

Speaker(s): Ilyas Lukman, Quinton Li, Marylyn Tan

Moderator(s): Daryl Qilin Yam

24

Nov

Fri

7.00 - 9.00pm (SGT) | location The Arts House, Play Den

Quadruple-threat Shamaine Othman shows you how comedy's done! As a comedian, actor, writer, and director she has plenty in her bag of tricks to get even the sternest uncles and aunties laughing. With a healthy dose of self-deprecation, an intrusive sense of cultural self-awareness, and a whole lot of sass, Shamaine is here to step up your improv game and help you find your own kind of funny.
 
This programme is co-presented with the Singapore Book Council. The session is open to all but strongly encouraged for those interested in comedy writing or performing.

Speaker(s): Shamaine Othman

24

Nov

Fri

8.00 PM - 9.30 PM | The Arts House, Gallery II

Celebrate these new voices at the public reading by the mentees of the pilot run of SBC Mentorships for Emerging Writers & Translators. They will also be joined by the apprentices of the Singapore Apprenticeship in Literary Translation (SALT) 2023. Together, they present excerpts from their completed works and translations and share more about their experience--an evening of literary delight!

After that, stay on to congratulate our mentees, meet and chat with fellow writers, poets, translators. To another evening of conversation about all things literary, this is the perfect opportunity to meet and connect!

This programme is free and does not require a Festival Pass to attend. 

25

Nov

Sat

1.30 - 2.30pm (SGT) | The Arts House, Blue Room

Close in geography yet diverse in identity, is there a Southeast Asian sense of humour that arises from the feeling that we're "same same but different"? We talk to these comedians and writers how our shared regional social norms, when juxtaposed with linguistic differences and cultural idiosyncracies, set the stage (and page) for their witty comebacks, juicy punchlines, and leave audiences and readers laughing in 555s (shorthand in Thai for HaHaHa).

This programme is co-presented with the Singapore Book Council and supported by Sing Lit Station.

Speaker(s): Shamaine Othman, Gurmit Singh, Jesse Q. Sutanto

Moderator(s): Suffian Hakim

25

Nov

Sat

3.30 – 4.30pm (SGT) | The Arts House, Screening Room

Getting a word in edgewise isn't easy with over 1,200 languages in the region. Having translated or been translated, we speak to some of the women who are connecting Southeast Asia to the larger English-speaking world. What lines of influence are they trying to re-draw within a patriarchy that determines the access and production of knowledge? How have they left traces of their own experiences and perspectives in the process of their work? When Southeast Asia speaks, they tell us how we can listen better.
 
This programme is co-presented with the Singapore Book Council and supported by the Asia Creative Writing Programme, a joint initiative of the National Arts Council and the School of Humanities at Nanyang Technological University.

 

Speaker(s): Shanna Tan, Tiffany Tsao, Intan Paramaditha

Moderator(s): Yeo Wei Wei