Singapore Writers' Festival Returns With Its 15th Edition

By Rohana Mustaffa KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 (Bernama) -- Lion City is set to host the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) 2012 which aims to gather local talents, as well as their Asian and global peers. The 15th edition of the event will be held from Nov 2 to Nov 11 to spark an interest in literature and promote reading among the public. The organiser, National Arts Council (NAC), has never failed to attract people to participate in various programmes of the festival. The event also serves a dual function in promoting new and emerging Singaporean and Asian writing to an international audience, as well as presenting the world’s literary talent to Singaporeans. FESTIVAL The festival also hopes to spark interest in reading and writing among Singaporeans, especially the young generation, according to Paul Tan, the festival director, who is a writer himself. "All great writers start by being readers," said the author of three volumes of poetry, namely "Curious roads" (1994), "Driving into rain" (1998) and "First meeting of hands" (2006), during an interview on SWF 2012 here recently. Curious Roads and Driving into Rain won the commendation and the merit prizes at the Singapore Literature Prize competition, respectively. The festival promises programmes in various disciplines for the benefit of visitors and participants and also, to enthrall readers and inspire a new generation of writers. It plans to feature 200 writers as well as focusing the spotlight on story-telling, biographies and historical fiction and tracing the source of creative inspiration. ORIGINS Explaining the festival theme 'Origins', Tan said, "As humanity hurtles forward, eyes are trained on the future, but we also need to look back. 'Origins' allows us to revisit our own identities, the multiple roles we assume and the masks we put on. It targets our innermost selves – our ethnic origins, the faiths we profess or the colour of the identity card we carry." "We hope to see Singaporeans explore their origins, whether genealogical, national or otherwise and also reflect on what constitutes originality. "I am sure it will be a starting point of many thought provoking conversations which audiences have come to associate with the festival," said Tan. To date, the SWF remains one of the few multi-lingual literary festivals in the world, celebrating works in Singapore's official languages – English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. THE VENUE Paul Tan said that the SWF will be held at the Singapore Management University;s Campus Green. This year's panels, readings and performances will be spread out over 10 days and will take place at The Arts House, National Museum of Singapore, the Singapore Art Museum, the Peranakan Museum and the National Library. Among Singaporean writers taking part in the Festival are Chand Alvin Pang, Suchen Christine Lim and You Jin while international names include Pulitzer prize winner Michael Cunningham who authored 'The Hours', semi-retired professional wrestler and author Mick Foley, Taiwanese literary figure and educator Huang Chun-ming and writer and illustrator Jimmy Liao. SWF 2012 is also introducing three new features to its programme, the first of which is the Middle Eastern Focus which will spotlight writers and issues in the Middle East, including a panel discussion on Arab Spring and literature. At the Art House, there will be a series of night time programmes which will examine different facets of desire and manifestation of sexuality in books, films, performances and visual arts. The third segment will be composed of programmes that will be held at the Peranakan Museum, which will showcase the Peranakan connection to Singaporean literature. TICKETS To reach out to a diverse and multi-lingual audience, the SWF 2012 will provide festival passes, apart from ticketed and free events. The festival pass can be purchased for $15 which grants visitors access to more than 100 events, including panel discussions and meetings with authors. Free events cover over 50 programmes which include interactive activities catered specifically to children and families, launch of new books and folk music performances. There will be a segment titled 'In Conversation With' which will feature two of the region's leading writers and social commentators, Marina Mahathir and Catherine Lim, on what it means to use the written word to engage in civic society, while a segment on 'Ream To Reel' will showcase how text is translated into film. There will also be a segment showcasing works of Singaporean writers whose books are in Bahasa Melayu (Malay language). Authors from Indonesia and Malaysia will also be present. Some names from Malaysia are Che Husna Azhari, from Kelantan (Malaysia's east coast state) who uses Kelantan as a background in her writing, SM Mohd Zakir Syed Othman, the secretary-general of the Malaysian writers association, Persatuan Penulis Nasional Malaysia (National Writers Association of Malaysia - Pena), and Mohd Khair Ngadiron, managing director and chief executive officer of Institut Terjemahan dan Buku Malaysia (Malaysian Institute of Translation & Books - ITBM). According to Tan, the development and promotion of Singaporean-Malay creative content and literary professionals is a current identified priority area of the Council. Under the National Literary Arts Plan, the Council has been actively facilitating and anchoring strategic initiatives to develop literary arts in Singapore, including key partnerships with international literary organisations. The aim of the NAC's selection of Singaporean-Malay writers is to introduce them to readers in Malaysia and vice versa for the Malaysian partners. Other targeted distribution points beyond the SWF and KL book fairs include bookstores in Malaysia and Singapore and schools, where teachers may invite writers to introduce their works to students, etc. COLLABORATION As such, a significant agenda during the festival is the launch of the anthology of fiction known as 'Antologi Cerpen Malaysia dan Singapura: Beyond the 2nd Link: Selected Short Fiction from Malaysia and Singapore' (Merentasi Link Kedua: Cerita Pendek Terpilih dari Malaysia dan Singapura) at the Singapore Management University festival pavilion on Nov 4. Co-published by the (ITBM) and the National Arts Council of Singapore, this special bilingual collection of 12 short stories in Malay and English in an approximately 200-page collection provides a sampling of fiction from Malaysia and Singapore. The anthology features a varied and colourful selection of fresh, contemporary works by young, emerging writers from both countries and includes introductory prefaces on each country's literary offerings. The launch will be graced by Mohd. Khair, as a joint guest of honour along with NAC's Deputy CEO, Mr Khor Kok Wah. The Singapore section editor is Kartini Anwar who is the Asian languages and cultures lecturer at the National Institute of Education, with additional editorial input in the English translations by Dr Gwee Li Sui. The six featured Singapore writers are Ahmad Jaafar Munasip, Hassan Hasaa'ree Ali, Hidayat Hamzah, Noor Hasnah Adam, Sa'eda Buang and Sharifah Khadijah Aljoofri. For the Malaysian section, the editor is Rahimidin Zahari and the six featured Malaysian writers are Ariff Mohamad, Muhammad Lutfi Ishak, Nazmi Yaakub, Rebecca Ilham, Saifullizan Yahaya and Siti Jasmina Ibrahim. Tan said that the anthology will be launched at the Kuala Lumpur Book Fair in 2013 and introduced to key festival directors and international publishers who may wish to buy the rights. In addition to heightening the visibility of Singaporean and Malaysian Malay literature writers, the bilingual publication will showcase their recent work to generate awareness, interest and deeper appreciation among Singaporean, Malaysian and international communities, according to Tan. For those who love books and literature and are heading to Singapore in November, more information on SWF 2012 is available at www.singaporewritersfestival.com. -- BERNAMA