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Singapore Writers Festival

  • Things to do, Literary events
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  1. Singapore Writers Festival
    Photograph: Sam Churchill
  2. Singapore Writers Festival
    Photograph: Arts House Limited
  3. Singapore Writers Festival
    Photograph: Ricardo DeAratanha
  4. Singapore Writers Festival
    Photograph: John Campbell
  5. Singapore Writers Festival
    Photograph: Singapore Writers Festival
  6. Singapore Writers Festival
    Photograph: Arturo Villarrubia
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Time Out says

The Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) is back this year with more literary goodies and new festival offerings. Happening over three weekends from November 4 to 20, SWF is introducing its first-ever outdoor Festival Village and over 200 in-person programmes. This year’s theme is “IF (JIKA, , எனில்)”, inspired by Singaporean writer Cyril Wong’s poem If…Else.

Expect the return of favourite signature programmes such as Southeast Asian Focus, Youth Fringe, Country Focus, SWF Playground and Literary Pioneer series. In its 25th edition, SWF contemplates its future in this climate of uncertainty. “Through this year’s programmes, we consider the endless possibilities in the worlds that we create and take festival goers with us as we imagine exciting new futures as a global community,” says Festival Director Pooja Nansi. 

SWF takes on a celebratory air this year at Festival Village, a new pop-up happening at the pedestrianised area between Anderson Bridge and Empress Lawn. Look forward to some vibrant programming, including free music performances, twilight poetry readings, family-friendly workshops, as well as food trucks. The party continues well after sundown with SWF SunSets: DJ Sessions, a curated series by industry stalwart Joshua P. 

Of course, many of you will be attending to hear from literary voices in Singapore and the rest of the world. Homegrown writers and local literature in the four official languages will be represented at SWF – celebrate Malay, female literary pioneers at the Literary Pioneer Exhibition, enjoy Chinese language poems over tea at A Night of Poetry at Tea Chapter, or delve into Singapore’s food culture and its impact on Tamil literature in If Not For Food: Tamil Life & Literature in Singapore, among others. 

International heavyweights will also be gracing SWF this year. Catch Jeanette Winterson, award-winning author of 12 Bytes: How We Got Here. Where We Might Go Next; Caleb Femi, British-Nigerian author, filmmaker, photographer and former Young People’s Laureate for London; Franny Choi, American writer, poet and playwright; recipient of India’s Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar award for young writers, Suneel Krishnan; and more. 

There are tons of other programmes not to be missed, including a Festival Opening Debate, where eight Festival speakers will have a lively discussion on the topic “This house believes that the remake is better than the original”. The youth and those interested in youth topics should also join New Issues for a New Generation, where Youth Fringe headliners Chloe Gong, Dustin Thai, and Jessica Bellamy discuss how youth literature needs to evolve to reflect real issues of today. 

Find out more about SWF 2022 and get your Festival Passes ($30) at singaporewritersfestival.com or sistic.com.sg. 

Details

Address:
Price:
$30
Opening hours:
Various timings
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