ARTISTS

Chew Yi Wei

Chew Yi Wei completed her PhD at the Department of English Language and Literature, National University of Singapore in 2015, and is currently a lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences. She has been published in the literary journal Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, Transnational Literature, Eastlit and POSKOD.SG. Indelible City is her first book.

Isa Kamari

A prominent figure in Singapore’s Malay literary scene, Kamari is the author of numerous novels, short stories, poems and plays. He has won many accolades, including the S.E.A Write Award, Singapore’s Cultural Medallion, and the Anugerah Persuratan Tun Seri Lanang (Singapore’s highest Malay literary award). A trained architect, Kamari is currently Deputy Director (Architecture) at the Land Transport Authority.

J. Douglas Graham

Little is known about Graham, apart from the fact that he and his wife visited their friends in Singapore during the early 20th century. He later published his diary of the trip, My Wanderings in the Far East (c. 1935).

J.G. Farrell

An English-born author of Irish descent, Farrell won the Booker Prize twice for his novels Troubles (1970) and The Siege of Krishnapur (1973). He spent much of his life abroad, and his “Empire Trilogy” chronicled the spectacle of British colonialism in Ireland, India, and Southeast Asia. The Singapore Grip (1978) was published as the final book in the trilogy shortly before his death.

Latha

K. Kanagalatha received the Singapore Literature Prize for Tamil Fiction in 2008 for her short story collection, Nan Kolai Seyium Penkkal (The Women I Murder) (2007), which was later translated and published as The Goddess in the Living Room (2014). She is also the author of two collections of Tamil poetry, Theeveli (Firespace) (2003) and Paampuk Kaattil Oru Thaazhai (A Screwpin in Snakeforest) (2004).

Meira Chand

Meira Chand is of Indian-Swiss parentage and was born and educated in London. She holds a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Western Australia, and has authored nine novels which variously explore issues of identity, belonging, and cultural dislocation. A Different Sky, her first book set in Singapore, was longlisted for the International IMPACT Dublin Literary Award 2012.

Neil Humphreys

Neil Humphreys is the author of twenty-seven books, including the popular Complete Notes from Singapore series and crime fiction series Inspector Low among numerous other titles for children and adults. Apart from his writing, he has worked as a radio host, TV writer, and as a humour columnist for local newspapers such as TODAY and The Straits Times.

Ng Seow Hwee

Currently Managing Partner and English Teacher at Master Class Learning Centre, Ng holds a Master degree from the University of Cambridge, and a Postgraduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) with Credit from Singapore’s National Institute of Education. She taught English Language, Literature, and General Paper at various local schools prior to her move to teaching at enrichment centres.

Nigel Barley

Nigel Barley is the author of twenty books. Originally trained as an anthropologist, he first visited Southeast Asia in the course of his work in the British Museum’s Ethnography Department. After forays into Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Burma, Barley focused his research on Indonesia and has studied both its history and contemporary culture. He is currently a writer and broadcaster.

Paul Tan

Paul Tan Kim Liang has published five collections of poetry, including Curious Roads (1994) and Driving Into Rain (1998). He has directed four editions of the Singapore Writers Festival, and served in various positions at the National Arts Council prior to his appointment as its Deputy Chief Executive. Tan is currently on hiatus from full-time work to pursue a PhD in English.

R. N. Walling

R.N. Walling worked at The Singapore Free Press, Singapore’s second English-language newspaper which was in circulation from 1835 to 1869. Walling believed in “the provocative light of modern journalism”, and the text “An Eastern Petticoat Lane” is part of his book Singapura Sorrows (1931) which contains sixteen sketches of colonial life in Singapore.

Su-chen Christine Lim

Lim received the inaugural Singapore Literature Prize in 1992 for her third novel Fistful of Colours, and was awarded the Southeast Asia Write Award in 2012 for her literary contributions to date. She has published five novels, two short story collections, as well as multiple children’s books and non-fiction work. A former teacher, she has been a full-time writer since 2003.

Teo Poh Leng

Paul Teo Poh Leng was born in Singapore in 1912. His poem F.M.S.R. was published in London in 1937 under the pseudonym Francis P. Ng, making it the first known collection of English poetry by a Singaporean writer. As Teo was killed during the 1942 Sook Ching massacre and the publication information was lost during WWII bombings, his identity was only uncovered in 2015.

Wong Yoon Wah

A notable poet and writer, Wong is also a scholar of Chinese literatures and comparative literature. He has won many literary awards, including the Singapore Cultural Medallion, the ASEAN Cultural Award and the S.E.A Write Award. His creative works include Beyond Symbols, Taste of Durian and Cultural Landscape.

Yong Shu Hoong

A two-time Singapore Literature Prize winner, Yong has authored several poetry collections, including Isaac (1997), dowhile (2002), From Within the Marrow (2010), as well as the award-winning Frottage (2005) and The Viewing Party (2013). His poems and short stories have been published widely in literary journals and anthologies. He was also the editor of Passages: Stories of Unspoken Journeys (2013) and Here Now There After (2017).