SWF 2013 – Our picks for… newcomers

Are you new? Not sure what Writers Festival means to you? Fret not.

Try putting together 9 musical gigs (including Jack and Rai, Gentle Bones, The Glad Stones, Neon & Wonder etc.), 8 readings at TCC & the Molly Roffey’s Irish Pub, an evening of trivia at Switch and a closing debate that will bring the house down on the issue of whether Singaporeans are mere illiterate robots. (Are you one too?)

If you are new, and you are not so sure what could be right for you at Singapore’s Writers Festival, you are welcome to get a feel of things happening at these various venues! The greater news is they are free!

What happens if you can’t get enough of these? Just drop by the Festival Pavilion at SMU, grab a Festival Pass to attend movie screenings in our romantic museums, challenge controversial taboo topics late into the night at SWF Fringe, join a guided tour to gawk at Singapore Biennale’s art installations and perhaps, bump into a celebrity or two at the pavilions!

Here are our picks:

Reading: My Father in His Suitcase
John Corner left home aged 19, never to see his father, EJH Corner, again. Edred John Henry Corner was Assistant Director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens and was instrumental in the creation of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. During the Japanese Occupation, he safeguarded the scientific and cultural collections of Singapore but was branded as a collaborator. Post-war, he headed the UNESCO Amazon project, propounded The Durian Theory, and led key expeditions to Mt Kinabalu. After 46 years, John faces his father in a suitcase he leaves for him, resulting in an engaging biography of a scientist who put science even above his family.

2 Nov, Sat | 11:30am – 12:30pm | Big Steps, School of Information Systems, SMU

Music: Vanessa Faith
Vanessa Faith discovered her immense love for song composition at the age of 14, writing songs on guitar and keyboard that she taught herself to play. Having released her debut EP, Inner Voices, a year ago, she will share some of these original tunes at this entertaining session.

2 Nov, Sat | 1:00pm – 1:30pm | Festival Pavilion, Campus Green, SMU

Reading: Tell Me a Story
Storyteller Kamini Ramachandran from MoonShadow Stories works with the LASALLE Performing Arts students to bring to life stories and poems by some of SWF’s Featured Authors. This weekend, enjoy works by Claire Tham, Edwin Thumboo, Kim Young-ha and Lee Tzu Pheng.
A similar storytelling session is on 9 Nov.
Featuring: Kamini Ramachandran

2 Nov, Sat | 1:45pm – 2:15pm | Festival Pavilion, Campus Green, SMU

Books & Beer x SG Tipsy Trivia!
Book Swop – No charge
Pub Quiz – $5 per player (max. 6 players per team. Teams with more than 6 players will have 3.5 points deducted per extra player.)
Top Prize for Pub Quiz: 60% of evening’s pot
Second Prize for Pub Quiz: 30% of evening’s pot

Join Books & Beer (Singapore’s first travelling book swop) for a fun-filled evening of books, icy-cold beer and enthralling conversations at this year’s SWF! In this edition, Books & Beer teams up with SG Tipsy Trivia (Singapore’s first travelling pub quiz) to present a literary pub quiz, with questions on luminaries such as William Shakespeare and Goh Poh Seng.

2 Nov, Sat | 5:00pm – 7:00pm | SWITCH, NTUC Trade Union House

Reading: Ceriph #6
Local literary magazine, Ceriph – known for promoting a refreshing selection of emerging writers from Singapore – will unveil the latest issue with a poetry and prose reading. This issue highlights the poetic form and its potential for “local uses” – with Singlish or without, rooted in familiar spaces or flung far into space. These exciting new works continue to critically question and celebrate the idiosyncrasies, grievances and cadences of the local tongue, without being restricted by it. After the reading, join the editors and contributors for an informal discussion of Ceriph and other literary magazines, and the quizzical shape of Singaporean literature.

2 Nov, Sat | 7:00pm – 8:00pm | Big Steps, School of Information Systems, SMU

Music: Bani Haykal + Ila + Syy Bruzeau Trio
Performance trio, comprising of Bani Haykal, Ila and Syy Bruzeau, combines music, visual projection and butoh. Traversing the borders of free improvisation and composition, they explore the depths of being through their respective abstract languages expressing commonalities, conflict, fear and nothingness.

2 Nov, Sat | 8:30pm – 9:00pm | Festival Pavilion, Campus Green, SMU

Reading: Awake in Utopia
Mornings start off on a perky note with fresh coffee at Utopia Reads at tcc@SMU. Festival Director Paul Tan hosts fresh voices Lee Jing-Jing, Dean Francis Alfar, Deborah Emmanuel, Joshua Ip, Loh Guan Liang and Cathy Park Hong, who will read from works that remind them of utopia.
Supported by the connoisseur concerto.
Featuring: Cathy Park Hong, Dean Francis Alfar, Joshua Ip, Lee Jing-Jing

3 Nov, Sun | 10:00am – 11:00am | TCC, SMU

Music: The Huckleberry Friends
Weaving a perfect harmony of folk and alternative, this trio is known for bringing a blend of intimacy and heartfelt passion to every of their performances. From nuanced acoustic numbers to classic throwbacks, the talented outfit reinvents and recreates musical styles in a fashion that’s both playful and earnest.

3 Nov, Sun | 1:00pm – 1:30pm | Festival Pavilion, Campus Green, SMU

Mentor Access Project Showcase
The Mentor Access Project (MAP) pairs aspiring writers with established local writers in English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil for a one-year mentorship. Curated by Verena Tay, this showcase of selected works from MAP graduates will cast the spotlight on the voices of a new generation.
This session is in English, Chinese and Malay, with English translations.

3 Nov, Sun | 7:00pm – 8:00pm | Big Steps, School of Information Systems, SMU

Music: Kolengoh meets 3how
These two unique bands will meet for the first time at the SWF and attempt to create original music based on the texts of this year’s featured authors. Watch Dutch musician Wil Kolen, Indian blues guitarist Amith Narayan, percussionist and didgeridoo exponent Reggie Perera and vocalist Wilson Goh get together to make great music!

3 Nov, Sun | 8:30pm – 9:00pm | Festival Pavilion, Campus Green, SMU

Reading: Darkness & Dystopia
Come night time, expect darker content with the Dystopia Reads at the pubs. Writer-translator Jeremy Tiang hosts this all-men session at Switch, featuring Boey Kim Cheng, Colin Cheong, Jerrold Yam and Romesh Gunesekera.
Featuring: Boey Kim Cheng, Colin Cheong, Jerrold Yam, Romesh Gunesekera

5 Nov, Tue | 7:00pm – 8:00pm | SWITCH, NTUC Trade Union House

Poetry of Song (Concert Finale)
Timbre Music Academy and the SWF present the concert finale of Poetry of Song 2013. After voting for your favourite songs – based on this year’s theme “love you / hate you” – on the SWF website, come find out which poem-songs come out tops. Lend your ears to singer-songwriters from the Timbre Music Academy and the Singapore music scene, such as Mang Irama Dusqie, Zahidah, Jack & Rai, The Switch Gang, Groundzero and Tay Kexin.

7 Nov, Thu | 7:30pm – 9:00pm | SWITCH, NTUC Trade Union House

Reading: Darkness & Dystopia
Come night time, expect darker content with the Dystopia Reads at the pubs. Professional storyteller Kamini Ramachandran hosts the session at Molly Roffey’s Irish Pub, featuring Alvin Pang, Krishna Udayasankar, Kosal Khiev and Jasmine Ann Cooray
Featuring: Alvin Pang , Kosal Khiev, Krishna Udayasankar

8 Nov, Fri | 7:00pm – 8:00pm | Molly Roffey’s Irish Pub, Manulife Centre

Music: The Glad Stones
Formed in 2011 by two singer-songwriters Marcel Lee Pereira and Jaye Foo, The Glad Stones released their debut album, Unfold Your Heart, in 2012. Their brand of music, edgy yet dyed with shades of the old-school, has gained them a strong following on YouTube. The band went on to tour Singapore as a Starbucks featured artist in March 2013, before touring Japan the following month. The band is now working on their second album.

9 Nov, Sat | 1:00pm – 1:30pm | Festival Pavilion, Campus Green, SMU

Reading: Tell Me a Story
Storyteller Kamini Ramachandran from MoonShadow Stories works with the LASALLE Performing Arts students to bring to life stories and poems by some of SWF’s Featured Authors. This weekend, enjoy works by Carol Ann Duffy, Guo Xiaolu, Imayam and Joshua Ip.
Featuring: Kamini Ramachandran

9 Nov, Sat | 1:45pm – 2:15pm | Festival Pavilion, Campus Green, SMU

Class Acts II – Creative Voices from Our Teachers
Come support teachers who make the best of their time and energy to also pursue their passion in writing. Be captivated by their words and watch how students bring their teachers’ written works to life. In the audience interaction segment, you can put your own creative writing skills to the test! To top it all off, catch performances by published teacher-writers, Pooja Nansi and Christine Chia.

9 Nov, Sat | 5:30pm – 7:30pm | Molly Roffey’s Irish Pub, Manulife Centre

Tales of Two Cities
Sydney and Singapore: Both are cosmopolitan, vibrant and ever-changing. Join leading Singaporean and Australian theatre-makers and playwrights to discuss the challenges, frustrations and joys of living in, as well as writing about and making theatre for two of the world’s great global cities. Speakers include Huzir Sulaiman (Joint Artistic Director of Checkpoint Theatre), Tim Roseman (Artistic Director of Playwriting Australia), and playwrights, Lachlan Philpott, Jessica Bellamy, Faith Ng and Joel Tan.

9 Nov, Sat | 8:30pm – 10:00pm | The Salon, NMS

Music: Jack & Rai
Jack & Rai are singer-songwriters and respected musicians, who gain a reputation for entertaining music fans with their own brand of acoustic pop and rock. Not only have they opened for well-known international acts such as Lifehouse, Rachel Yamagata, Daughtry and INXS, several of their songs have also been used in TV drama series, advertisements and national campaigns.
Featuring: Jack & Rai

9 Nov, Sat | 8:30pm – 9:00pm | Festival Pavilion, Campus Green, SMU

Reading: Awake in Utopia
Mornings start off on a perky note with fresh coffee at Utopia Reads at tcc@SMU. Festival Director Paul Tan hosts writers Ed Lin, Aase Berg, Tavleen Singh, Sheng Keyi, Michael Vatikotis and O Thiam Chin, who will read from works that remind them of utopia.
Supported by the connoisseur concerto.
Featuring: Aase Berg, Ed Lin, Michael Vatikiotis, O Thiam Chin, Sheng Keyi 盛可以, Tavleen Singh

10 Nov, Sun | 10:00am – 11:00am | TCC, SMU

Music: Gentle Bones
Nineteen-year-old Joel Tan, who goes by the moniker Gentle Bones for his solo acoustic project, doesn’t derive inspiration from a specific genre or artist. He welcomes the fact that we’re often in flux – this means that even his inclination towards certain favourite musicians may change at the drop of a hat. But for now, his acoustic style of music has never ceased to impress.

10 Nov, Sun | 1:00pm – 1:30pm | Festival Pavilion, Campus Green, SMU

Closing Debate – This House Computes that Singaporeans are Illiterate Robots
It’s that time of the year again for the much-anticipated Closing Debate! Two teams of the smartest and wittiest participants of the SWF square off over the very soul of Singapore. Tongue firmly in cheek, they’ll debate the motion: This House Computes that Singaporeans are Illiterate Robots. With bookstores facing challenges and (apparently) fewer appreciators of literature, are we turning into a nation of bean-counting robots? Or is the populace more well-read than we give it credit for? Get set for an invigorating evening of verbal thrust and parry, and a whole lot of irreverence, as we close the Festival on a high-spirited note!

10 Nov, Sun | 7:00pm – 8:30pm | Binary Pavilion, Campus Green, SMU

Music: Neon & Wonder
Neon & Wonder walks the atypical between music and poetry. Fronted by poet Marc Nair, the band sets spoken-word poems to music. They also write their own eclectic songs that cover everything from satellites to circuses.

10 Nov, Sun | 8:30pm – 9:00pm | Festival Pavilion, Campus Green, SMU