The Power of a Poem
Zakir Hossain, a celebrated poet and migrant worker in Singapore, wrote a poem, which sparked a response from the state. Diana Rahim reflects on the power of words, wielded to question, and words wielded to control.
Literary Arts
WrICE 2021: Writers Ask Writers, Asia Pacific edition
We asked 11 writers and translators of poetry, fiction and non-fiction to participate in an exquisite corpse-like Q&A session, with each person answering a question and then asking one. These writers, who hail from countries in the Asia Pacific such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Japan, are part of the 2021 cohort of …
WrICE 2021: Writers Ask Writers, Asia Pacific edition Read More »
Quiz: What’s Your Guilty Pleasure?
It’s 2021 – and you’re constantly being told to be your best self! There’s that pile of books waiting to be read, countless browser tabs open with must-read articles, and a list of podcasts that are supposed to make you smarter. But at the end of a long day, all you find yourself reaching for …
Shock Horror: The Southeast Asian monsters we love
ArtsEquator chats with five writers about their favourite horror characters and monsters from Southeast Asian lore and mythology. We then asked two Singapore artists, Natalie Christian Tan and Divyalakshmi, to respond with a custom illustration based on the replies. Singapore Writers Festival 2021 runs from 5 to 14 November 2021 with the theme “Guilty Pleasures” …
Shock Horror: The Southeast Asian monsters we love Read More »
Cakap-Cakap: Interview with Daryl Lim for Local Flavours
In this month’s Cakap-Cakap (chit-chat), ArtsEquator speaks with poet and critic, Daryl Lim Wei Jie, who curated the poems featured in Local Flavours, an interactive site based on the concept of food delivery mobile apps. Produced by digital storytelling studio, Tusitala, it features 30 Singapore-based illustrators and poets and their works, which were inspired by 15 …
Cakap-Cakap: Interview with Daryl Lim for Local Flavours Read More »
Hitting up the Producers SG Directory: Taufik Darwis, Racy Lim and Khor Seng Chew
What is producing within the context of the arts? It is a question whose answer might vary depending on who you ask. Producers SG is a community of independent producers, arts managers and self-producing artists interested in nurturing support systems amongst producers and conversations around the practice of producing. Producers SG recently launched the Producers …
Hitting up the Producers SG Directory: Taufik Darwis, Racy Lim and Khor Seng Chew Read More »
Let’s get digital: 12 online efforts by Southeast Asian artists and creatives
1. Sharul Channa’s Am I Old? Virtual Edition What: A comedy monologue by Singaporean comedian Sharul Channa, Am I Old? will introduce you to 68-year-old retired teacher, Savitri. Listen to her hilarious stories of love, life and ageing. This live performance will be delivered via Zoom. Tickets are by donation, with proceeds going to …
Let’s get digital: 12 online efforts by Southeast Asian artists and creatives Read More »
Reading in Isolation: ‘Others’ is Not a Race and Interpreter of Winds
By Kathy Rowland (913 words, 4-minute read) Last November, when there was nary a thought for social distancing, and Corona conjured up visions of lime wedges and grimy bars, I reread Rex Shelley’s 1991 debut novel, The Shrimp People. Shelley was one of the literary pioneers featured in Artistic Director Pooja Nansi’s Singapore Writers Festival …
Reading in Isolation: ‘Others’ is Not a Race and Interpreter of Winds Read More »
Words in Transit: George Town Literary Festival 2019
By Akanksha Raja (1,715 words, 7-minute read) The George Town Literary Festival returns for its ninth year next weekend (21 – 24 November) with the theme of forewords/afterwords, a decidedly future-oriented focus pertaining to notions of transitions and new beginnings. Some of the festival highlights include a conversation with 2019 Man Booker International Prize winner …
Words in Transit: George Town Literary Festival 2019 Read More »
5 Singapore poems not to quote out of context
By Nabilah Said (2,500 words, 7-minute read) In 1968, Lee Kuan Yew uttered the words “Poetry is a luxury we cannot afford” to a roomful of University of Singapore students. There have been some quibbling over, even mythologising of, what he may have meant. To Prof Koh Tai Ann, then the young student whom he …