Speakers
Gwee Li Sui (Keynote)
Gwee Li Sui is a poet, graphic artist and literary critic. He wrote Singapore’s first full-length comic-book novel, Myth of the Stone, and published a volume of humorous verse, Who Wants to Buy a Book of Poems?. A familiar name in Singapore’s literary scene, he has written essays on a range of cultural subjects and edited Sharing Borders: Studies in Contemporary Singaporean-Malaysian Literature II, Telltale: Eleven Stories, and Man/Born/Free: Writings on the Human Spirit from Singapore.Laremy Lee (Keynote)
Laremy writes in different genres. His writing has been printed in Ceriph, Her World and Esquire and published online at the Quarterly Literary Review, Singapore and POSKOD.SG. Excerpts of his works can be accessed at www.laremy.sg. A literary editor and educator, Laremy was the dramaturg for the National University of Singapore Dramafest 2012 and 2013, and has also run workshops for students in both the Ministry of Education Creative Arts Programme and the Victoria Junior College Integrated Programme. Laremy was Singapore’s Writer-in-Residence at the Toji Cultural Centre in Korea from April to May 2013. He is a Correspondent with The Straits Times (ST) Schools desk and also reviews plays for ST Life!.Tan Dan Feng (Publishers Speak)
Tan Dan Feng is a director of Select Books, a Singapore book retailer, distributor and publisher. He is also executive director of a regional translation group and an award-winning language technology developer. Books that he has edited and co-edited included: Singapore Shifting Boundaries (2011), Indonesia Rising: Islam, Democracy and the Rise of Indonesia as a Major Power (2009) and The Chinese in Indonesia (2008).Phil Tatham (Publishers Speak)
Originally from England, Phil completed a degree in Southeast Asia Studies, majoring in Indonesian literature, before relocating to Southeast Asia where he has worked in publishing for over fifteen years. He established Monsoon Books in 2004 and is on a mission to find new talent and put publishing in Asia at the heart of the literary world.Eliza Teoh (Publishers Speak, Hooked In: Journalists Retain Returning Readers)
Eliza Teoh was a political journalist and sub-editor with The Straits Times. She is the author of the national bestselling Ellie Belly children's series, which has sold more than 45,000 copies to date. As the Director of the children's publishing firm Bubbly Books, Eliza enjoys working with young writers. The youngest writer she is working with is 11 years old. Young writers may submit their drafts for consideration to [email protected]Amanda Lee Koe (Publishers Speak)
Amanda Lee Koe is the fiction editor of Esquire Singapore, editor of creative non-fiction magazine POSKOD, co-editor of literary journal Ceriph and communications lead at design and communications practice studioKALEIDO. She spearheaded and edited Eastern Heathens, an anthology subverting Asian folklore, while her first book, Ministry of Moral Panic, a collection of edgy transnational short stories, was released at SWF 2013.Ovidia Yu (Shifting Genres: From Plays, Poetry to Prose)
After focusing on theatre for over 25 years, Ovidia Yu made the switch to writing fiction. This resulted in a children’s book, The Mudskipper, and a new edition of her retro Singapore mystery, Miss Moorthy Investigates. Aunty Lee’s Delights, featuring a plump Peranakan chef-sleuth, was published by William Morrow/HarperCollins last September. Ovidia has received the NAC’s Young Artist Award, the Singapore Youth Award and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Singapore Foundation Culture Award. She attended the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program on a Fulbright Scholarship and is a non-resident fellow of Eusoff College, National University of Singapore.Felix Cheong (Shifting Genres: From Plays, Poetry to Prose)
Felix Cheong is the author of nine books, including four collections of poetry and a short-story collection titled Vanishing Point, which was longlisted for the prestigious Frank O’Connor Award in 2013. In 2000, he received the National Arts Council’s Young Artist of the Year Award for Literature. In 2004, he was nominated for the Singapore Literature Prize. Felix, who has a master’s degree in Creative Writing, is currently an adjunct lecturer with the University of Newcastle and Murdoch University. His latest book is a collection of satirical tales called Singapore Siu Dai.Joshua Ip (Shifting Genres: From Plays, Poetry to Prose)
Joshua Ip is a published poet making his first foray into prose. He won 2nd place at GPA in 2011 for English Poetry, which kickstarted his writing career. His second poetry collection, making love with scrabble tiles, will be released by Math Paper Press in Nov 2013.Vivienne Yeo (Shifting Genres: From Plays, Poetry to Prose)
Vivienne Yeo teaches literature and writing to students from all walks of life from her home near the Bukit Batok Nature Park. She always encourages her students to love verbs more than adjectives. She has a weakness for pots and pans, and hardcover books. Her book of poems “If You’re Not, Why Not?” held the third spot behind Dan Brown and Marian Keyes over a weekend in 2006 at Borders Bookstore. To calm the mind, she practices yoga and slices paper-thin Japanese cucumber.Adele Chan (Hooked In: Journalists Retain Returning Readers)
Adele Chan is the Editor-in-Chief of NYLON SINGAPORE and Surface Asia. She has been in the Singapore media industry for more than a decade, and her background in beauty and music, and her strong interest in fashion and design is the driving force behind these international titles.Linda Collins (Hooked In: Journalists Retain Returning Readers)
Singapore-based Linda Collins is a regular writer of columns such as The Expat Files and of book reviews for The Sunday Times and is a copyeditor for The Straits Times. A New Zealander, she has also worked on other newspapers including The Australian Financial Review and, in Britain, The Sun.Colin Cheong (Writers vs. Editors)
Colin Cheong’s first novel,Adeline Foo (Writers vs. Editors)
An MFA graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Adeline Foo has published 22 children’s books. These include seven national bestsellers that have collectively remained on The Straits Times bestseller list for more than 84 weeks. Two books in The Diary of Amos Lee series were adapted into a 10-part television series. A new book, One Boy’s Quest to Learn What It Means to be Singaporean, kickstarting a middle-grade series, was published by the National Library Board as part of the Singapore Memory Project.Joyce Sim (Writers vs. Editors)
Joyce Sim is an editor and writer. She has edited for Read! Singapore, Youth Writers Awards Asia, Singapore Arts Festival and Singapore Street Festival, and written for Reader’s Digest Asia, Singapore Architect, iSh Magazine and other publications. She has edited graphic novels and comics series for local and regional comics talents such as The Resident Tourist and Loti by Troy Chin, Malinky Robot and The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye by Sonny Liew, Gone Case by Koh Hong Teng and Dave Chua, and the third volume of Liquid City, an upcoming Southeast Asian comics anthology published by Image Comics.
Jocelyn Lau (Writers vs. Editors)
Jocelyn Lau is the resident editor at Math Paper Press, the publishing arm of the local independent bookstore, BooksActually. A graduate of the Denver Publishing Institute at the University of Denver (Colorado, USA), she has worked as editor in most of the major book publishing houses in Singapore. Also a writer, she published her first book of haiku, Hello, Baby, in 2013. At present, Jocelyn is working on her second volume of haiku, and also contributing to two short fiction series by Math Paper Press: Twenty-Four Flavours and LiterallyMaps. Her other job as realtor supports her dream to retire early.Linn Shekinah (Writers vs. Editors)
Linn Shekinah made her first foray into children’s picture books with “The Watchtower Warrior”. It won the Media Development Authority’s [MDA’s] First-Time Writers & Illustrators Publishing Initiative Award and a reviewer described the book as “a gateway into a fascinating chapter of Chinese cultural and social heritage”. She was commissioned by the Preservation Monuments Board of National Heritage Board to pen “The Fearless Twins and the Magical Kaleidoscope: A Narrow Escape”. The time spent experimenting with sauces, spices and recipes inspired Linn to write “Dou Dou, the Imperial Chef”, and The “Asian Spice kids”, her first series of bilingual books, sponsored by the Lee Kuan Yew Bilingualism Fund.