Speakers &amp; Moderators

On Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle: Magazine Writing & the Evolving Markets in Asia
ASEAN Writing: Cultural Nuances & Experiences
WORKSHOP: Feature Writing for Magazines

Alisa Maya is a writer and a great believer in the power of words. She is an Honours year student at the National University of Singapore, Citizen Reviewer with Centre 42, the former Head of Outreach at Social Enterprise UNSAID and almunus of Burn After Reading Singapore, a local poetry collective. Previously, she was the Creative Desk editor at The Ridge Magazine and a writer at literary journal Wallflowers. Her work has been published in several online and print publications including The Straits Times.

Andreas Winfrey

Andreas Winfrey currently works as the Managing Editor at one of the leading lifestyle magazines in Indonesia, CLARA Magazine, having been appointed as its Managing Editor at the age of 23. Writing has been his passion since he was a kid, which made him pursue a degree in Communication, major in Journalism.

Andrew Chow

Keeping Your IP Intact: The Social Media Spectrum (Recommended for 16yo & above)

Andrew Chow is a Social Media & Public Relations Strategist, Certified Life Coach, Entrepreneur, Speaker and Author in Singapore. Andrew has spoken in many conferences to business leaders of South East Asia and civil servants in Middle East and North Africa region. His insights on Social Media Strategy, Media Management and Personal Branding have made his a choice selection for workshop leaders. His dynamic presentation style and thought leadership make him a frequently sought-after keynote speaker.

Annalee Lee Miao Wen

Screenwriting for Animated Film vs Live Action Film: Supported by *SCAPE

Annalee Lee Miao Wen is an enthusiastic filmmaker who desires to use media for a greater impact on the world. Graduated with a diploma in Digital Film & Television at Temasek Design School - she has dedicated the past several years to practice and improve in her expertise, picking up different skills along the way. Her motto she lives with is that Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. She is the winner of NYFA 2016 Best Screenplay.

Annusia Balan

On Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle: Magazine Writing & the Evolving Markets in Asia

Based in Singapore, Annusia designs to democratise information. She creates brands, stories, websites and programmes that are accessible and guided by contextual research. Her work serves the needs of education, language and heritage through exploration of physical and digital experiences. Her background in industrial design and public libraries constantly inform her design process and products. She is currently working on "The Tamil Class", where she combines her love for language and purposeful design.

Chan Yi Wen

Winging It: Freelance Writing Work in Singapore & Beyond

Yi Wen is the co-founder of Bolt, a content marketing platform that helps businesses tell great stories to drive brand awareness by matching them to experienced content creators and providing them with tools to effectively collaborate. Yi Wen was recently featured in the inaugural Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2016 for Media, Marketing & Advertising, as well as Singapore Tatler's Generation T.

Chelsea Phua

Dealing With It: Crisis Communications & Public Relations in the ASEAN (Recommended for 16yo & above)

Chelsea Phua is an Associate Partner at international communications consultancy firm, Bell Pottinger. She has more than 16 years of experience working in the media, finance and communication industries. As a journalist, she has worked for The New York Daily News, the Providence Journal, the Associated Press and The Sacramento Bee. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Master of Arts in Journalism from New York University.

Chheangly Yeng

ASEAN Writing: Cultural Nuances & Experiences
READINGS: Chheangly Yeng & Ye Vandy

Chheangly has a B.A. in Business and Tourism. Two of his poems received the second place prize in modern poetry contest initialed by Nou Hach Literary Contest in 2013. He also volunteers with his own mobile library project called Magic Library, together with another writer and a poet, bringing books to rural areas and making them accessible to kids. He is in the process of compiling a bilingual collection of poetry called “In the Shadow”, with other Cambodian poets.

Christian Lee

Ready for the Close-Up: Writing TV Series for Digital & Online Distribution (Recommended for 16yo & above)
How to Launch Your Career with a Web Series
WORKSHOP: Writing for Sitcoms and TV Series: (Recommended for 16yo & above)

Christian graduated from the William Esper Acting Studio in New York. In 2004 he won the Best Actor award at the Rome Italy Asian Film Fest 2004 for the film “Outsiders”. Christian is also an award winning movie producer, for Best Family Feature at the Houston International Film Fest 2008 for the Chinese movie “Slam”, he was also the original executive producer for the NBA China Television Series “Made in NBA”. With BananaMana Films he has since won and been nominated for many international awards including Best Drama, Directing, Editing and Sound Design.

Clara Fong

WORKSHOP: Picture Books - More than Child’s Play: Words Go Round x All In!

Clara is in twelfth grade at Singapore American School and is the Director of Social Media for the online magazine Parallel Ink (PI). She joined Parallel Ink to become part of the community of young writers and artists who thrive within the online literary magazine scene. One of her goals as Director of Social Media is to create a friendly and supportive online platform for young writers and artists to connect and grow. She loves art and literature, especially drawing and poetry. Outside PI, Clara is an intern for her school’s Communications Department where she works on various social media campaigns and school publications.

Darel Seow

Darel is a visual storyteller who illustrates tales of the natural world through his unique brand of wry wit and whimsy. A graduate of Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, he has illustrated two picture books The Missing Mouse and Where Are All the Birds. He is particularly interested in museums and culture, especially enjoying working with the British Museum and the Asian Civilisations Museum on projects which educate through the power of imagination and play.

Darren Ho

On Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle: Magazine Writing & the Evolving Markets in Asia

Darren is the editor of AUGUSTMAN (Singapore) since 2011 and a founding member of the magazine from 2006. Today, it’s one of the most popular men’s lifestyle magazines in the region, with franchises in Malaysia, Indonesia and a multi-channel content platform for the modern man.

Dawn Tan

Digital Journalism: The Coming of Age

Dawn currently co-hosts Singapore Tonight, a one-hour programme that delivers local news and business updates. Her media career began when she and several enterprising friends started London’s first free bilingual magazine as Editor while studying at the University of Middlesex. She has more than 18 years’ experience as a writer, and worked for Euromoney in Britain, before returning to Singapore to join the Business Times. Dawn is also an accomplished writer with nine titles to her name, including bestseller Khameleon: The Elyamani Khamis Story, Broken Mirror and Daughters of Asia: Inspirational Stories of Southeast Asian Women Leaders.

Diane Leow Yu Qi

Diane is a digital journalist with Channel NewsAsia. She started out as an online journalist in 2012, working in various start-ups in Melbourne, Australia. While there, she also took on positions in public relations and digital marketing. In 2014, she moved back to Singapore to take up this position with Channel NewsAsia. She's addicted to social media and loves telling stories on different platforms. She also drinks too much coffee.

Drake Law

Write for Kindness: Supported by the Singapore Kindness Movement (By invitation only)

Drake is a local singer-songwriter who started writing lyrics since he was nine-years-old. He released his first single, One Day, in 2016 and is currently working on releasing his EP in 2017. He is currently in his last year of studies in Singapore Polytechnic.

Eliza Teoh

Eliza was a journalist and sub-editor at The Straits Times and, later on, Today newspaper. She has also worked as an editorial consultant, doing corporate writing projects for commercial and government organisations. She founded Bubbly Books, a children's book publishing company that welcomes young authors. She is also the author of the national best-selling Ellie Belly middle grade children's series that has sold more than 85,000 copies in Singapore alone. Rights to the series have been sold to China, India and Turkey.

Eugene Tay

Winging It: Freelance Writing Work in Singapore & Beyond

Eugene is the author of the Supernatural Confessions series and the founder of a creative writing school for young budding writers. He left the running of the business to the new team in 2016 and is taking time off to see the world, penning his experiences and thoughts in a series of motivational guidebooks for The Alpha Mind initiative.

Frank Meng

“Snackable” Fiction: Creating and submitting bite-sized stories
ASEAN Writing: Cultural Nuances & Experiences

Operating with a lot of heart, Frank ensures the smooth running of The Hidden Good’s projects. Determined to help create a strong backbone to support the core of The Hidden Good, Frank is constantly on the lookout to learn and adapt from other organisations. With the firm belief that The Hidden Good is a family and not merely a team of organisers, Frank often captures the moments and memories of our family gatherings with his trusty camera.

Ganaesh Devaraj

When the sun is up, Ganaesh Devaraj tries to earn a living as a content writer for the marketing department of an enterprise software company. He’s still pretty new at this, so everyday becomes an adventure for him. After the sun sets, he ruminates on the meaning of life while eating cheap bento and writing short stories. Instead of worrying about genres or style when coming up with story ideas, he’s just aiming to please the readers with his writing.

Geetha Creffield

Romanticism and the World Beyond
Word Empowerment: Supported by ACJC

Geetha is the Head of department for ACJC’s English and Drama department. She is a postgraduate student reading for a second MA in Performance and Culture at Goldsmiths College, University of London. She is working towards a PHD in Culture, Sociology and Performance. Geetha is the director of ACSian Theatre, a prize winning youth ensemble that travels extensively and performs across the world.

Gene Whitlock

Comics Writing 101: What You Need to Know
Meet the Global Beards

Gene Whitlock is the author/illustrator of The Unsavoury Alphabet and illustrator of Pitchers, and together they form Global Beards, the rag-tag team behind Yellow Princess: Attack of the Dinosharks.

Han Qingping

Screenwriting for Animated Film vs Live Action Film: Supported by *SCAPE

Qingping graduated from Nanyang Technological University with a BFA in digital animation. She enjoys playing with shapes, injecting personalities into characters, and long walks on the beach. Qingping aims to engage the curiosity and the inner child of the viewers. She believes in having fun, and hopes that it shines through her work. She is the winner of NYFA 2016 Best Writing in Animated Film.

Haresh Sharma

The Role of Humour in Plays: Words Go Round x All In!

Resident Playwright of The Necessary Stage, Haresh Sharma is a recipient of the Cultural Medallion and the Southeast Asian Writers (or S.E.A. Write) Award (Singapore). He has written more than 100 plays which have been staged in over 20 cities. Haresh has 10 publications of his plays, and his works have been translated into Malay, Mandarin, Greek and Italian. His play, Off Centre, has been selected by the Ministry of Education as a Literature text for 'N' and 'O' Levels.

Haresh Tilani

What’s So Hard About Comedic Writing?: (Recommended for 16yo & above)

Haresh is co-founder of Ministry of Funny, one of Singapore’s top comedy YouTube channels. Before MOF, he worked at Scoot Airlines as Head of e-Commerce. Haresh graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Entrepreneurship from the Wharton School of Business, and a second degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Haruna Tanaka

Writing in the Clouds: Cloud-based e-Writing Platforms for Young Writers

Haruna joined Rakuten Inc, Japan’s largest internet services company, in 2010. She supported the launch of Kobo, the global eBook service of Rakuten, in Japan in 2012 and led the company's business growth till 2015, which included the launch of self-publishing platform, Kobo Writing Life. She is currently based in Singapore to lead business development for Asia.

Hassan Hasaa’Ree Ali

The Art & Science of Science Fiction
Ideas 101: Lunchtime Session with Hassan Hasaa’ree

Hassan is a graduate of the National Arts Council Mentor Access Project under the guidance of Singaporean writer Mr Anuar Othman. He came in first in 2011 Golden Point Award, Malay short story category for his story Homeostasis. His first short story collection entitled Selamat Malam Caesar (Goodnight Caesar) was shortlisted for the 2014 Singapore Literature Prize. He published his second short story collection Souvenir Dari Angkasa Lepas (Souvenir from Space) in 2016.

Ivan Ang

Self-Publishing and the Young Adult Market
The Art & Science of Science Fiction

Ivan Ang has published poetry, fiction and essays. He holds a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of New Hampshire. He is presently the Subject Head of Literary Arts at School of the Arts, Singapore.

Jaclyn Chan

Masterclass on Scriptwriting: Supported by the Puttnam School of Film, LaSalle (By invitation only)
Rudiments of Writing for Digital Film

Jaclyn Chan is an award-winning film and television writer. Her work has been nominated at the Asian Television Awards, the International Emmys and awarded Gold at the New York Festivals. She is an adjunct lecturer at Lasalle College of the Arts, Treasurer of Screenwriters Association (Singapore) and obtained her MFA in screenwriting from the University of Southern California.

Jamie Uy

Co-operate, to be Effectively Independent!: Supported by SNCF

Jamie is the Programme Director, Co-Founder, and former Editor-in-Chief of Parallel Ink, an online literary and art publication for youth. She was a Commended Foyle Young Poet of the Year in 2012, one of the winning poets of Cape Farewell/Poetry Society’s SWITCH Challenge in 2014, and a poetry mentee in The Adroit Journal’s Summer Mentorship Program in 2015. Her prose was recently recognised in the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and her writing has appeared in The Huffington Post, Singapore American, The F (Finely Filipino) Magazine, Rattle Young Poets Anthology, Germ Magazine, and Miracle, among other publications. Besides creative writing, she is fascinated by film, TV, and fan culture, and hopes to major in Film & Media Studies in the future.

Jason Chan

Initially a medical doctor, Jason studied acting at NIDA, Sydney before landing his first major role as the Green Samurai Ranger in Power Rangers Ninja Storm. Soon after he moved to Singapore for multiple film, TV and theatre roles. With BananaMana Films he has won and been nominated for multiple international awards including Best Writing, Editing, Directing, Drama, Acting and Composing.

Jed Senthil

Jed is a former civil servant vested in the local youth and social service sectors; and has been actively involved with the National Youth Council, SSEAYP International Singapore and youth networks. He was nominated for two youth awards in 2013 and 2014. He currently enjoys freelance acting; and working with youths in the co-operative movement, SNCF.

Jeffrey Tan

The Drama of Theatre: Writing and Performance

Jeffrey is an experienced theatre director, drama educator and Arts Producer. He holds a MA in Drama and Theatre Education from the University of Warwick. For the Singapore Arts Festival, Jeffrey created the Kids Arts Village in 2011 and 2012 and Open Homes in 2015. He has also taught creative and play writing in schools.

Jennifer Anne Champion

Co-operate, to be Effectively Independent!: Supported by SNCF

Jennifer is a writer and performance poet. She has performed in various festivals including Verve and the Singapore Writer’s Festival as well as abroad. She teaches and collaborates on projects with literary non-profit group, Word Forward, the National Arts Council and the Ministry of Education. She also serves as the multimedia editor for Poetry.sg, an online archive and collaboration between young poets of the Image Symbol Department collective.

Jeremy Wagstaff

Keeping Your IP Intact: The Social Media Spectrum (Recommended for 16yo & above)

Jeremy has lived and worked as a journalist in Asia for 30 years, mostly in Southeast Asia. He has been a staff correspondent and editor for Reuters, BBC, The Wall Street Journal and the now defunct Far Eastern Economic Review. He's also published a collection of his columns for The Wall Street Journal and has a weekly slot on the BBC World Service. He is currently Reuters' chief technology correspondent for Asia, and lives in Singapore with his wife and daughter. (photo by Steven Goh)

Jerome Hinds

Jerome is the second serving president of the Association of Comic Artists (Singapore) (ACAS), established in 2005 with the aim of encouraging and developing new talent in the industry. An enthusiastic and dedicated believer in the value of a great comic book, Jerry has helmed countless projects in the local industry. Apart from developing his own concepts such as SupaCross, he has facilitated the discovery and publication of work such as the MDA backed Arena volumes, VACC, Return and Flesh & Steel.

JF Koh

The Art & Science of Science Fiction

JF Koh is a web coder who loves writing science fiction, fantasy and horror. He is founder and editor of Panelgraph Showcase, an online comics anthology magazine focusing on popular genres. While juggling freelance work, he has been busy developing story ideas for his own book series.

Joann Nicolette Wong

Screenwriting for Animated Film vs Live Action Film: Supported by *SCAPE

Graduating with a diploma in Digital Film & Television from the Temasek Design School, Joann's love for filmmaking dates back to the days she crafted stories in her ratty notebook during recess periods. Lives of the people we encounter are the most bountiful source of stories of which Joann draws inspiration for her stories from. She aspires to inspire and invoke positive energy wherever she goes with films she produces that speak to the heart. She is the winner of NYFA 2016 Best Screenplay.

Joanne Poon

The Drama of Theatre: Writing and Performance

Joanne teaches theatre at SOTA and has taught theatre in a range of institutions and schools. Besides teaching, she also advocates for pediatric cancer and raises both funds and awareness for the cause. She is also the author of Brave Maeve, the book that has been translated into multiple languages, available in hospitals worldwide.

Joelyn Alexandra

“Snackable” Fiction: Creating and submitting bite-sized stories
WORKSHOP: Speculative Fiction 101: (Recommended for 16yo & above)

Joelyn Alexandra’s urban fantasies and dystopias have been published by Two Trees, Math Paper Press, Junoesq (Singapore), and Buku Fixi (Malaysia). When not writing, she manages Pulp Toast / Roti Bakar (Snackable Fiction), organises her travels, museum treks, or finds stories in analog or casual games. She blogs at joelynalexandra.wordpress.com and tweets @joelynalexandra.

Joseph Barratt

Dealing With It: Crisis Communications & Public Relations in the ASEAN (Recommended for 16yo & above)

Joseph is the CEO of Mutant Communications. The former journalist founded the Singapore-based PR and content agency in 2012 after meeting entrepreneurs from several tech companies that needed help engaging customers in their brand story. In just four short years, the award-winning journalist turned CEO more than quadrupled the size of his agency, now catering to a vast portfolio of tech, HR, lifestyle and luxury clients across the APAC region. In October 2016, Joseph was named one of Campaign Asia's 40 Under 40 influential people to watch in the industry.

Joyce Chng

Self-Publishing and the Young Adult Market
What To Do With Rejection
ASEAN Writing: Cultural Nuances & Experiences

Born in Singapore, but a global citizen, Joyce Chng writes mainly science fiction and YA. She likes steampunk and tales of transfiguration/transformation. Her fiction has appeared in The Apex Book of World SF II, We See A Different Frontier, Cranky Ladies of History, and Accessing The Future. She has also co-edited a Southeast Asian steampunk anthology titled THE SEA IS OURS: Tales of Steampunk Southeast Asia with Jaymee Goh. Joyce can be found at A Wolf’s Tale).

Joyce Chua

Keeping It Short: Weaving Short Stories for Targeted Audiences
Life’s Guilty Pleasures: Writing to Sell through Experiential Marketing (Recommended for 16yo & above)
2017 ZALORA Writing Contest: Supported by All In! 2018

Joyce is the author of the award-winning young adult novel, Lambs for Dinner (Straits Times Press, 2013), which she wrote before graduating from the National University of Singapore with a degree in English. She is now the Regional Head of Content at ZALORA Southeast Asia, where she creates and curates lifestyle content for ZALORA’s digital magazine. She can be found raving about books and writing at her blog, The Writes of Passage.

Juan Foo

Ready for the Close-Up: Writing TV Series for Digital & Online Distribution (Recommended for 16yo & above)
Screenwriting for Animated Film vs Live Action Film: Supported by *SCAPE

Juan has been in the Singapore film industry since its resurgence in the early 90s and has been involved in up to 7 films. Having a 17-year grounded experience in the craft has made him to be the Singaporean voice for panels and he is a curator, writer, lecturer and judge for film events. Juan developed and sold a script to 20th Century Fox International Pictures. He ran his own production company ‘Ground Glass Images’ which produced ‘Dirty Laundry’, ‘Hainan Chicken Rice’ and ‘Perth’.Juan is an academic board member of the Singapore Media Academy (SMA) and sits on the programme advisory panel for the Multimedia Technology & Design programme at UniSIM.

JY Yang

Conventions And Subversions In Singapore Young Adult Fiction: Words Go Round x All In!

JY Yang is a speculative fiction writer with over a dozen short stories published in Singapore and abroad. Her debut novellas, The Red Threads of Fortune and The Black Tides of Heaven, are forthcoming from Tor.com Publishing in 2017. She read her Masters in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, and is currently working on her first book, an alternate history novel where Joan of Arc is a Chinese woman.

Kamil Haque

The Drama of Theatre: Writing and Performance
WORKSHOP: The Art of Crafting a Monologue: (Recommended for 16yo & above)
Singapore Monologue Slam: The Winners’ Circle (Recommended for 16yo & above)

Kamil Haque is the founder of Haque Centre of Acting & Creativity (HCAC). Established in 2013, HCAC is the home of Method Acting in Asia. HCAC serves as the first professional acting and creativity school, in English, in Singapore for actors and non-actors. Kamil is the only Asian to have taught at the Lee Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles. He is also a working observer at The Actors Studio. Kamil is the winner of the inaugural Story Slam Singapore Grand Finals. His most recent theatre credits include Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (Stage Club), Asleep & Him (Dream Bravely & Method Productions). As a director, Kamil last helmed Leaves (Passerby Projects) and The Savage/Love of Danny & the Deep Blue Sea (Stage Club).

Leong Wee Keat

ASEAN Writing: Cultural Nuances & Experiences

Leong Wee Keat is a lecturer at Republic Polytechnic’s Diploma in Mass Communication Programme. He was a journalist for nine years at MediaCorp’s Today newspaper, where he covered two General Elections and a Presidential Election. At Republic Polytechnic, Wee Keat supervises young budding journalists in the Media Lab, which produces the campus newspaper, The Republican Post.

Lim Wan Phing

Wan Phing Lim was born to Malaysian parents in 1986 in Butterworth, Penang. She is a full-time writer living in Singapore, where her poems and short stories have been published by Ethos Books, Math Paper Press and the National Library Board. She was also a finalist at the Esquire x Montblanc Fiction Project for her story ‘Oil & Water’.

Low Ying Ping

Conventions And Subversions In Singapore Young Adult Fiction: Words Go Round x All In!

Low Ying Ping holds a Master's degree in English Literature from the University of Warwick, UK. Her poems and critical essay have appeared in Singa, the journal of the National University of Singapore Centre for the Arts and QLRS (Quarterly Literary Review Singapore). She has written two young adult novels which are part of the Mount Emily series.

Magali Finet

Writing for and by Differently-Abled Youths: in partnership with VSA

Magali is the Programme Executive in charge of Literary and Visual Arts at Very Special Arts Singapore, a local charity dedicated to providing access and opportunities for people with disabilities through the arts. Originally from France, Magali has worked in Singapore for more than 7 years. For the past four years, she has been the social secretary of the Singapore Writers Group, a community of writers living in Singapore. A published short story writer herself, Magali is very excited to combine her two passions, writing and working for persons with disabilities, by developing VSA Literary programme, focusing on spoken poetry and short stories.

Mark Chee

Asia and the Asian Film: Supported by Red Dot Cinema

Mark "Gunkmage" Chee is a Singaporean film director and entertainment artist. An animation student from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, he is most well-known for his work on the short film Suicide Lover (2012) for which he wrote, directed, art directed, animated and storyboarded. Under the art handle "GUNKMAGE", Chee currently works as a freelance animator, illustrator and concept artist.

Mark Francis Thompson

Dealing With It: Crisis Communications & Public Relations in the ASEAN (Recommended for 16yo & above)

Mark is an entrepreneur who only knows how to build businesses with $0 and zero funding. His 4th business is a marketing agency, and he's helped hundreds of entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses around the world. He believes in a model of entrepreneurship that is grounded in realism, profitability and fulfilment.

Mark Laudi

Mark is a mentor in media and presentation skills to C-suite executives, elected politicians and senior government officials, and a sought-after speaker, conference anchor and panel moderator at business conferences, following a 14-year award-winning career in radio and television. At CNBC Asia Pacific, he held almost every position in the newsroom: behind the camera he was Producer and Sydney as Bureau Chief, and in front of the camera he was Stock Reporter, Anchor and Field Reporter. He started his media career in radio at age 21, becoming Australia's youngest radio current affairs show host at ABC Radio, and later joining Singapore's 938LIVE.

Marla Miniano

Keeping It Short: Weaving Short Stories for Targeted Audiences
ASEAN Writing: Cultural Nuances & Experiences

Marla Miniano is the former editor in chief of Candy Magazine and Summit Books, and now editor in chief of Cosmopolitan Philippines. She is the author of the YA series Every Girl’s Guide and the short story collections Table for Two and From This Day Forward, and co-author of the best-selling poetry collection In Case You Come Back. She was a recipient of Ateneo de Manila University’s Loyola Schools Award for the Arts in Fiction and one of the first Filipino creative writing residents at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, USA. Her poems have been published in Rookie magazine and the Chicago-based Poetry magazine.

Mary George

Romanticism and the World Beyond

Mary George is the editor and publisher of What’s Up, a monthly newspaper for kids and emerging teens. She is also a child development consultant and teacher educator. Dr George currently lectures at the Singapore University of Social Sciences and the National Institute of Education.

Md Suhaile

WORKSHOP: Writing for Comics and Getting Paid for It

Suhaile is a journalist at The Middle Ground (TMG), an independent news site. TMG's a space for everyone in the middle, in between the madness at both extremes. He reports on general news, with a growing focus on labour and Muslim issues in Singapore. Suhaile is also a former National Committee member of AIESEC in Singapore.

Meihan Boey

It's been over twenty years since Meihan started writing & publishing work. She became part of the Association of Comic Artists of Singapore (ACAS) in 2005 when it was first established. Since then she has been involved in many projects, including but not limited to Supacross, Get Carter & Arena, and commercial work for companies such as Visa and P&G.

Melanie Lee

Winging It: Freelance Writing Work in Singapore & Beyond
On Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle: Magazine Writing & the Evolving Markets in Asia

Melanie is a freelance writer and lecturer. Her work has been published in Travel + Leisure (Southeast Asia), The A List, TODAY, and Yahoo! Singapore amongst others. She is also the author of Imaginary Friends: 26 Fables for the Kid in Us and The Adventures of Squirky the Alien series.

Melina K

Understanding the Unseen (Mag)

The Great White Lark's frontwoman and Youtube cover artiste, Melina K, is no stranger to the Singaporean indie music scene. Since dipping her toes into music, Melina has quickly built a rep for herself, playing at prominent shows like 100 Bands last year with her alternative-rock band, and several times at Artist's Night Out. She is currently a mentee with her band under the Noise Mentorship Programme. (Photo by Tan Yan Long)

Mitchelle Ang

Mitchelle is a final-year undergraduate at NUS and USP. She majors in English Linguistics, but also part-time in Literature. Her favourite type of poems are the ones written by Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton, but all poems are great ones in her opinion. She is also a future teacher upon graduation, and hopes to spread the love of Literature around! If you wish to confuse her, just throw a math textbook at her.

Ng Swee San

WORKSHOP: Film Writing for Beginners

Swee San has written for acclaimed prime-time TV shows such as The Pupil, Code of Law (all 3 seasons), In Cold Blood and Tanglin. She is currently writing for a children’s series Whoopie 2 and helping to develop an animation feature film. Her full-length play Marriage of Inconvenience was staged by TheatreWorks in 2004. Swee San holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from Tisch New York University. In 2017, she became one of 29 Singaporeans to be conferred the SkillsFuture Fellowship, in recognition of her commitment to continuous learning. She teaches scriptwriting at Puttnam School of Film and Animation, Lasalle College of the Arts.

Nicholas Yong

Digital Journalism: The Coming of Age
Lunchtime Session with Nicholas Yong
Conventions And Subversions In Singapore Young Adult Fiction: Words Go Round x All In!

Nicholas Yong is the author of the short story collection Track Faults and Other Glitches: Stories of the Impossible in Singapore and the zombie novel Land of the Meat Munchers. He works as a senior correspondent at Yahoo Singapore and has been in journalism for a decade.

Nicole Seah

Nicole is a Managing Editor for Parallel Ink, an online literary magazine for students, and the head blog editor for Red Queen Literary Magazine. Her creative work has been featured in the Singapore Writing Month Anthology, JUNOESQ, Glass Kite Anthology and Eunoia Review, among others. This year, she participated in The Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program and won a national commendation for the National Singapore Poetry Competition with her poem “Stage Fright.” She has also written for AWARE Singapore on positive body image and is a strong advocate for health and women empowerment through blogging about nutrition.

Nigel Peh

The Art & Science of Science Fiction

A young musician that shares heartfelt stories and relatable emotions to listeners through his songs, Nigel's musical influences stems from aural works of the sincere and heart-wrenching, having finished a Diploma in Music and Audio Technology from Singapore Polytechnic. He is a guitarist and the main songwriter for local band, Victoria Street.

Otto Fong

Otto has a basic foundation in the study of electromagnetic waves and transistors at university level. He studied in the Ministry of Education because he has a strong drive to make science accessible and enjoyable to the masses. During his stint as a film directing student in Beijing Film Academy and apprentice in Beijing Film Factory, he learnt the skills to construct a visually-appealing and emotionally compelling case for science. He was Outreach Fellow for the Centre for Quantum Technologies in NUS, and is now collaborating with SynCTI NUS (Synthetic Biology for Clinical and Technological Innovation) to produce a new Sir Fong comic book in 2017.

Patricia Pinto

“Snackable” Fiction: Creating and submitting bite-sized stories
Life’s Guilty Pleasures: Writing to Sell through Experiential Marketing (Recommended for 16yo & above)

Naoko Kensaku @ Patricia Pinto is by day, a copywriter. Her speciality is in taking someone else’s words and turning them into action, hence COPY-write. She particularly excels in writing travel and makeup articles. By night, she explores the Path of Exile and writes short stories. She also enjoys reading fantasy and good science fiction.

Patrick Chew

Digital Journalism: The Coming of Age

Patrick is a Singaporean journalist and editor with almost a decade of experience working at various publications such as AUGUST MAN Magazine, Men's Folio, and Esquire Singapore. His current role as the Digital Editor at T: The New York Times Style Magazine sees him managing the editorial programme and digital distribution of TSingapore.com, and its social channels--to ensure that all content produced are of the highest quality, and that the editorial integrity of The New York Times is upheld at all times.

Patrick Yee

Write for Kindness: Supported by the Singapore Kindness Movement (By invitation only)

Multi-award winner illustrator, Patrick Yee, is one of Singapore's leading illustrators with more than 155 children's books. He received "The Most Prolific Illustrator" award from the Singapore Book of Records in 2016.He is most well-known in the US for his Rosie Rabbit series which have been translated into eight languages. Patrick is behind the successful Lee Kuan Yew series in Singapore. He holds a degree in Graphic Design from Camberwell College of Arts and a Master's degree from Brighton University, U.K. Patrick is also actively involved in the local arts scene, teaches at various tertiary educational institution and conducts regular art workshops for young children.

Pedro Aguirre

Winging It: Freelance Writing Work in Singapore & Beyond
WORKSHOP: Writing for Youths and Youths-At-Heart

Pedro is a global citizen, having lived and worked in USA, Mexico, Belgium, Germany, India and Singapore. He has developed, implemented and managed several initiatives, impacting organisations and youths across Europe, Asia and Africa, including AIESEC's expansion to Rwanda; co-founding a social enterprise in Singapore, called Make The Change; and organised a nationwide competition to empower youths to make a difference using their creative skills. In 2012, he was selected as a Young Social Entrepreneur by the Singapore International Foundation.

Pip Harry

Pip Harry has over fifteen years of experience working on leading Australian entertainment and lifestyle magazines as a senior writer and editor including Woman’s Day, New Idea, TV WEEK and NW. Her debut young adult novel I’ll Tell You Mine won the Australian Family Therapists Children’s Literature award. Her follow up, Head of the River, was shortlisted for the State Library of Victoria’s Gold Inky award in 2015 and the Adelaide Festival Literary awards in 2016. She is the co-author of Get Lucky, a non-fiction relationships guide and has worked as a copywriter for NGOs, advertising agencies and large corporations.

Rebecca Lim

Rebecca heads Our Better World (OBW), the digital storytelling initiative of the Singapore International Foundation (SIF), that leverages the power of stories and digital media to connect those who need help with those who want to help. OBW tells stories of people doing good in Asia to inspire a global community to contribute in meaningful ways so that the non-profits/social enterprises who are featured get support to impact more lives.

Richardo Chua

Screenwriting for Animated Film vs Live Action Film: Supported by *SCAPE

Richardo is the Group Managing Director of the social enterprise events agency - Adrenalin Group Pte. Ltd. Prior to starting Adrenalin, he worked in the public sector with the Economic Development Board for close to 2 years, there he helped to encourage overseas companies to invest in Singapore. It was also at EDB that he was inspired to combine his love for events and a heart to contribute to the community and start Adrenalin.

Ronald Fong

Ronald specialises in 3D animation, storyboarding, and concept art for animated films. He believes that a well-crafted story is the key piece in making films work as he consciously aims to make his projects meaningful and relatable. He assumes the role of a complete geek when faced with technical challenges encountered within the 3D animation creative process. Not to say less love is given to the more traditional approaches to animation, as Ronald appreciates – just as much – the fluid and expressive nature of hand-drawn animation. He is the winner of NYFA 2016 Best Writing in Animated Film

Ryan Chan

Co-operate, to be Effectively Independent!: Supported by SNCF

Ryan is a soulful and energetic performer that entertains his audience with musical skills, combining the worlds of Beatbox and Guitar into a masterpiece of sound in his band HubbaBubbas. He derives inspiration by combining his love for music, games and funny stuff to create music, tell jokes and paint soundscapes. Check out his music: here.

S. Mickey Lin

“Snackable” Fiction: Creating and submitting bite-sized stories
WORKSHOP: Speculative Fiction 101: (Recommended for 16yo & above)

S. Mickey Lin is a former Annenberg Fellow and graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. His writings have been published in Hong Kong, Singapore, and the US. A multidisciplinary writer, he recently created the series Senior Management for Mediacorp.

Sabrina Poon

Asia and the Asian Film: Supported by Red Dot Cinema

After graduating with a Diploma with Merit in Film, Sound and Video, and a Bachelor in Professional Communications, Sabrina went on to pursue her passion actively by engaging herself in various film projects, TVC, tele-movies and short films. She delves into many departments in hope to expand her knowledge and understanding all the meticulous craft in storytelling. She has directed two narrative short films and a documentary short, which has been screened on film festivals and online media.

Shannon Sommers

Conventions And Subversions In Singapore Young Adult Fiction: Words Go Round x All In!

Shannon is the Editor-in-Chief of Parallel Ink, an international literary magazine for young writers. She is also a prose reader for The Blueshift Journal and a business associate & blog consultant with The Adroit Journal. A National Scholastic Writing Awards gold medalist, she won first place for fiction in the 2016 Hypertext Magazine High School Writers Contest. Shannon is an alumna of the NYS Summer Young Writers Institute at Skidmore College, the Gotham Writers Workshop, and The Adroit Journal Summer Mentorship Program. Her work appears or is forthcoming in Hypertext Magazine, Hypernova Lit, New Voices Young Writers, Teen Ink, Inside of Me Anthology: American High School Poets and Eloquence: The America Library of Poetry.

Simon Chesterman

Simon Chesterman is a Professor and Dean of the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law. Educated in Melbourne, Beijing, and Oxford, he has lived and worked for the past decade in Singapore. He and his wife have two children who are voracious readers. Simon has written and edited 17 books, including One Nation Under Surveillance, You, The People and the first two novels of the Raising Arcadia trilogy.

Sofia Amanda Bening

Romanticism and the World Beyond

Sofia is a 2nd-year Mass Communications student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. An avid writer since the age of 4, she has participated in and attained awards for many writing competitions, and most recently was the first Singaporean recipient of the Keats-Shelley Young Romantics Prize. Aside from writing, she enjoys listening to music and spending time with her two cats.

Soon Sing Suen

Suen is the Project Lead for Project Aspire, a local social entrepreneurship challenge by Singapore Committee for UN Women, for youths ages 15 to 18. Her passion for social movements has led her from working in social enterprises to working with them. When she's not glued to the screen and googling for social causes happening around the world, she divides her time between teaching, writing, and travelling.

Steven Chia

Understanding the Unseen (Mag)

With over a decade of experience in the media industry, Steven has seen and done it all. Today, Steven is Presenter and Editor at Channel NewsAsia and hosts the show Talking Point. But Steven is probably best known for his time as Presenter and Producer on one of the highest rated shows on the channel – AM Live! Outside of work, Steven is on the board of YMCA Singapore and the chairperson for YMCA FACES. Steven is also a District Councillor for the Southwest Community Development Council and most recently sat on the advisory board for Marriage Central under the Ministry of Social and Family Development and was also a Council Member of the National Youth Council.

Tan Jia Hui

An editor of Unseen Magazine, Jia Hui is currently a sophomore at Yale-NUS College. A fan of both Dahl and Dickinson, she enjoys a medley of puns and alliteration on the side. Her previous works have appeared in The Straits Times, Prestige Magazine, The Octant and poem anthologies amongst others.

Tan Soon Meng

WORKSHOP: Writing for Comics and Getting Paid for It

Soon Meng’s children’s story, Pura the Cat, won in the National Arts Council’s Beyond Words: Young & Younger contest, and was published by Marshall Cavendish. He also wrote Ockham’s Razor, a sci-fi tale published in the Arena anthology comic published under the former MDA’s IGNITE scheme. His eclectic writing includes skits for MediaCorp’s The Noose, a contract law book called Contract Smart, and two issues of SupaCross.

Tariq Mansor

Asia and the Asian Film: Supported by Red Dot Cinema

During his years as a student, his film 'Going Away', won Overall Best Student Film in the ciNE65 Film Competition. Tariq directed his Final Year Project titled 'I've Got This Friend' which starred known local talents; Charlie Goh and Ian Teng. 'The Apple of my Pie' is the first indie production that was produced and self-funded by a team of passionate and driven film-enthusiast.

Terence Chia

What’s So Hard About Comedic Writing?: (Recommended for 16yo & above)

Terence Chia is a director of Luff Media, a company which develops and produces content for feature film, TV and digital. He is also one half of Ministry Of Funny, one of Singapore’s top comedy YouTube channels. Terence previously worked on Wall Street and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania.

Timothy Go