TASH AW

Aw, 45, was born in Taipei to Malaysian parents, raised in Kuala Lumpur and is now based in London.

His first novel, The Harmony Silk Factory, was longlisted for the 2005 Man Booker Prize and won the Whitbread (now Costa) and Commonwealth Writers' prizes for best first novel.

His third and latest novel, Five Star Billionaire, made the 2013 Man Booker Prize shortlist.

Catch him at: The Places I Write About, one of two panel discussions he is on. He and Malaysia-born novelist Li Yongping will talk about how their multicultural backgrounds shape their writing.

Where: Living Room, The Arts House, 1 Old Parliament Lane

When: Tomorrow, 8.30pm

Admission: Festival Pass - $20 from Sistic (call 6348-5555 or go to www.sistic.com.sg)

TAN TWAN ENG

In a few short years, the Penang-born writer, 44, has amassed a string of accolades.

His 2007 debut novel, The Gift Of Rain, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

His second novel, too, made waves. The Garden Of Evening Mists, which was published in 2012, made the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize that year, bagged the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction and beat Turkey's Orhan Pamuk for the Man Asian Literary Prize.

Catch him at: Memory In Post-War Narratives, a panel that will feature Tan and Singapore's Josephine Chia and Meira Chand as they discuss national memory and their works set in post-war Singapore and Malaya.

Where: Ngee Ann Auditorium, Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress Place

When: Sunday, 11.30am

Admission: Festival Pass

OKKY MADASARI

The Indonesian novelist, 32, who in 2014 co-founded the Asean Literary Festival, speaks out strongly on human rights and freedom in her works.

When she was 28, she became the youngest winner of the Khatulistiwa Literary Award, a major Indonesian literary prize. It was awarded to her 2012 novel Maryam, which dealt with the ostracising of the Ahmadis, who hold beliefs contrary to mainstream Islam, in Indonesia.

Catch her at: Preaching To The Unconverted, one of three sessions she is in. In this panel discussion, she and Malaysia's Zul Fikri Zamir - who champions education for the less privileged - will talk about taking on complex issues.

Where: Ngee Ann Auditorium, Asian Civilisations Museum

When: Nov 13, 2.30pm

Admission: Festival Pass