Shawn Hoo

Shawn is a journalist on the arts beat at The Straits Times. He reviews books and reports on theatre and the visual arts as well as other cultural issues, for the Life desk. Prior to joining ST in 2022, he spent two years teaching writing and literature at higher education institutions in Shanghai and Singapore. He believes the arts, arts education and arts writing are essential.

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Latest articles

Author Amitav Ghosh uses reincarnation and cooking to discuss climate change in Ghost-Eye

Acclaimed Indian writer Amitav Ghosh's latest book Ghost-Eye (2026) is his first novel in seven years.

Can Singapore have a dedicated writers’ room to peek into the lives of literary legends?

The Xi Xi Space in Hong Kong's Foo Tak Building introduces readers to the life of the late Hong Kong writer and features a reconstruction of her living space.

Teater Ekamatra’s La Luna a crowd-pleasing, if simplistic, fable

Teater Ekamatra's La Luna, commissioned by the Esplanade, is an adaptation of the film of the same name that was Singapore’s 2025 entry for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars.

Singaporean artists build offshore networks in Malaysia and Indonesia, explore Nusantara links

Ubah Rumah Residency at Nikoi Island is created by Singaporean artists Alecia Neo and Ernest Goh and has hosted 30 South-east Asian artists to date.

The Christians a sensitive and humane study of divisions in a megachurch

Wild Rice's The Christians, written written by American playwright Lucas Hnath and directed by Glen Goei, plays till May 2.

The Straits Times Weekly Bestsellers April 11

(From left) The Great Reclamation by Rachel Heng, Unease: Life In Singapore Families by Teo You Yenn and Ally At The Airport by Norlin Samat.

How a therapy detour turned South Korean illustrator Dancing Snail into a best-selling author

ST20260409_202697900661/Jasel Poh/shsnail11

Bestselling Korean author illustrator Dancing Snail with her illustrated non-fiction books, It’s Okay Not To Get Along With Everyone and I’m Not Lazy, I’m On Energy Saving Mode, at the Straits Times office on April 9, 2026.

SSO unveils new season with TwoSet Violin, Nathania Ong and seven-city China tour with Chloe Chua

ST20250225_202565000596: Gin Tay/ shsso05/ Shawn Hoo/
Portrait of Singapore Symphony Orchestra's incoming music director -- Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu, 57, who succeeds Hans Graf in July 2026, photographed at SSO office at Esplanade Mall, Feb 25, 2025.

4.8m-tall The BFG among puppets in Royal Shakespeare Company’s show in Singapore

Roald Dahl's The BFG, which premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in November 2025, will play 17 shows at the Esplanade Theatre in Singapore from April 22 to May 9.

‘Parenting shouldn’t feel that way’: Teo You Yenn’s book Unease questions how pro-family Singapore really is

Associate Professor Teo You Yenn, whose book This Is What Inequality Looks Like became a national bestseller in 2018, is back with a new book, titled Unease: Life In Singapore Families (2026).

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MDDI (P) 046/10/2025. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2026 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.