SINGAPORE – Singaporean poet and educator Yong Shu Hoong, 56, has been announced as the next director of the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF). He will take over from Pooja Nansi, 41, in January.
The Arts House Limited (AHL) said in a statement on Tuesday that Yong, an associate lecturer at Republic Polytechnic, will be the fourth festival director.
He is the latest in a long line of poets to helm the literary festival.
Yong said in a statement: “Having witnessed SWF grow from strength to strength under different festival directors, I’m accepting the appointment with a recognition of the honour and responsibilities that accompany it, especially in terms of the hard work needed to continue growing the festival’s audience reach and upholding the quality of programming.”
Nansi, who is in her fifth and final year as festival director, is the first and only female festival director since the position was created in 2010.
She led the festival through the Covid-19 pandemic amid strict restrictions, creating a fully digital festival in 2021, and has championed accessibility for people with disabilities and youth.
SWF saw an increase in mother tongue collaborations under Nansi’s leadership, enhancing the festival’s multicultural nature.
Yong added that he hopes to further diversify programming “from the current crossing of literary genres with different art forms, like music and film, to deepening exploration of crossovers with different disciplines, from technology to finance, to reach out to new converts who might still be intimidated by their notion of what ‘literature’ or a literary festival should be”.
AHL also announced a slew of new writers joining the line-up for the 26th edition of SWF, titled Plot Twist, which takes place from Nov 17 to 26.
British-Pakistani screenwriter Bisha K. Ali, head writer for the Ms Marvel (2022) series on Disney+, will speak on the way horror and comedy balance each other.
Taiwanese author Wu Ming-yi, South Korean film director and novelist Won Pyung-sohn, award-winning Portuguese food writer M. Margarida Pereira-Muller and British-Nigerian film-maker Caleb Femi were also announced as festival speakers and panellists.
Book it/Singapore Writers Festival
Where: The Arts House and other venues
When: Nov 17 to 26, various timings
Admission: From $24 for an early-bird Festival Pass
Info: singaporewritersfestival.com
