Sing Lit Station launches non-profit poetry press led by former SWF director Pooja Nansi
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Former Singapore Writers Festival director Pooja Nansi (left) is chief publisher and Sing Lit Station co-founder Daryl Qilin Yam is managing editor of the newly formed Afterimage.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF POOJA NANSI, SHERRY ZHENG
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SINGAPORE – Literary non-profit Sing Lit Station (SLS) has launched Afterimage, its publishing arm focused on poetry, in hopes of addressing a “conspicuous gap” in the home-grown literary scene.
SLS’ move into publishing is unprecedented as it is funded by the National Arts Council under the major company scheme. Singapore publishers, which are usually businesses rather than non-profit organisations, receive state funding through one-off publication grants.
SLS director and co-founder Joshua Ip, who mooted the idea more than a year ago to boost the publishing ecosystem, said in a statement: “In the aftermath of the pandemic, poetry publishers in Singapore were closing, downsizing and reducing their output.”
Although not explicitly stated in SLS’ press release, the shrinking of publishing opportunities for English-language poets has chiefly been due to the shuttering of Math Paper Press (MPP) in 2023
Formed in 2011 as an imprint of the defunct BooksActually, MPP had led a major poetry wave in the 2010s, publishing poets like Ip, Pooja Nansi and Samuel Lee, who won the Singapore Literature Prize (SLP).
Nansi, who was director of the Singapore Writers Festival from 2019 to 2023
In a joint e-mail reply to The Straits Times (ST), the editorial team wrote: “Afterimage intends to address this specific gap to add to the vibrancy of the publishing scene in Singapore with the support of the National Arts Council.”
The editorial team includes SLS co-founder and novelist Daryl Qilin Yam, who serves as managing editor.
Afterimage comes at a time when home-grown publishers are putting out fewer Singapore poetry titles. Publishers Ethos Books, Landmark Books and Firstfruits Publications continue to publish poetry but at a less predictable rate.
There has also been a flight of Singapore poets to publishers abroad.
Former MPP poets Cyril Wong Tse Hao Guang Theophilus Kwek her SLP-shortlisted collection Acts Of Self Consumption (2023)
Ip added in his statement: “While more experienced poets may have the networks and the derring-do to still find ways to get published despite the shrinking local scene, new writers seeking to publish their first collections have found that their path to the page has narrowed drastically.”
Founded in 2016, SLS has served as a platform for developing writers through programmes like its annual Manuscript Bootcamp and community poetry writing challenge SingPoWriMo.
The new press, which will also publish creative non-fiction with poetic leanings, intends to publish its first title in the first quarter of 2025. It will open for submissions in the final quarter of 2024.
Its name, Afterimage, is drawn from a 1977 poem by Singapore pioneer poet Arthur Yap.
In that vein, Yam and Nansi said: “This poetry press presents an opportunity to access what a new generation of writers are wrestling with while also connecting them to our rich literary heritage.”
The poetry press Afterimage’s name is drawn from a 1977 poem by Singapore pioneer poet Arthur Yap.
PHOTO: ARTHUR YAP
They added that the press welcomes writers at every stage of their development: “Whether they have an entire manuscript compiled or even just a handful of poems ready to go – we want to be able to meet them where they are.”
On how her experience as SWF director will shape her editorial direction, Nansi said: “My work with the festival gave me a wide view of the literary scene and an understanding of audience and reading trends, which I hope will serve me well in this role.”
Yam and Nansi added that Afterimage will operate under a non-profit model, where it will “channel all of its profits back into offsetting its costs of operations”.
On how to make poetry exciting and relevant in today’s reading landscape, Yam and Nansi said: “Making something exciting and relevant for us is really about being authentic to who we are as a city and a community. We also want to be deeply serious while also finding great joy and pleasure as we navigate this.”
Nansi added: “It is a crucial initiative to ensure that the essential voices of the future of Singapore’s poetry are championed.”
