Singapore Writers Festival: Check out these 15 events for families, foodies and more

SINGAPORE – The Singapore Writers Festival boasts on its website that it has more than 200 events. But good luck trying to find anything in the black hole of horror that is its unwieldy online calendar.

The Straits Times arts team has ploughed through the schedule and unearthed gems for a range of demographics, from families to hardcore readers. 

There are picks for the science fiction-inclined, the history nerd, the poetry lover, the foodie and, yes, those who want to catch a glimpse of their favourite Singapore author.

Here are our recommendations – and you can use your Culture Pass credits too. 

For the South-east Asia-minded

1. From Colony To Cosmos: Generations Of Singaporean Science Fiction
Screening Room at The Arts House at The Old Parliament, Nov 8, 8 to 9.30pm, Festival Pass

2. Writing The Future From South-east Asia
River Room at Asian Civilisations Museum, Nov 9, 11.30am to 12.30pm, Festival Pass

What is Singaporean science fiction? Authors including Stella Kon, Nurul ‘Ain Razali, Raju Chellam and Ng Yi-Sheng come together to nail down some definitions on Nov 8. A day later, head to the Asian Civilisations Museum as Filipino authors Rexy Dorado and Dean Francis Alfar and Singaporean Neon Yang tackle the topic from a more regional perspective.

3. Elsewhere At Home: Voices Of The South-east Asian Diaspora
Ngee Ann Auditorium at Asian Civilisations Museum, Nov 16, 11.30am to 12.30pm, Festival Pass

SingLit superstar Amanda Lee Koe returns to share the wisdom she has gleaned as a South-east Asian and Singaporean living away from home and how it has shaped her writing. She shares the stage with Malaysian-Australian author Siang Lu and Thai-Chinese writer Pim Wangtechawat.

For the history nerd

4. Sathnam Sanghera – British Colonialism And Its Legacy
Victoria Theatre, Nov 16, 3.30 to 4.30pm, $20

The best-selling British author of Empireworld (2024) discusses the lasting impacts of British colonialism in this conversation moderated by Singapore artist Shubigi Rao. For his book, Sathnam Sanghera travelled to India, Barbados, Mauritius and Nigeria to witness first-hand the continued reverberations of British rule. His prequel Empireland (2021) looked inwards at Britain and how it, too, has not escaped the reaches of its own “civilising mission”.

5. Writing As Resistance: Decolonising Historical Fantasy
Victoria Theatre, Nov 9, 1 to 2pm, Festival Pass

Tickets to fantasy darling Rebecca Kuang’s keynote address were snapped up within days of their release, but the American writer will also be having a chat with Singaporean author Amber Chen on how tales of dragons, in the hands of Asian women, can challenge received history. Kuang is the author of the Poppy War trilogy (2018 to 2020). Chen is in the midst of writing the best-selling Of Jade And Dragons series (2024 to present).

6. The Cholas And The Malayo-Sumatran World: A Thousand-Year Retrospective
Blue Room at The Arts House, Nov 16, 1.30 to 3pm, Festival Pass

Historian Anirudh Kanisetti and archaeologist Nasha Rodziadi Khaw present a series of mini lectures on how Indian monarch Rajendra I’s invasion of South-east Asia 1,000 years ago has shaped the region. Rajendra The Great was regent of the Chola Empire, representing the peak of Indian maritime influence before its wane in the 13th century.

For the foodie

7. The Salon With Marylyn Tan And F.H. Batacan
Brasserie Astoria at Victoria Theatre, Nov 13, noon to 2pm, $80

Lunch with Singapore Literature Prize winner Marylyn Tan and Philippine National Book Award-winning crime writer F.H. Batacan and hear their insights about writing and researching South-east Asian-centred fiction. 

8. The Salon With Balli Kaur Jaswal
Capella Singapore, Nov 13, 5 to 6.30pm, $40 

Sip drinks and nibble canapes at this small group session with local author Balli Kaur Jaswal, who will explore how humour can help writers and readers deal with heavy topics. 

9. A Feast Of Words & Flavours 
Various venues, $48

Buried in the depths of the programming is this delicious nugget, a series of five flavoursome meals cooked by the different dialect groups of the Chinese community. 

Family Legacy at Si Chuan Dou Hua (UOB Plaza) showcases the Hokkien dishes that are family favourites of chef and author Wee Wei Ling, whose grandfather founded United Overseas Bank. Poetry Of Handcrafted Hakka Food by well-known Singapore chef Pang Kok Keong at Square 2 foodcourt is dedicated to the more homely dish of yong tau foo.  

Man Fu Yuan Cantonese Restaurant will host a throwback menu, A Taste Of 1920s Hong Kong. Curated by legendary Hong Kong chef Peter Tsang and executive chef Aaron Tan, this is focused on traditional Cantonese cuisine.

A Love Letter To Hainanese Cooking at Pearl Hill Garden brings together master chef Pung Lu Tin and poet Aw Seow Pooi in a menu of heritage dishes, including Grandpa’s Mutton Soup and Mom’s Braised Pork Belly.

Last but not least, chef Dylan Ong will present traditional dishes with a twist in Ode To The Teochew Tradition at Choon Hoy Parlour. 

For the poetry-curious

10. Experience The Quiet Ear With Raymond Antrobus
Discovery Room at Asian Civilisations Museum, Nov 16, 3 to 4pm, Festival Pass

“I live with the aid of deafness. Like poetry, it has given me an art, a history, a culture and a tradition to live through,” writes British poet Raymond Antrobus in The Quiet Ear (2025), a memoiristic investigation into his relationship with sounds. In this session with Singapore Sign Language (interpretation available), meet the Ted Hughes Award-winning poet as he discusses the role of silence in art and life.

11. Festival Keynote Talk: Pooja Nansi – We Already Live Inside Poems (Whether You Read Them Or Not)
Play Den at The Arts House, Nov 15, 11am to noon, Festival Pass

Whether you are a reader who has nursed a lifelong suspicion of poetry or an ardent defender of the genre, this talk is for you. Former SWF director and poet Pooja Nansi makes the case that poetry is not what you do on the page, but a living practice that everyone, whether they know it or not, is always engaged in. Take along an unconvinced friend.

12. Kim Yideum – Feminism And The Female Voice In Korean Literature
Blue Room at The Arts House, Nov 9, 4 to 5pm, Festival Pass

How can feminist poetics challenge patriarchal norms in South Korea? South Korean writer Kim Yideum – who received her PhD with a dissertation on Korean feminist poetics – unpacks the topic in a conversation moderated by Ms Hwang Yuree, founder of Korean bookstore bommoi in Singapore.

Kim, the award-winning author of poetry collections like Hysteria (2019) and the owner of a bookstore cafe in Ilsan, is known for her provocative exploration of gender and the body in her poems.

Family-friendly picks 

13. Live Drawing Battle With Christopher Boyd, Chloe Chang And Ong Chao Hong

Play Den at The Arts House, Nov 8, 10 to 11.30am, $10

Join the teams of French artist Christopher Boyd and Singapore illustrators Chloe Chang and Ong Chao Hong as they battle it out in a game of sketching and wits. This session is for children aged seven and above. 

14. Fantastical Stories I Can Tell 
National Gallery Singapore, Nov 9, 10.30am to 11am, 1.30 to 2pm, 3.30 to 4pm, free

Encourage kids aged between three and five to exercise their imagination at these sessions. Singapore authors Maria Mahat and Rachelyn Gordon will facilitate the sessions, where kids can look at objects for inspiration and learn to spin stories. 

15. Power Up! (for 18 to 36 months old)

The Arts House, Nov 15, 1 to 2pm, $15 

Power Up! (for four to six years old)

The Arts House, Nov 16, 11am to 12pm, $15

Parents with toddlers and older children can pop into these sessions by Singapore theatre group Zip Zap Zoom Collective. Solar the sun and Luna the moon visit earth and discover new energy in music and dancing. The theatre piece is followed by a crafting session. 

Book It/Singapore Writers Festival

Where: Various locations
When: Nov 7 to 16, various timings
Admission: Free and ticketed. Eligible for Culture Pass credits
Info:

www.singaporewritersfestival.com