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SWF 2026’s Hidden In Plain Sight could explore crime fiction, memoirs, medical writing, journalism
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Singapore Writers Festival director Yong Shu Hoong's debut festival was in 2024 and he has just concluded the 2025 edition, which some have described as feeling more "buzzy".
PHOTO: DANIEL SIM
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- SWF 2026's theme, Hidden In Plain Sight, will explore crime fiction, medical writing and journalism, focusing on truth and perspectives in the "Donald Trump era".
- Festival director Yong Shu Hoong aims to expand literary boundaries and engage new audiences, following positive feedback from SWF 2025, which felt more "buzzy".
- Outreach efforts continue with poetry workshops for seniors and migrant worker involvement, plus AI translation to break language barriers at SWF.
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SINGAPORE – The theme for Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) 2026 is Hidden In Plain Sight, through which poet and festival director Yong Shu Hoong wants to explore crime fiction, medical writing and possibly even journalism.
Fresh from successfully navigating the pressures of the SG60 milestone year, Yong tells The Straits Times that he now has greater freedom to keep expanding notions of writing and court new audiences.
