Five programmes to look out for at Singapore Writers Festival 2023
The festival’s 26th edition, themed ‘Plot Twist’, features over 200 programmes with 250 local and international presenters.
Over 200 in-person programmes, featuring local and international presenters, will be held at this year’s Singapore Writers Festival from Nov 17 to 26.
The festival, themed Plot Twist, is presented by Arts House Limited (AHL) and commissioned by the National Arts Council (NAC).
This year’s lineup boasts not only writers – but musicians, competitive fighters and content creators as well.
Here are five things to look out for at Singapore Writers Festival 2023:
1. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip hop music
A special programme, titled 50 Years of Bars, Flows and Beats, will feature conversations and performances from music critics, rappers, musicians and cultural historians, in conjunction with hip hop’s 50th anniversary.
Highlights include We Never Thought Hip Hop Would Bring It This Far, a free Singapore Writers Festival one-time exclusive where five writers share their favourite hip hop songs and must-reads alongside a live DJ, showing the close relation between hip hop and literature.
2. Uncovering hidden stories through a walking tour
Walking Tours through Lost Singapore will take participants on two routes – the “haunted” paths of Bukit Brown and the lost cinemas of Chinatown.
Participants will learn about the plot twists that are invisible in our city, through the eyes of researchers and historians who know these places inside out.
Priced at $30 per person, each walking tour will span an hour and 15 minutes.
3. Speakers bluffing their way through a presentation they have never seen before
With a total of five minutes and 10 unseen PowerPoint slides each, how will presenters Joses Ho – poet, pro-wrestler and scientist; Andeasyand – writer and illustrator; Nessa Anwar – writer, director, producer, actor; Jean Seizure – singer-songwriter and content creator; and Lauren Ho – writer, reformed legal counsel, fare in Bubble Bubble, Toil and Battle: A Powerpoint Karaoke?
Only visitors with a Festival Pass may sit in on this “battle of wits and charm”.
4. Family-friendly, educational activities
Parents and young children can enjoy a range of programmes under SWF Playground.
Visitors can look forward to Spoiler Alert, which features three authors sharing their favourite plot twists; and Jiggle Like A Jellyfish!, an interactive music and movement session by Katherine Wallace, filled with songs and dance that take children on an underwater adventure.
5. Insights from professional fighters
Blood, Sweat, and Tears: Writing the Combat Sports Narrative features athletes Royston Wee, Singapore’s first Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter; Amanda Chan, World Boxing Council Asia Featherweight Champion; and Jed Foo, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion who lives with an eye disorder.
They will dish on “narratives of triumph and loss, and the unexpected affinities between martial arts and the literary arts in a pragmatic nation like Singapore”.
Singapore Writers Festival’s main festival ground is wheelchair-friendly and assistance dog-friendly, while sign language interpreters and note-taking services can be arranged upon request.
Interested visitors may opt to purchase a Festival Pass for access to all programmes. Early bird purchase for a Festival Pass is priced at $24, and is on sale from now to Oct 25, 10am on the Singapore Writers Festival website.
SWF Youth Passes are also available now at an early bird rate of $12 – it allows access to all Festival Pass events, but with the exception of content advisories.
