Embark on a literary journey with Poems on the MRT, an initiative by the National Arts Council in partnership with SMRT and Stellar Ace, brought to life by Sing Lit Station. From 1 November 2024, Singapore poetry will take over the MRT network, integrating local literature into the daily experience of commuters.
Produced by local literary non-profit organisation Sing Lit Station (SLS), Poems on the MRT aims to inspire appreciation for Sing Lit and local literary talent by spotlighting a diverse array of local poets and poems. The initiative will feature excerpts from more than 100 Sing Lit poems in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil in trains on the East-West, North-South and Circle Lines; a special concept train that is fully dressed in an eye-catching train wrap; animated videos created by local artists; and video interviews with local poets sharing their inspirations and more in stations and on trains – offering a multilingual literary experience that celebrates the city’s cultural diversity.
The selection of poems is the result of prominent voices from the literary community coming together with Sing Lit Station to co-curate beautiful, uplifting, and contemplative excerpts of Singapore poetry. The team consisted of A. Inbha, Annaliza Bakri, Farihan Bahron, Joshua Ip, Noridah Kamari, Paul Tan, TrendLit Publishing, Yeow Kai Chai and Zhou Decheng, with special thanks to K. Kanagalatha who provided guidance and advice during the curation process. The works showcase Singapore’s diverse literary heritage across generations and poetic styles, from Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Award recipients to emerging writers.
Through English translations that are displayed alongside Chinese, Malay and Tamil poems, the beauty of Sing Lit and its multilingual facets can be enjoyed by all members of the public. Translations were done by Alfian Sa’at, Annaliza Bakri, Irawan Gani, Joshua Ip, Shelly Bryant and Sulosana Karthigasu, who provided their expertise in ensuring the accessibility of the translated language while maintaining the essence of the original poems. The full list of poems and translations are available at go.gov.sg/potm, and commuters can easily access them by scanning the QR codes on train panels.
When: 1 Nov 2024 - 30 Oct 2025,
By: National Arts Council (NAC)
