The buzz has begun for the 21st edition of Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) as the Advance Sales for its popular Festival Passes have been made available. With a series of programmes centred around the theme of 界 (jiè) – alluding to “the world(s) we live in” – SWF, which is one of the world’s few truly multi-lingual and multi-cultural literary festivals, invites audiences to reflect on what it means to be a citizen of the world through delving into a broad spectrum of topics including immigration, multi-culturalism, climate change, and the imagination of endless boundaries through augmented and virtual realities. Organised by the National Arts Council (NAC), SWF will be held in the Civic District from 2 to 11 November 2018.
Some topics include whether human autonomy exists in a digital age by German writer Miriam Meckel and a discussion on the state by the world by British poet Simon Armitage. The popular Festival Pass allows audiences entry into more than 100 events and access to a slate of programmes – from panel discussions and classroom series, to author dialogues and film screenings – at a discounted price of S$20 (20% off the full price) for a limited period only. As part of the Council’s efforts to provide everyone with opportunities to experience and appreciate literary arts, the Festival Pass is an easy, value-for-money entry point for festival-goers to meet a variety of fiction writers, poets, spoken-word performers, graphic novelists, philosophers and thought leaders from all over the world. Some authors you could meet with the Festival Pass include Edwin Thumboo (Singapore), Margaret Stohl (US), Xia Jia (China) and Paul French (UK).
界 (jiè), a Chinese character with multiple meanings, is commonly used to refer to the world we live in. It can also be used to express the idea of endless worlds ranging from an imagined dominion of one’s mind and virtual reality, to geographical and man-made boundaries. SWF remains a key platform to bring different communities together to revel in the realm of imagination and offer new insights into how stories shape the way we see ourselves and the identities we take on, which in turn helps us better understand our experiences in the world we live in.
More info on www.singaporewritersfestival.com and www.facebook.com/sgwritersfest
When: 2 - 11 Nov 2018,
By: Singapore Writers Festival (SWF)
