10 Events You Can’t Miss At Singapore Writers Festival 2024

Singapore Writers Festival 2024 events

The annual Singapore Writers’ Festival is nigh, running from 8 November to 17 November. The 2024 edition promises two weekends of literary events, from book launches to thought-provoking panels. This year’s theme, In Our Nature, examines the layered meaning of “nature” amidst our changing local and global climate, so expect many riveting discussions on our ecology, human nature, and beyond.

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If the Singapore Writers Festival 2024’s (SWF 2024) line-up of events is a tad overwhelming to you, we’ve cherry-picked 10 events you can’t miss this year.

1. How To Tell A Million Stories Before Grandma Dies

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The figure of the Asian grandmother has become quite a global cultural phenomenon this year, what with the touching Sean Wang film, Nai Nai & Wài Pó hitting streaming services this year, alongside the tearjerking Thai drama and No. 1 movie in Singapore, How To Tell A Million Stories Before Grandma Dies. 

If this cultural move has stuck with you, head down to “How To Tell A Million Stories Before Grandma Dies” on 8 November. This SWF 2024 panel, helmed by visual artist Dana Lam and authors Prasanthi Ram and Josephine Chia, examines how we can preserve grandmother stories in a rapidly advancing world. It might also inspire you to call grandma to tell her you love her afterwards.

Address: 1 Old Parliament Lane, The Arts House, Screening Room, Singapore 179429
Event dates: 8 November 2024
Event hours: 8:30pm to 9:30pm
Ticket prices: Festival pass required

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2. Boundless Creativity: The Art of Crafting Book Covers

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Have that fave fanfic you’d love to turn into a book? It’s time you learn the basics of bookbinding at this SWF 2024 masterclass. Guided by artisans from SPD Singapore, you’ll learn how to bind an A5 notebook from, scratch. It’s also a fun bestie’s date idea!

Address: 2 Peng Nguan Street, SPD Headquarters, Singapore 168955
Event dates: 9 November 2024
Event hours: 10am to 12:30pm
Ticket prices: $30

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3. Book Doctor

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Finding your next read can be tricky, so the Book Doctor is here to help. This roving pop-up at the National Library Building sees a book expert recommend you your next read based on a few guiding questions. For big mood readers or those going through a reading slump, this could be the perfect remedy.

Address: 100 Victoria Street, National Library, SG Alcove,  Singapore 188064
Event: All event dates and times
Ticket prices: Free

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4. Tech Talks: Exploring AI’s Impact on Literary Arts

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There’s much to unpack when it comes to generative AI’s continued impact on the arts and literary space, so this panel is your chance to hear from the pros. The discussion is chaired by Simon Chesterman, Vice Provost at NUS College and the Senior Director of AI Governance at AI Singapore—the man who quite literally wrote the book on regulating artificial intelligence. In the mix are two writers and experts, Daryl Lim Wei Jie, and Arianna Pozzuoli. 

Address: 1 Old Parliament Lane, The Arts House, The Blue Room, Singapore 179429
Event dates: 9 November 2024
Event hours: 4:30pm to 5:30pm
Ticket prices: Festival pass required

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5. Ghosts in the Machine: The Myths and Legends of the Assassin’s Creed Universe

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When it comes to top-notch game writing, the Assasin’s Creed universe sets the standard. Whether you’re a fan of the Ubisoft game series, or just interested in narrative design, this panel should prove interesting. Starring 3 stalwarts in the game writing space who have all worked on Assasin’s Creed, the panel explores how its writers balance mythological and historical elements with modern sensibilities.

Address: 1 Empress Place, Asian Civilisations Museum, River Room, Singapore 179555
Event dates: 10 November 2024
Event hours: 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Ticket prices: Festival pass required

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6. Escape From Shelter

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Fans of immersive tabletop roleplaying games and escape rooms have got to bookmark “Escape From Shelter”. Run by two local game studios, Curious Chimeras and Thorn & Key, “Escape From Shelter” is an immersive locked-room escape game that pulls from Chinese mythology and history. 

Here’s the synopsis: “In the middle of a raging war, you and your fellow villagers have sought refuge in a decrepit shrine – a momentary respite from the encroaching chaos outside. The ghosts residing in the shrine are now trying to communicate with you. What are these cryptic messages they’ve left behind, and why are they trying to help you escape?”

If that sounds right up your alley, grab 5 friends and sign up.

Address: 1 Empress Place, Asian Civilisations Museum, River Room, Singapore 179555
Event: All event dates and times
Ticket prices: $20

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7. Scared Silly: Exploring Southeast Asian Horror

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Ghost stories and horror as a genre are inextricably linked to Southeast Asian culture, because, let’s be real, we’ve got some of the best folkloric ghouls and monsters there are. Get your adrenaline rushing at this panel, which explores the region’s ties to horror. The conversation will be chaired by S.J. Huang, the author of The New Singapore Horror Collection, alongside 3 celebrated writers who dabble with the supernatural across their bibliographies. 

Address: 1 Empress Place, Asian Civilisations Museum, Ngee Ann Auditorium, Singapore 179555
Event dates: 10 November 2024
Event hours: 5pm to 6pm
Ticket prices: Festival pass required

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8. Careful, We Bite: Manifesting Girl Rage in a Supernatural World

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The recent years have seen criticism place a vested interest in the experience of being not a girl, not yet a woman. Discourse around girlhood is all the rage these days, and “Careful, We Bite” speaks to that wave with a fitting discussion around teenage female rage. Lock in as 3 local authors who have worked with young adult female characters and the supernatural share their insights on the topic.

Address: 1 Old Parliament Lane, The Arts House, The Blue Room, Singapore 179429
Event dates: 10 November 2024
Event hours: 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Ticket prices: Festival pass required

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9. Has #BookTok Ruined Reading?

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Whether you like it or not, #BookTok, has changed the literary space permanently. Critics lambast the social media movement as the breeding ground for toxic romance novels and performative reading, while many #BookTok advocates vouch that this readerly corner of TikTok is drawing more and more consumers to the bookstore. This panel seeks an answer to the provocative question: has #BookTok ruined reading?

Address: 1 Old Parliament Lane, The Arts House, Chamber, Singapore 179429
Event dates: 17 November 2024
Event hours: 3pm to 4pm
Ticket prices: Festival pass required

10. Conversations on Singaporean and Korean Literature

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Korean literature is undoubtedly a trend over the past few years—recall the buzz around Almond, Pachinko, The Vegetarian, I Want To Die But I Want To Eat Tteokpokki, and so on. Hosted by writers and translators who work across Singapore and Korea, this panel examines the literary Hallyu wave and how it is translated, alongside the role identity plays in translation.

Address:  1 Empress Place, Asian Civilisations Museum, River Room, Singapore 179555
Event dates: 16 November 2024
Event hours: 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Ticket prices: Festival pass required

What to expect at Singapore Writers Festival 2024 

These events are just the tip of the iceberg of what you can expect from the Singapore Writers Festival 2024.

You can check out the full SWF 2024 event calendar here, and purchase festival passes to events here.

Also read:

13 Things To Do In November 2024—From BLACKPINK Lisa’s Fanmeet To Award-Winning Musicals

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