From Oct 3 to 5, Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) English department is hosting a conference on how literature crosses with other genres such as film and music. Most of the panels are academic fare, but the conference also features conversations with contemporary writers that are free for the public.
Singaporean writer Amanda Lee Koe - whose second novel was set against the backdrop of 20th-century cinema - will discuss desire, dissonance and disobedience in her work on Oct 3 at 7pm. Her newest book is
Sister Snake (2024), which received a five-star review in The Straits Times
.
Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng, best known for his Man Booker Prize-shortlisted novel The Garden Of Evening Mists (2012), will speak on Oct 4 at 2.30pm. Tan's novel, which follows the survivor of a brutal Japanese wartime camp in Malaya, was adapted into a 2019 historical drama film that was nominated for Best Feature Film at the 56th Golden Horse Awards the same year.
Graphic novelist Sonny Liew, who won three Eisner Awards for his genre-bending The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (2015), will speak on Oct 5 at 2.30pm.
His highly anticipated follow-up, Birdhead
, will be published in 2026.
On Oct 4, American writer Alice Lyons, who melds poetry and the visual arts in her work, will speak at 5.30pm. At 7.30pm, a poetry panel with poets Madeleine Lee, Angie Mazakis, John Whale and
Singapore Writers Festival
director Yong Shu Hoong will convene.
All talks will be held at the Creative Studio at the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Building in NTU. There will be refreshments and home-grown bookstore Book Bar will sell the Singapore titles.
Where: Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Building, NTU, 48 Nanyang Avenue
MRT: Pioneer
When: Oct 3 to 5, various timings
Admission: Free
Info:
str.sg/HBBQ
In Sanskrit, the word "rasa" refers to both taste and emotion. A new dining theatre experience in Dempsey attempts to evoke the dual meaning of the layered word by bringing together an evening of food, dance, music, storytelling and poetry.
For 90 minutes, experience how 12th-century Sanskrit poet Jayadeva's Ashtapadis - hymns of love, beauty and devotion composed in a series of eight couplets - can be reimagined through bharatanatyam, live Carnatic music as well as a curated menu.
Rasa's conceptualiser Darshini Govindaraju tells The Straits Times: "Each dish is paired to a scene from Jayadeva's 12th-century Ashtapadis, designed to echo emotions through flavour. For instance, a fiery ginger bite captures heartbreak, while cooling mint mirrors anticipation."
The tasting menu is vegetarian and curated by private chef Abbinash Santhanakrishnan in collaboration with Podi & Poriyal, a Michelin-selected vegetarian restaurant specialising in South Indian cuisine. Each seating can take up to 40 diners and you can use your $100 Culture Pass credits to offset the cost.
The production is created by independent Indian arts practitioners under Mandala Collective.
Where: Eat At My Kitchen, 01-01A, 8D Dempsey Road
MRT: Napier
When: Oct 11 and 12, 12.30 and 7.30pm
Admission: $150 for a mocktail package and $175 for a cocktail package
Info:
str.sg/waPbi
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and China, Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao and Qiu Zhai Art Studio have teamed up to present an exhibition celebrating Singaporean and Chinese artists.
On show at Museum of Contemporary Art at Tanjong Pagar Distripark are 368 works representing the best artists from the two countries. These include 88 works by Singaporean artists, featuring familiar names such as Cheong Soo Pieng, Liu Kang and Chua Mia Tee.
There are also 280 Chinese artists on show, including Wu Guanzhong, Xu Beihong and Liu Haisu.
The works on show are drawn from SPH Media's Chinese Media Group as well as the Qiu Zhai collection, assembled over four decades by Singaporean collector Chan Kok Hua.
Lianhe Zaobao previously partnered Qiu Zhai Art Studio to organise the exhibition, 100 Years Of Singapore Art, in 2023. This latest collaboration features about twice the number of artworks as the 2023 collaboration.