Brace yourself and get ready to gasp as this year’s Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) will be brimming with surprises. From unpacking familiar genres and themes through new and unconventional lenses, to tracing unlikely connections between topics and disciplines, festivalgoers may choose from an eclectic array of close to 200 in-person programs featuring about 250 local and international presenters—best experienced with curiosity and an open mind. 

While holding on to the key literary pillars of the festival with programming entrenched in literary traditions and beloved SWF signature series, such as the Literary Pioneer series, Southeast Asian Focus, Youth Fringe, and SWF Playground, SWF 2023 sets the stage for unlikely combinations and connections, expanding the possibilities of the written and spoken word. This edition also shines a special spotlight on Asian-American authors.

Festival director Pooja Nansi will return to helm SWF this year for the fifth and final time, making her the longest-serving festival director. “With most of my tenure spent navigating unprecedented changes due to the pandemic, my time as festival director has been atypical to say the least,” she reflects. “Throughout the challenges and bouts of uncertainty, I have been inspired by how the festival team and the wider literary community have continued to show up year after year, be it virtually, physically, or both. I thought it would be apt to conclude my chapter as festival director with the theme, Plot Twist, which shows our emboldened spirit as we become more daring with the areas of interests and conversations that the festival engages with. By expanding the playing field of what the festival addresses, we hope more audiences can find a common ground with the literary arts, in all its diverse and multilingual forms.” 

In line with its spirit of diversity and inclusivity, SWF continues to make every effort to ensure that its events are as accessible as possible. The main festival ground is wheelchair-friendly and assistance dog-friendly while sign language interpreters and note-taking services can be arranged upon request. Across the hundreds of programs taking place, festivalgoers may contact the festival team to request access support. 

Watch out for curveballs with this year’s lineup of festival commissions and multidisciplinary programs that go beyond the expected genres at a literary festival. Key highlights include 50 Years of Bars, Flows, and Beats, a special lineup of programs in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of hip hop featuring music critics, rappers, musicians, and cultural historians in programs ranging from conversations to performances that celebrate the iconic genre and culture while illuminating how hip hop and literature are intimately intertwined. 

Turn up the heat and bust the rhymes with We Never Thought Hip Hop Would Bring It This Far, an SWF one-time exclusive where five writers spit surefire reads and vibe with a live DJ on decks in response to their favorite hip hop song from each decade. Under the SWF’s In A Tiny Room series, spend an evening with iconic hip hop historian Jeff Chang, whose 2005 book Can’t Stop Won’t Stop won the Before Columbus Foundation’s American Book Award. Start them young with Fresh Raps: Create Your Own Hip-Hop Alter Ego with BGourd, where kids will meet with Singapore’s very own herbaceous hip hop sensation and find themselves spitting juicy raps to crunchy rhythms. Those looking for an entertaining way to clock in some steps can join in Walking Tours through Lost Singapore that explore seemingly familiar and lesser-known places in Singapore. This commission will take participants on routes such as Bukit Brown and Lost Cinemas through responses from writers and the eyes of researchers and historians who know these places inside out. 

In favor of spontaneity and surprises, sign up for a program with no description. Unexpected Pairings is a wildcard program with one secret topic, two mystery writers, and zero guarantee of how the program will turn out. Festivalgoers can expect to be entertained up to the very end with unique closing programs guaranteed to end this year’s SWF with a bang. Be serenaded by writers with songs you least expect them to love at the Festival Community Karaoke, and as the title suggests, be sure to sing along as the tunes draw SWF to a melodic close. Wrap things up with Festival Closing Reading: An Unlikely Beginning, for a final reading, which will leave loose ends untied and stones unturned for an alternative ending.

Favorite programs have also been given a refreshing revamp in both format and content. This year’s Literary Pioneer Exhibition spotlights the late Goh Poh Seng, a poet, dramatist, novelist, and visionary ahead of his time. He is known as one of the pioneering figures of the local arts and culture scene, from his involvement in the building of some of Singapore’s best known national arts companies to being the first writer to introduce Singlish to the stage with his play When the Smiles Are Done. A Cultural Medallion recipient, Goh’s works and contributions have been widely celebrated. To put a spin on how Goh has already been commemorated in the past, SWF focuses on Goh’s rebel spirit, which had served as the fuel to his groundbreaking legacy. Titled Tell Bowie He’s Only A Rock Star. I, However, Am A Poet, the Literary Pioneer Exhibition has kicked off ahead of the festival opening for the first time. It is now touring various neighborhoods. 

Festivalgoers can also look out for programs happening in conjunction with the Literary Pioneer Exhibition, such as There’s No Cause for Grief: Reading Goh Poh Seng in 2023, which reimagines Goh’s club from the 1980s called Bistro Toulouse-Lautrec and features contemporary performances interpreting Goh’s unpublished poems by poets Ang Kia Yee, Cyril Wong, and Zeha alongside musicians led by pianist, organist, and composer Chok Kerong.

These are just a few of the twists and turns you can’t miss out on at this year’s SWF, an unconventional edition happening from Nov. 17 to 26. Enjoy 20 percent Early Bird Savings if you make your buy your festival pass on or before Oct. 25. www.singaporewritersfestival.com