About

The aim of this blog is to create a greater sense of a public conversation in Singapore English-language literature (including translations) by listing and linking to all poems, short fiction, plays, books, and literary non-fiction* published by Singapore writers–either locally or in foreign venues–on an ongoing basis. If you know of a work (whether your own or someone else’s) that appeared this year, or is about to appear, leave a comment on this post and it will receive a listing. Please spread this call to people who you think would take an interest in it.

All comments should follow this format:

Genre of work(s): e.g. Short fiction (novel excerpt)
Nature of publication: e.g. Literary magazine
Is this work a reprint? / Are any of these works reprints, and if so, which?: e.g. No
Name of author: e.g. David Foster Wallace
(Name of translator: [where applicable])
Title of work(s): e.g. “Wiggle Room”
Name of publication: e.g. The New Yorker
Date of publication: e.g. March 2009
Hyperlink**: e.g. http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/features/2009/03/09/090309fi_fiction_wallace

Note that work published in QLRS need not be submitted. It comes out regularly in discrete, date-stamped issues, and is thus easy to track; it will be added to the list as a matter of course. Softblow, on the other hand, has no issues as such and no fixed schedule, so help would be welcome in that area.

*”Literary non-fiction” includes non-fiction that is itself of a literary nature as well as non-fiction concerning itself with works of literature. Work by Singapore writers and work addressing Singapore literature are equally welcome. Along with the title of the piece of non-fiction and the name of its author, please mention also the title and author of the work that is being addressed, if any.

**This should be a link to the work itself, if available, or to the page listing the contents of the publication. Failing this, a link to the main page of the publication will suffice.

FAQ

Q. Who counts as a “Singapore writer”?

A. Anyone who was born here, raised here, or who otherwise has a sufficient connection to Singapore that she would in good conscience describe her work as “Singapore literature”. In essence: if you think you are one, you probably are. In classifying authors, I have made educated guesses based on available biographical information. Authors who disagree with those guesses should leave a comment on this page; their wishes will be respected unless patently unreasonable.

Q. Are works in translation eligible?

A. Yes, so long as they have been translated either from or into English. Please note the destination language in your comment.

Q. Do chapbooks count as books?

A. Yes.

Q. What counts as a reprint?

A. A work counts as a reprint only if it has been previously published in a form at least as complete as its current form. Thus, a multi-part poem which has had only some of its sections excerpted in the past would not need to be flagged as a reprint.

Q. Will you list prizes received by Singapore writers?

A. Yes, if and only if the prize was awarded for a specific body of work which is consequently made available in print or online–in other words, if the prize leads to publication in some sense. The Golden Point Award, for instance, would count; the Cultural Medallion would not.

Q. What about stories or books with a visual component, e.g. comics?

A. Those will be treated as a form of short fiction or novel (as appropriate) and listed accordingly, accompanied by a clarifying note.

Q. Is the listing selective?

A. Yes and no. I will not make any aesthetic judgments in compiling the list; no work will be omitted from the listing on the basis that I don’t think much of it. (Indeed, much of what I currently list would not be here if I followed that principle.) However, if I see reason to believe that the publisher is a vanity press or company offering self-publishing services, for instance, I may decline to list it at my discretion.

Q. Who compiles this list?

A. I do. But that isn’t very important, or shouldn’t be.