What possibilities might there have been for queer community and love in 1915 Singapore? Follow author O Thiam Chin into the cinematic world of Like the Sun in Your Hand, a coming-of-age novel that imagines the lives of those who came before us. Moderated by nor, this intimate book conversation at Proud Spaces will explore the art of using fiction to carve a space for the lives of those at the margins of official history.

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About the Book:
In 1915 Singapore, four young people discover the first stirrings of desire amid the rigid social conventions of their time. Hock Chuan, a restless seventeen-year-old exploring his sexuality; Eng Kiat, a newly arrived immigrant labouring as a coolie; Kok Heng, picking up the skills of a sinseh in Chinatown; and Kim Lian, a feisty young woman yearning for a different, better life.

As their paths converge, they grapple with love, longing and heartbreak. Bold yet tender, Like the Sun in Your Hand is a sweeping tale of self-discovery, resilience, and the courage to shape one’s destiny while searching for a place to belong.

About the Speakers:
O Thiam Chin is the author of five novels and seven story collections, including A Thing of Fun. Love, or Something Like Love, was shortlisted for the 2014 Singapore Literature Prize and translated into Chinese as《我們稱之為愛的那些事》. His short fiction has appeared in Granta, The Cincinnati Review, Washington Square Review, Mānoa, The Brooklyn Rail and World Literature Today.

nor (they/them) is a multidisciplinary artist whose works situate identity and community within speculative timelines through frameworks of gender performance, ethnographic portraits and transnational histories. nor is the author of homesick (Ethos Books, 2025) and Ginsberg, sing me a jiwang song (AFTERIMAGE, 2025), co-editor of The Missing Anthology: Stories from Singapore’s Sex Workers (2025) and principal author of SQ21: Singapore Queer Families in the 21st Century (2026)