Events
The inaugural Queer Lit Festival brings together local publishers and authors to showcase queer literature in Singapore, from underrepresented voices to exciting new releases.
Explore a diverse range of titles, connect with everything from publishers and queer authors, to queer libraries & inclusive magazines and discover the latest in queer storytelling locally.
Booths will include:
- Sea Breeze Books | 海風書屋
- AFTERIMAGE Press
- Faction Press
- Rainbow Lapis Press
- Kozue & T. Shuxia
- Pelangi Pride Centre
- The Other Book Club
- Grey Projects & Dakota Press
- The Necessary Stage
We are also introducing Calm Hour, a low-stimulation time reserved for individuals with disabilities and sensory needs, offering a quieter, accessible environment.
Programme
- 11:00 – 12:00 : Calm Hour
- 12:00 onwards : Open to All Attendees
- 13:00 – 13:45 : On Queer Publishing Overseas: From Singapore to the World
- 14:00 – 14:30 : Poetry Writing with Ng Yi-Sheng
- 14:45 – 15:30 : On Publishing Under-Represented Queer Stories in Singapore – The Missing Anthology
- 15:30 – 16:00 : Poetry Writing with Ng Yi-Sheng
- 16:15 – 17:00 : On Queer Poetry & Anthologies: The Importance of Queer Poetry in Singapore
- 18:00 : End of Festival
Click Here to Register
Our Panels
On Queer Publishing Overseas: From Singapore to the World
Join Jason Wee and Cyril Wong in this panel where they talk about how they first got published in Singapore, and then spread their wings abroad as queer authors. Find out the differences between local publishing and the international scene.
Cyril will also share a little about his latest book, “This Is How We Come Back”, and what inspired him to pen this new poetry collection and publish it with Rosetta Cultures.
Dr Cyril Wong (he/him)
Cyril Wong has been described by The Oxford Companion to Modern Poetry in English as a confessional poet, based mainly on “a barely submerged anxiety over the fragility of human connection and a relentless self-querying.” A two-time recipient of the Singapore Literature Prize (2006 and 2016) and the National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award for Literature (2005), he completed his doctoral degree in English Literature at the National University of Singapore in 2012.
Jason Wee (he/him)
Jason Wee is an artist and a writer. His art is recently seen in the Changwon Biennale, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Art and Ames Yavuz Gallery Singapore. He is an Asymmetry Foundation Scholar in Goldsmiths College London. He founded and runs Grey Projects, an artist library and discursive space in Singapore.
He’s the author of four poetry books, most recently the Singapore Literature Prize finalist From A (Undesirable) Diary (Temporary Press) and the Gaudy Boy Poetry Prize finalist In Short, Future Now (Sternberg Press).
On Publishing Under-Represented Queer Stories in Singapore – How We Became a Voice for the Voiceless
Join Karisa (SingLit Station), Nor (Project X) and Mai as they talk about how “The Missing Anthology: Stories from Singapore’s Sex Workers” was conceptualised. A much needed voice for those who’ve traditionally been vilified, hear about how they managed to get this important book written and printed under Faction Press.
Listen to the stories of queer sex workers without the objectification from mainstream media.
nor (they/them)
From Mondays to Fridays, nor is the Programmes Manager at Project X. Their favourite part of working at Project X is being able to experience the generosity shown by sex workers in telling their stories. On weekends, nor is a multidisciplinary artist, poet and 1/6th of the Studio Ong collective.
Mai (they/them)
Mai is a queer neurodivergent sex worker who loves bothering their cat by inhaling and kissing their cat. Mai wishes to share their life experiences and advice through accessible language rather than “big fancy words” to seem intelligent. When they are not talking about their life experiences on their writing blog, Mai fictionalises real-life events to challenge their creativity and scribbles the short story into their notebook.
Karisa (She/They/He)
Programmes Manager, Sing Lit Station
Karisa Poedjirahardjo is an arts organiser and serial hobbyist. As the Programmes Manager at Sing Lit Station, they manage community outreach, writer development, and fundraising initiatives. Outside of work, they volunteer with civil society groups and juggle three obsessions: board games, pottery, and knitting.
On Queer Poetry & Anthologies: The Importance of Queer Poetry in Singapore
Join Daryl Yam as he speaks with ArunDitha and Zeha about their new poetry collection. Discover how they decided to release a book of poems together and why queer voices in poetry are important.
The poets will do a short reading if time permits.
ArunDitha (she/her)
Poet/Performer
ArunDitha is a Eurasian and South Asian diaspora poet, singer, actor, educator and movement artist, born and intentionally based in Singapore. She is frontwoman for the band Mantravine and founding co-organiser at Opens, a para-academic forum which catalyses alternative discourse. ArunDitha’s work has been published and performed widely— from Penguin Random House (India) to Guernica Mag (U.S.), from the Barcelona International Poetry Festival to Wonderfruit (Thailand).
Zeha (they / them)
Zeha is a multi-disciplinary artist whose performance work centres around the relationships between family, queerness, ethnicity, familiarity and reconciliation. They enjoy the malleability of language and construct / deconstruct the Malay and English languages to paint soundscapes and conjure microscopic imagery. Their first book of poems is rib/cage: ALLTHETIME 01.
Daryl Qilin Yam (he / him)
Daryl is a writer, editor and arts organiser from Singapore. Shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize and nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award, he is the author of two novels, a novella and the bestselling short story collection Be Your Own Bae (2024). He co-founded the literary charity Sing Lit Station, where he presently serves as the managing editor of its publishing arm AFTERIMAGE.