Asian
Books Blog is based in Singapore. Lion City Lit explores what’s going on in the
City-State, lit-wise. Here Jo Furniss introduces Swag, the new online literary magazine
she's launching. Its events calendar, which brings all relevant listings together in one convenient place, is already live, and is packed with ideas. From
January, the quarterly journal will feature author interviews and new writing.
So:
over to Jo…
A
few months ago, I was stomping around the arts district, kicking the plinth of Raffles’ famous statue, and grumbling that I had missed a really interesting workshop with a
famous author. Why do I never hear about these things? Why isn’t there a source
of information, a magazine or something, which covers all the various literary
events?
Raffles
folded his arms and looked smug. Can’t you think of anyone, he asked, who could
put together an online magazine dedicated to literary events in Singapore?
Maybe someone who’s a writer and a journalist, whose children have now started
school affording her more time to make something happen? Can’t you knuckle down
like everyone else in this industrious city?
He
had a point, even if his tone somewhat condescended to a lady. An online events
calendar that incorporates all the disparate venues and groups - workshops,
courses, readings, book launches, submission opportunities etc. - could benefit
the writing community. While a quarterly magazine would allow me to potter
about and speak to interesting people. In a former life, I worked as a radio
journalist in the UK; I could even dust off my old BBC microphone and podcast
my interviews.
I
am a member of the Singapore Writers Group. My fellow members were supportive of my idea,
funding the new website and providing a co-founder in the form of Mickey Lin, a
screenwriter who brings a contrasting voice and perspective to the proceedings.
We devised a format, and together we planned the first quarterly edition for
January. Another team member, Swati Joshi, took the helm of the events calendar.
The
name Swag came to mind partly as a grateful nod to the Singapore Writers
Group, and also because I liked the idea of literary loot: the magazine would be
a curious collection of our begged, stolen and borrowed riches; each quarter,
we would delve into the depths of our swag bag and see which gems shone the
brightest.
The
first edition is all about beginnings. As well as interviews with two very
different Singapore-focused writers, we have an in-depth feature on three ways
to get started in publishing. There’s a review of books with a Singaporean
interest and a 2016 forecast from local publishers - hopefully, someone is
looking for a novel exactly like the one I have in my bottom drawer. Or maybe
the anthology in your bottom drawer.
We
are also running new fiction: submissions are open to all. See the website for
full details, but we’re looking to receive stories of up to 4,000 words before
the end of December. Likewise, do let us know what we should cover - events and
editorial. If you want to write an article, all the better.
