Lion City lit notes: upcoming events in early June 2017

Asian Books Blog is based in Singapore – the Lion City. Lucía Damacela keeps an eye on local listings. Here she offers a  sample of literary events taking place in Singapore in the days ahead.

Book launch: William Farquhar & Singapore: Stepping out from Raffles' Shadow by Dr Nadia H. Wright 
Date: June 3 2017 
Time: 2:30 p.m. 
Place: Penang Conference Hall 1, Penang Institute, 10 Jalan Brown George Town, Pulau Pinang 10350, Malaysia 
Transport: Air ticket to Penang 
Price: Free admission with previous registration at Eventbrite.

Albeit not happening in Singapore, this event is relevant for Singapore history buffs. In a book published by Amassia Publishing, Dr Nadia H. Wright – Author of William Farquhar and Singapore, dissects the claim made by Major General William Farquhar, that he was largely responsible for Singapore’s rapid development and commercial success. Dr. Wright re-examines both East India Company records and contemporary material. That research reveals, she asserts, new and surprising insights into the contribution of Raffles and Farquhar to the founding and development of Singapore.

Dato’ Dr Anwar Fazal, Chairperson of Think City and Director of Right Livelihood College will launch the book. A forum panel will follow, with Dr Wright, and Dr Ooi Kee Beng, Executive Director of Penang Institute. The forum will be moderated by writer, editor and book seller Gareth Richards. Additional information about this event at the Penang Institute.

 
Eight Singapore writers under 30 speak about the local literary scene
Date: June 3 and 4 2017 
Time: June 3 at 11 a.m. to June 4 at 7 p.m. 
Place: Pedder on Scotts, Scotts Square, Level 2, 6 Scotts Road, Singapore 228209 Transport: Orchard MRT 
Price: Free admission.

Indepent bookstore BooksActually hosts four panels, moderated by poets Joshua Ip and Cyril Wong, which focus on the writer’s experience, musical muses, what to write (and not) about, and women in literature.

Featured writers are Pamela Seong Koon, Ang Shuang, Crispin Rodrigues, Dustin Wong, Natalie Wang, Min Lim, Wern Hao, and Werner Kho. More information available in their Facebook event page.
 
Book launch: Living with Myths in Singapore edited by Loh Kah Seng
Date: June 9 2017Time: 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. 
Place: The Chamber, The Arts House. 1 Old Parliament Lane Singapore, Singapore 179429 
Transport: City Hall MRT
Price: Free admission – need to register in advance at Eventbrite.

The book Living with Myths in Singapore brings together essays from the presenters of the "Living with Myths" series in this Ethos books publication edited by Loh Kah Seng, Thum Ping Tjin, and Jack Meng-Tat Chia. A panel of academics and activists will discuss the book, and answer questions from the public. Some of the authors of the chapters will also be present to take questions. Participating panelists are: Prof Michael M.J. Fischer, Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities and Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Dr Stephanie Chok, labour migration researcher; Lisa Li, writer, educator and community worker. The chair is Prof Kevin Y.L. Tan, constitutional law scholar and legal historian.