Singapore Writers' Festival Director Yong Shu Hoong (Daniel Sim)

The 27th edition of the Singapore Writers Festival kicks off this weekend, inviting audiences to explore the theme “In Our Nature.”

Running from Friday through Nov. 17, this year’s festival will be held across venues throughout Singapore, offering over 200 programs that delve into humanity’s relationship with the natural world.

For Yong Shu Hoong, the newly appointed festival director, poet and educator with a background in computer science, this theme took shape during his walks during the pandemic.

"During the worst days of the pandemic, when we were in lockdown, I rediscovered the joys of being in nature and the healing power it provides, especially during times of fear and uncertainty," Hoong said in an interview with The Korea Herald last week.

"I walked regularly along Singapore’s park connectors, nature reserves and public gardens, not only for exercise but also a sense of freedom in the open. It must have been during that time that the seeds were planted in my head about our connection with nature."

The director noted that the phrase has a double meaning, inviting us to take a step back and contemplate what’s truly "in our nature" -- as humans, as writers and readers, as global citizens -- navigating the world we live in.

Previous edition of the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF)

Over 200 programs are spread over two festival weekends, featuring two tracks of discussions: one focused on climate change and the environment, and the other on the human condition, exploring who we are as humans.

The Singapore Writers Festival has long celebrated the intersection of literature and cultural dialogue, and this year’s theme extends that mission by broadening the scope to include fields like science and technology.

Hoong brings his personality to the festival’s programming, drawn from his career in both poetry and computer science.

"What I bring to the table is perhaps this idea of having more serious nonfiction writers and academics in other fields beyond the humanities or cultural studies. I would like to include people who are writing about technology and science, and environmental studies which is applicable for this year's theme. Yet at the same time, they are also 'writers,'" said Hoong.

He added that while SWF has featured nonfiction and science writers in the past, this year it is launching Tech Talks to connect technology with literary arts.

An example, Hoong noted one of this year's headliners is American researcher Cat Bohannon, who holds a Ph.D. in the evolution of narrative and cognition from Columbia University.

Bohannon's 2023 book, "Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution," delves into the past 200 million years to explain the specific science behind the development of the female sex.

"So I'm hoping for more of that sort of interaction and intersection between science writing and creative writing, or creative writing and what is normally considered not literary, and whether that circle can be brought in a little bit closer so that we can communicate with one another."

From left, Booker Prize-winning novelist Shehan Karunatilaka, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gregory Pardlo and American researcher Cat Bohannon are set to attend this year's Singapore Writers' Festival (SWF)

The director expressed hope that visitors will embrace the spirit of exploration, venturing to discover new ideas and experiences that they might not encounter outside the festival.

Among notable speakers at this year's festival are Shehan Karunatilaka, the 2022 Booker Prize-winning novelist for "The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida" and 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gregory Pardlo.

Having started in 1986 and now organized by Arts House Limited, the Singapore Writers Festival is one of few multilingual literary festivals in the world, celebrating the written and spoken word in Singapore’s four official languages: English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil.

Clockwise from top left, Hwang Bo-reum, Baek Se-hee, Anton Hur, Choi Gyu-seok and Kwang Jin are set to attend this year's Singapore Writers' Festival (SWF)

Korea in focus

One of this year’s highlights is the Country Focus on Korea, bringing Korean literature, webtoons and translators to the forefront.

Hoong noted that the Korean Wave is vibrant in Singapore. Aside from food and fashion, literature has also been making an impact, even before Han Kang’s recent Nobel Prize win.

This year, the SWF features a more "popular" track with a lineup of three successful Korean authors: Hwang Bo-reum, author of "Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop," Baek Se-hee, author of the "I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki" series and Anton Hur, one of the most sought-after translators today, who recently debuted as a novelist with his English novel "Toward Eternity."

In addition, the K-Comics World Tour exhibition will showcase popular Korean webtoons along with two webtoon artists -- Choi Gyu-seok of "Hellbound" and Kwang Jin of "Itaewon Class" -- sharing their stories about their original webtoons which have been adapted into hit TV series.

The programs with Korean writers are scheduled for Nov. 16-17.