Singapore Writers Festival 2026: Amitav Ghosh, Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Rachel Smythe among highlights

Running from Nov 13 to 22, this year's Singapore Writers Festival will feature more than 300 writers, speakers and moderators in over 200 programmes, including a new Crime & Mystery Spotlight, literary walks and multilingual events.

The Singapore Writers Festival 2026 marks Yong Shu Hoong's final edition as Festival Director. (Photo: Moonrise Studio, courtesy of Arts House Group)

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Writers, readers and lovers of the literary craft, rejoice: The Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) returns for its 29th edition from Nov 13 to 22. More than 300 writers, speakers and moderators will take part in over 200 programmes this year, spanning fiction, poetry, memoir, literary translation, crime writing, journalism and even documentary film.

Themed Hidden in Plain Sight, SWF 2026 will examine the stories, perspectives and lived experiences that can be overlooked, obscured or interpreted differently depending on who is doing the looking.

This year, award-winning author Amitav Ghosh, known for works including The Ibis Trilogy and The Glass Palace, will deliver a keynote examining how writers imagine the planet's future amid intensifying global crises.

He'll also join Singapore novelists Jemimah Wei and Balli Kaur Jaswal for What the Family Doesn't Say, a conversation about family secrets, migration, ambition and intergenerational history.

Fans of Mexican Gothic can also catch Canadian author Silvia Moreno-Garcia, whose keynote speech will explore truth, deception and artificiality, while American sociologist and MacArthur fellow Ruha Benjamin will examine hidden biases in the digital world in her talk.

Indonesian gender equality advocate Kamala Chandrakirana will speak about cultural memory and gender equality, while journalist Stephen Witt, author of The Thinking Machine, will discuss the rise of Nvidia and its chief executive Jensen Huang.

Other writers appearing include Malaysian Booker Prize-shortlisted novelist Tan Twan Eng, Lore Olympus creator Rachel Smythe, Chinese novelist Shuang Xuetao, Nevermoor author Jessica Townsend and Murder Most Unladylike writer Robin Stevens.

New to SWF this year is the Crime & Mystery Spotlight, a dedicated track with programmes spanning thrillers, true crime, horror and detective fiction.

These include Robin Stevens and Irish writer Louise Hegarty exploring the enduring legacy of the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie; Moreno-Garcia alongside Singapore writers Jean Tay and Ovidia Yu discussing crime fiction; and South Korean crime writer Seo Mi-ae, Singapore's Rueben Dass and Jocelyn Suarez discussing how they create compelling killers and predators on the page.

Amitav Ghosh is famous for his historical novels and non-fiction books that explore colonialism, human migration, and the global climate crisis. (Photo: Mathieu Genon)

SINGAPORE AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN STORIES TAKE CENTRE STAGE

Several Singapore writers will be appearing across the festival, including Wei, Jaswal, Pooja Nansi, Jeremy Tiang, Myle Yan Tay, Wen-yi Lee, Suffian Hakim and Daryl Qilin Yam.

SWF's SEA xChange track will again focus on Southeast Asian writing and ideas, with participants including Thai architect and writer Chatchavan Suwansawat and Filipino author Caris Avendano Cruz. Programmes will range from regional folklore and architecture to migration and journalism in the Malay world.

Guest curators Chan Cheow Thia, Muhammad Ilyia Kamsani and Neelakandan Sivanantham have shaped this year's Chinese, Malay and Tamil programmes, respectively.

Among the programmes is a coastal walk at West Coast Park led by Orang Laut SG founder Firdaus Sani that explores the histories of Singapore's Orang Laut and Orang Pulau communities; Mandarin literary walks through Yunnan Garden; a bilingual walk exploring Singapore's lost cinemas; a Tamil-language conversation with poet Yuvan Chandrasekar; and a dikir barat-infused play examining the tension between cultural heritage and the pressure for financial stability.

This year's SWF Homage also turns its attention to literary translation, examining how Singapore literature has moved between languages and travelled overseas from the 18th and early 19th centuries to today. It will include translation-focused programmes, an online microsite and a travelling public installation appearing at libraries and community spaces.

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PLENTY FOR YOUNGER BOOKWORMS

Younger readers aren't being left out. SWF Playground, aimed at children aged 12 and under, returns with several children's and young adult writers, including Jessica Townsend and Robin Stevens.

Other activities range from a live drawing battle and a comics workshop to Bring Your 'Chou Chou' Day!, where children aged four to six can turn their beloved soft toys and comfort objects into illustrated stories.

Meanwhile, the Youth Fringe gives those aged 13 to 25 opportunities to engage with literature and develop skills including curation and moderation. Its line-up includes Lore Olympus creator Rachel Smythe discussing how she reimagined Greek mythology for a digital generation.

Festival passes cost S$30, youth passes cost S$15, while individually ticketed programmes start from S$5.

A 20 per cent early-bird discount on passes and selected programmes runs from Sep 29 to Oct 18. Students, full-time National Servicemen and seniors aged 55 and above can receive a 20 per cent concession from Oct 19. SG Culture Pass credits can also be used for festival experiences.

More information is available on the official SWF website .

A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Just one a day.

今年的新加坡作家节将于 11 月 13 日至 22 日举行，届时将有 300 多位作家、演讲者和主持人参与 200 多个项目，其中包括全新的犯罪与悬疑专题、文学漫步和多语种活动。

2026年新加坡作家节是杨树虹担任作家节总监的最后一届。（图片：Moonrise Studio，由Arts House Group提供）

这段音频是由人工智能工具生成的。

作家、读者和文学爱好者们，欢呼吧！新加坡作家节（SWF）将于11月13日至22日举行第29届。今年将有超过300位作家、演讲者和主持人参与200多个项目，涵盖小说、诗歌、回忆录、文学翻译、犯罪小说、新闻报道，甚至纪录片等领域。

2026 年 SWF 以“隐藏在众目睽睽之下”为主题，将审视那些可能被忽视、被掩盖或因观察者不同而被解读的故事、观点和生活经历。

今年，以《朱鹭三部曲》和《玻璃宫殿》等作品而闻名的获奖作家阿米塔夫·戈什将发表主题演讲，探讨在全球危机日益加剧的情况下，作家们如何想象地球的未来。

他还将与新加坡小说家魏杰米玛和巴利·考尔·贾斯瓦尔一起参与“家族不为人知的故事”的讨论，探讨家族秘密、移民、抱负和代际历史。

墨西哥哥特式文学的爱好者还可以关注加拿大作家西尔维娅·莫雷诺-加西亚，她的主题演讲将探讨真相、欺骗和虚假；而美国社会学家、麦克阿瑟奖获得者鲁哈·本杰明将在她的演讲中探讨数字世界中隐藏的偏见。

印尼性别平等倡导者卡马拉·钱德拉基拉纳将谈论文化记忆与性别平等，而《思考机器》的作者、记者斯蒂芬·维特将讨论英伟达及其首席执行官黄仁勋的崛起。

其他参展作家包括马来西亚布克奖入围小说家陈团英、《奥林匹斯传说》作者瑞秋·史密斯、中国小说家雪涛、《永无岛》作者杰西卡·汤森德以及《淑女侦探》作者罗宾·史蒂文斯。

今年SWF新增了犯罪与悬疑专题单元，这是一个专门的单元，节目涵盖惊悚片、真实犯罪、恐怖片和侦探小说。

其中包括 Robin Stevens 和爱尔兰作家 Louise Hegarty 探讨“犯罪女王”阿加莎·克里斯蒂的持久遗产；Moreno-Garcia 与新加坡作家 Jean Tay 和 Ovidia Yu 一起讨论犯罪小说；以及韩国犯罪小说作家徐美爱、新加坡作家 Rueben Dass 和 Jocelyn Suarez 讨论他们如何在纸上塑造引人入胜的杀手和捕食者。

阿米塔夫·戈什以其探讨殖民主义、人口迁徙和全球气候危机的历史小说和非虚构作品而闻名。（图片：马修·热农）

新加坡和东南亚的故事成为焦点

多位新加坡作家将出席整个电影节，包括 Wei、Jaswal、Pooja Nansi、Jeremy Tiang、Myle Yan Tay、Wen-yi Lee、Suffian Hakim 和 Daryl Qilin Yam。

SWF的SEA xChange项目将再次聚焦东南亚的文学和思想，参与者包括泰国建筑师兼作家查查万·苏万萨瓦特（Chatchavan Suwansawat）和菲律宾作家卡里斯·阿文达诺·克鲁兹（Caris Avendano Cruz）。项目内容涵盖马来世界的民间传说、建筑、移民和新闻等主题。

客座策展人陈朝天、穆罕默德·伊利亚·卡姆萨尼和尼拉坎丹·西瓦南塔姆分别策划了今年的中文、马来文和泰米尔文展览。

这些活动包括：由 Orang Laut SG 创始人 Firdaus Sani 带领的西海岸公园海岸漫步，探索新加坡 Orang Laut 和 Orang Pulau 社区的历史；云南园的华语文学漫步；探索新加坡消失的电影院的双语漫步；与诗人 Yuvan Chandrasekar 的泰米尔语对话；以及一部融入 dikir barat 元素的戏剧，探讨文化遗产与经济稳定压力之间的紧张关系。

今年的新加坡文学节致敬活动也将目光投向文学翻译，探讨新加坡文学自18世纪和19世纪初至今如何在不同语言间传播并走向海外。活动将包括以翻译为主题的系列活动、一个线上微型网站以及一个将在图书馆和社区空间展出的巡回公共装置。

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非常适合年轻的书虫们

年龄较小的读者也不会被忽略。面向12岁及以下儿童的SWF Playground系列丛书回归，汇集了多位儿童和青少年作家的作品，包括杰西卡·汤森德和罗宾·史蒂文斯。

其他活动包括现场绘画比赛、漫画工作坊，以及“带上你的‘小可爱’日！”，在这一天，4 至 6 岁的儿童可以将他们心爱的毛绒玩具和安抚物变成图画故事。

与此同时，青年艺穗节为13至25岁的年轻人提供接触文学的机会，并培养包括策展和主持在内的各项技能。其活动阵容包括《奥林匹斯传说》的创作者瑞秋·史密斯，她将探讨如何为数字时代重新诠释希腊神话。

节日通票售价 30 新元，青少年通票售价 15 新元，而单独售票的节目单起价为 5 新元。

9月29日至10月18日期间，购买通票和指定节目可享20%的早鸟优惠。10月19日起，学生、全职国民服役人员和55岁及以上的长者可享受20%的优惠。SG文化通票积分也可用于体验各种节庆活动。

更多信息请访问SWF官方网站。

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