Opening of Singapore Writers' Festival 2025

1. Good evening.

   1. I am delighted to join you for the opening of this year’s Singapore Writers Festival or SWF.

   2. For almost 40 years, SWF has celebrated storytelling, imagination, and the power of words to shape our world.

   3. But first, let me thank all the participating writers this year, including many of you from all around the world, for helping to continue that tradition.

2. Literature gives voice to our hopes and dreams, and gives us our bearings in times of change.

   1. The literary arts help us see the world through the eyes of others and connect us across differences of language, culture and time.

   2. As a famous author once said, we read to know we are not alone.

   3. In a world shaped by rapid change and transformation, literature offers precious space to pause, to reflect, and to better understand one another, and imagine what lies ahead.

3. This year's theme is the "Shape of Things to Come".

   1. It invites audiences to explore how stories shape identity, reflects on how far we have come as a society, and how imagination can help us face the future with courage and creativity.

   2. The programming covers a wide range from speculative fiction to ideas such as architecture, design and digital storytelling.

   3. It is a reflection that even as the written word evolves, its power endures.

Honouring Our Literary Heritage

4. Literature bridges people across time, connecting the past with the present.

5. Since the early years of Singapore’s independence, a growing community of writers, editors and publishers has contributed to our nation-building.

   1. Their stories helped shape our unique Singapore identity and illuminated our shared experiences and aspirations as a society.

6. As we celebrate SG60, I am heartened that this year’s SWF introduces a special commemorative track – SG60 Homage.

   1. It pays tribute to the evolution of Singapore’s publishing history across our official languages – English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil.

   2. It celebrates the people who built the foundations of our literary landscape, and the movements and ideas that have enriched it over the past six decades.

Strengthening Our Sense of Self

7. A key defining pillar of our Singapore Story is multiculturalism.

   1. Fostering greater understanding between our communities is a critical part of building our shared Singapore identity.

   2. It makes for a more cohesive “We First” society and keeps us united and resilient in times of crisis.

   3. Our multiculturalism is a constant work-in-progress.

   4. It means expanding the common space for Singaporeans of different races, religions and languages to better appreciate one another’s heritage and cultural traditions.

8. SWF’s programming over the years has reflected this effort.

   1. I would like to commend SWF for your dedication to facilitating cross-cultural exchanges between our four official languages.

   2. This year, SWF is introducing simultaneous interpretation of Chinese, Malay, and Tamil programmes into English.

   3. This opens doors for more audiences to discover and appreciate the richness of each community’s literary traditions.

9. Taken together, it also reinforces the power of Singapore literature, or Sing Lit for short, to strengthen our sense of self as Singaporeans, and to build a more confident, cohesive and empathetic society.

   1. Today, over 30 literary publishers produce Sing Lit works in our four official languages.

   2. These works bear witness to the Singapore story and to our nation’s multicultural heritage. They help us learn more about ourselves and also about one another.

   3. We are proud that our Sing Lit writers and stories are increasingly recognised all around the world.

      1.  For example, Tiger Girls, a fantasy graphic novel by Felicia Low-Jimenez and Claire Low published by Difference Engine, has sold global English rights and are included on the 2025 White Ravens list.

      2. Jemimah Wei's debut The Original Daughter is a Good Morning America Book Club Pick and a New York Times Editors' Pick.

10. Most importantly is that Singaporeans too, love Sing Lit.

    1. In NLB’s 2024 National Reading Habits Survey, almost one in three adults polled said they read a Sing Lit book last year.

    2. The Government wants to encourage more Singaporeans to love Sing Lit.

    3. So that our shared identity can be further nurtured and strengthened.

11. I said previously that we are working to place Sing Lit on SG Culture pass, and I am happy to say that from 1 March 2026, SG Culture Pass credits can be used to purchase Sing Lit books.

    1. I know that many of you, have been looking forward to this. MCCY has been working closely with bookstores, publishers, and distributors, to roll this out.

    2. I hope SG Culture Pass will be a key catalyst to help Singaporeans love Sing Lit.

    3. Most of you must be wondering why 1st March and why not 1st November. I have to clarify that the purpose of the SG Culture Pass is to get you to go out there and try other things that you haven’t tried before, and not to use it for the things that you already intend to buy. The usage of the SG Culture Pass for Sing Lit was meant for other people who have not tried Sing Lit yet. For you guys, please go use it to watch a play or go to the theatre or otherwise.

12. Sing Lit, and more broadly the literary arts, can also help nurture a stronger community spirit.

    1. I am glad to see that this year’s edition of SWF widens its reach into the community and to different groups of audiences.

    2. For example, you are bringing literature closer to Singaporeans through pop-up activations and roadshows in the heartlands – engaging people where they live, learn and gather.

    3. I also enjoyed touring "Snippets of the Future," an inspiring youth-driven micro-fiction challenge that invites students aged 7 to 21 to imagine Singapore's future through speculative storytelling.

    4. There were no limits to their imagination. From flying hawker centres to AI kopitiam uncles, these short stories captured bold and imaginative visions of tomorrow. These stories show that our young writers have great creativity and curiosity – and these are qualities that will prepare them to take on the challenges of tomorrow and shape Singapore’s future.

Conclusion

13. As we open this year’s Festival, let us remember that every story begins with a spark, a question, a feeling, or a possibility.

    1. Together these stories shape how we see one another and how we imagine our future as people.

    2. I thank Festival Director Yong Shu Hoong and his team at Arts House Group for curating a diverse and thoughtful programme, as well as all partners, sponsors, and curators for bringing it to life.

    3. To all our writers, readers and dreamers here tonight, may you be inspired to write new stories, challenge old ideas, and connect across boundaries.

    4. May the stories we share help us see each other more clearly, and remind us that the shape of things to come is, ultimately shaped by all of us.

    5. Thank you, and I wish you all an enriching and memorable SWF 2025.