Chrystal Ho’s debut collection, “Elsewhere, the Cosmos Cracks”, reveals the fractures beneath the surface of our everyday world. Beginning from the confines of an HDB estate, the poems present a way of walking through Singapore’s landscape, tracing the quiet resilience and fragile beauty that persist amid climate uncertainty.
A finalist for the 2024 Gaudy Boy Book Prize, this urgent and intimate collection casts a discerning eye across art history, domestic interiors, the life of Agnes Joaquim, and the overlooked details of daily life. In exploring emotional landscapes and questions of place and movement, Chrystal invites us to look again, to see the familiar with renewed attention and care.
Join us for readings by Chrystal Ho, followed by a conversation with writer and researcher Kamalini Ramdas, as we celebrate a fresh and vital voice in Singapore’s literary landscape.
Copies of “Elsewhere, the Cosmos Cracks” will be available with a special launch discount and are eligible for SG Culture Pass Credits!
About the Author
Chrystal Ho (b. 1996) is a writer from Singapore who works with poetry and non-fiction. Her writing has been published in Portside Review, PR&TA, BiblioAsia, and Sine Theta Mag, among others. Keenly interested in exploring the interconnections between myth, language, and the environment, she is a former recipient of the NYU Shanghai Writing & Speaking Fellowship, as well as the National Library Creative Residency (Singapore). The manuscript of “Elsewhere, the Cosmos Cracks” was a finalist for the 2024 Gaudy Boy Poetry Book Prize. This is her debut collection of poetry.
About the Moderator
Kamalini Ramdas is an Associate Professor at the Department of Geography, National University of Singapore (NUS). She is a feminist geographer and chair of the Critical Education Research Cluster at NUS. Her research interests include: queer and feminist theory, feminist pedagogy, geography education and LGBTQ+ advocacy research. Kamalini has worked with various groups in the arts, sports and education sectors. She has more than 20 years of experience working with the LGBTQ+ community in Singapore. She is committed to studying how community politics and activism can produce alternative spaces of care and possibility for marginalised groups in society.
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📍Venue: Alma House, New Bahru
🏢 Address: 46 Kim Yam Rd, #03-03, Singapore 239351
🗓️ Date: Friday, 5 Sep 2025
🕛 Time: 7.30 pm onwards
🎟️ Admission: Free with registration. Register here: https://elsewherelaunch.peatix.com/