Join award-winning writer Ng Yi-Sheng for a special double-session book sharing that reimagines Singapore’s heritage through literature and storytelling.
📖 Session 1: Reimagining Singaporean Heritage
11.00 am – 12.00 pm
What drives a Chinese guy to write about pre-colonial Malay kings? In conversation with the artist-poet nor, Yi-Sheng will discuss the diverse impulses and influences that led to the creation of his historical fantasy work Utama. Expect a lively discussion about the tensions between racial and national heritage, historical accuracy versus creative licence and how decolonial methods of imagining the past can reshape our cultural identity.
🗣 Session 2: Storytelling with Ng Yi-Sheng and Hafiz Rashid
1.00 pm – 2.00 pm
Settle in for an afternoon of myths and legends as Yi-Sheng and storyteller Hafiz Rashid bring to life the epic tales of Raja Chulan, Sang Nila Utama, Badang, Hang Nadim and the Garfish and the Crab of Keppel Island. A family-friendly session of history, magic and imagination retold for today.
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About the Books:
Utama
Utama reimagines the rise of Sang Nila Utama through the eyes of those who shaped his path—exiles, warriors and queens. From the Chola invasion to a fateful sea crossing, ambition and betrayal forge an empire. As dragons fall and a sea goddess awakens, the Lion City is born.
Haywire Histories: Twisted Temasek
Sang Nila Utama saw a lion…or did he?
Come and experience the untold side of Singapore's past in this non-fiction series. The weird and wild history of our island nation is revealed in engaging stories that are sure to excite, shock and thrill readers of all ages!
In Twisted Temasek, discover obscure stories from Singapore's pre-colonial history, from Rajendra Chola I's adventure into a mermaid kingdom and Sang Nila Utama's arrival in Lion City to tales of Singapore's early kings and legendary children like Hang Nadim and Radin Mas Ayu.
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About the Author
Ng Yi-Sheng is a Singaporean writer, researcher and activist. His books include the short story collection Lion City and the poetry collection last boy (both winners of the Singapore Literature Prize), SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century, Loud Poems for a Very Obliging Audience and Black Waters, Pink Sands. Additionally, he served as editor of A Mosque in the Jungle: Classic Ghost Stories by Othman Wok and EXHALE: An Anthology of Queer Singapore Voices, and as translator for Wong Yoon Wah’s The New Village and Homecomings.
About the Moderators
nor is a multidisciplinary artist whose work situates identity and community within speculative timelines through frameworks of gender performance, ethnographic portraits and transnational histories. nor’s writings have been published in Singa Pura-Pura: Malay Speculative Fiction from Singapore, Making Kin: Ecofeminist Essays from Singapore as well as Brown is Redacted: Reflecting on Race in Singapore.
Hafiz Rashid is an experienced museum docent who has been volunteering with the National Heritage Board (NHB) since 2013. As a trained docent, he has conducted tours at various institutions such as the Malay Heritage Centre (MHC), the National Library (NL) and the Eurasian Heritage Gallery (EHG).
He is interested in learning about the history, culture, folklore and languages of the Malay Archipelago (Nusantara).
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📍Venue: Wardah Books
🏢 Address: 58 Bussorah Street, Singapore 199474
🗓️ Date: Sunday, 7 Sep 2025
🕛 Time: 11.00 am - 12.00 pm (Utama) | 1.00 pm - 2.00 pm (Twisted Temasek)
🎟️ Admission: Free with registration. Register here.