"...reimagines Singapore’s origins with haunting lyricism and mythic grandeur, crafting a multilayered decolonial epic where history, legend, and the divine collide...” —Victor Fernando R. Ocampo, author of The Inifinite Library and Other Stories
In Utama, award-winning writer Ng Yi-Sheng reimagines the rise of Sang Nila Utama through the eyes of those too often forgotten—exiled wives, warriors, queens, gods and queers. From the Chola invasion to a fateful sea crossing, this epic tale shows that the Lion City was born not only of ambition and betrayal, but also of desire, displacement and defiance.
This evening, we look beyond the familiar myth to confront the silences and omissions in history, and connect those cracks to the struggles still unfolding in Singapore and the region today.
Join us for a night where myth meets memory, and the stories of wives, queers and exiles take centre stage.
Bring a friend (or two), stay for the stories and come thirsty.
No scripts, no pressure. Just a cosy evening with fellow book lovers.
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About the Book:
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. Buy here
About the Speaker:
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 Moderator:
Nabilah Said is a playwright, editor and artist who works with text. Her research interests include minority and shifting communities, and the dislocations and relocations of personal and geographic histories. She has presented work with Teater Ekamatra, The Necessary Stage, Drama Box, The Theatre Practice, T:<Works, as well as independent creatives in Singapore. She is the editorial lead of data storytelling studio Kontinentalist, which advocates for a more equitable world through fostering connections between Asia’s sources of knowledge.
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📍Venue: Epigram Books Office
🏢 Address: 1008 Toa Payoh North #03-08, Singapore 318996
🗓️ Date: Friday, 26 Sep 2025
🕛 Time: 8.00 pm - 10.00 pm
🎟️ Admission: Free with registration. Register here.