5th Singapore Literature Conference July 31, 2027

Poetry Festival Singapore (PFS) and the Singapore Literature Conference (SLC) are commemorating ASEAN's 60th anniversary with the theme "Common Ground."

At PFS and SLC 2027, we aim to showcase the enduring power of poetry and literature in Singapore’s national languages—that is , English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil;  highlight the incredible diversity of literary voices and styles in Singapore/Southeast Asia/Asia; foster a deeper sense of community through shared poetic experiences; and explore the intricate links between literature, culture and nationhood. Starting from forging ideas of nationhood to embracing elements of a global culture, Singapore, Southeast Asian and Asian literatures have responded to changing times and connected to the social conditions of Singapore, Southeast Asia and Asia.

Scholarship on Singapore and Asian literatures has become more interdisciplinary as it encompasses themes such as alienation in urban spaces, artificial intelligence and other technologies shaping our consciousness, the impact of New Media and cutting the world’s carbon footprint in the Anthropocene age. The conference will examine how literary studies in the contemporary period may contribute to and link Singapore and Asia with global literary critical scholarship.   

Abstracts for papers related to this broad theme and connected but not limited to one or more of the following sub-themes in Singapore or Asian Literatures are invited for presentation in the conference: Multiculturalism and Identity;  Migration, Community, and Plurality; Eco-criticism; Artificial Intelligence and Technologies; Island Aesthetics and Other Literary Theories; Urbanization, Space and Memory; Tradition and Modernity; Experimentation, Form, and Intermediality.

Abstracts for the conference within 300 words and a short bionote are to be mailed to nationalpoetryfestival@gmail.com .

Accepted presenters will have to arrange their own flights and accommodations. The conference will take place in blended mode (online and offline).

Categories

trends in poetry, fiction, non-fiction, drama, graphic novels in Singapore, Southeast Asian or Asian literature; ethnicity and national identity; interdisciplinary; postcolonial; youths and the future; community building; island aesthetics; literary history

For purchase of limited copies of the recently launched SLC monograph (S$20), go to the Book Bar in Singapore or write to nationalpoetryfestival@gmail.com .