The Singapore Writers Festival Is Back. And It’s Not Just for Bookworms

It’s time to get lit: the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) returns for its 29th edition from November 13 to 22, 2026. This year’s theme, “Hidden in Plain Sight”, invites audiences to look beyond the surface and consider the stories and truths that often go unnoticed.

The programme takes that idea in all sorts of directions. Crime and mystery fans can hear from writers inspired by Agatha Christie or learn from a psychology expert about the art of spotting a liar. Elsewhere, there are conversations about romantasy, horror, music and film, offering plenty of reasons to venture beyond your usual reading list.

Among this year’s highlights are Mexican Gothic author Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Korean-Canadian novelist June Hur, known for her celebrated historical YA novels including The Red Palace, and Rachel Smythe, the creator of hit webcomic Lore Olympus.

Beyond talks and panel discussions, the festival also features workshops and more unconventional experiences, from a poetry game night to a consultation with the “Book Doctor”, who will prescribe your next favourite read.

Here, we spotlight the events you’ll want to get tickets for.

Rachel Smythe – Reimagining Myth for a New Generation

Before Christopher Nolan adapted The Odyssey, the New Zealand comic artist and writer Rachel Smythe was making waves with her own retelling of an ancient Greek myth. See: Lore Olympus, Smythe’s colour-drenched webcomic centred on the love story between Persephone and Hades.

Lore Olympus was first published on Tumblr and later became a sensation on Webtoon, where it is one of the platform’s most-viewed webcomics. It also topped the New York Times Bestseller list. In this talk, Smythe will share more about her creative process and how digital platforms are reshaping fantastical storytelling for a modern audience.

Nov 14, 7.30pm at River Room, Asian Civilisations Museum. Tickets here.

Love Against All Odds

What would a Jane Austen novel set in historical Korea look like? That question is answered in Behind Five Willows, the best-selling YA historical romance novel by June Hur. In this panel on romance novels and representation, Hur is joined by author Uzma Jalaluddin, known for her rom-com books Ayesha at Last and Yours for the Season, as well as Singaporean writer Anittha Thanabalan, behind the Thrii and Daniel YA series. Listen in as they share how they craft cross-cultural love stories that resonate with young people today.

Nov 15, 8pm at Victoria Theatre. Tickets here.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Writing Between the Real and Unreal

Listen up, horror fans: Silvia Moreno-Garcia will be in town for a keynote lecture. The Mexican Gothic author, who has penned several dark novels across genres like fantasy, mystery, horror and sci-fi, will illuminate the process behind writing characters who perform different versions of themselves, and how to write honestly when faking it so much easier.

Nov 21, 1.30pm at Victoria Theatre. Tickets here.

Faridah Abike-Iyimide – Writing Bold Stories That Bite

Faridah Abike-Iyimide knows how to keep readers on their toes. The British novelist has penned books like Ace of Spades, her award-winning YA thriller debut, and The Heirs, her latest murder mystery about a family of prodigies.

Beyond crafting twists and suspense, she is interested in writing characters who defy easy categorisation: they can be heroes, villains or anything in between. In this talk, she’ll explore how to create complex characters and tell stories in which marginalised people are allowed to be messy, flawed and fully realised, rather than defined solely by their identities.

Nov 14, 5.30pm at Victoria Theatre. Tickets here.

Poetry Game Night with Ella Frears

Looking to start penning poetry? Let Ella Frears, the author of Shine, Darling, show you how. For an evening, the London-based poet is inviting people to play Poetry Fruit Machine, the literary card game that she created in collaboration with Jessica Todd. Expect fun writing prompts and introductions to poetry techniques that will inspire your next stanza. Drinks and snacks are included.

Nov 14, 8.30pm at Bricolage, The Arts House at the Old Parliament Annex Building. Tickets here.

Where the Hell Have You Been, Loca?

It doesn’t matter if you’re Team Edward or Team Jacob. This panel is for anyone who is drawn to coming-of-age stories where the girl falls for a monster—be it a vampire, a werewolf, or any other folkloric creature. (See: Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, and today’s hottest romantasy books like Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses.)

Hear from Amber Chen (author of the best-selling YA fantasy novel Of Jade and Dragons), Wen-yi Lee (who wrote the YA horror novel The Dark We Know) and Camille Chong (author of Love, Gods and Sinners) on why the modern reader desires and yearns for dangerous figures.

Nov 13, 8pm at Chamber, The Arts House at the Old Parliament. Tickets here.

Still Killing It: Agatha Christie’s Enduring Legacy

If you enjoy listening to crime podcasts, you’ll want to tune in to this conversation about the “Queen of Crime”, Agatha Christie. Joining the discussion are three mystery writers: Louise Hegarty (author of Fair Play), Robin Stevens (who penned the Murder Most Unladylike series) and Julianne Cheah (author of the murder mystery The Death of Sally Song). Find out what makes Christie’s detective novels so enduring, and why classics like Murder on the Orient Express continue to captivate readers today.

Nov 22, 11am at Victoria Theatre. Tickets here.

Hot, Toxic and Complicated

No, this isn’t an open forum about your situationship, but it’s close enough. In this panel discussion, you’ll hear from authors Rachel Smythe (Lore Olympus), Faridah Abike-Iyimide (Ace of Spades) and Daryl Qilin Yam (Be Your Own Bae) on what makes love stories defined by tension and imbalance so alluring to readers today.

Nov 15, 5.30pm at Victoria Theatre. Tickets here.

Is Trauma the New Currency?

Years after the New Yorker published Parul Sehgal’s influential essay, The Case Against the Trauma Plot, writers are still questioning what it means to tell stories about pain and profit from them. Sit in on a discussion between Fruit Fly author Josh Silver, the Italian poet Daniele Mencarelli, and Singaporean author and mental health advocate Chan Li Shan, as they share insights about the business and ethics of sharing one’s personal suffering.

Nov 22, 4.30pm at River Room, Asian Civilisations Museum. Tickets here.

How 2: Predict a Killer’s Next Move

You’ll want to see this before you watch the Elizabeth Holmes docu You Can See Everything. In this panel, a psychology expert and writer will discuss how psychological evidence and behavioural cues play a part in criminal investigations, revealing if someone is lying, what their motives are, and what their next move will be. You’ll also learn how those factors are key to writing great crime fiction.

Nov 13, 9pm at Blue Room, The Arts House at the Old Parliament. Tickets here.

Swipe Right for Your Next Read: An SLP Shortlist Showcase

Get off Hinge and find your next match at this literary speed-dating session. Singapore Literature Prize-shortlisted writers will take to the stage to pitch their books in just 30 seconds. Think of it as speed dating, but for books. Across four sessions, 32 writers will make their case, with poetry and prose represented in all four official languages. If you’re looking for someone to go home with (figuratively speaking), make sure to sign up.

Nov 22, 10.30am at Screening Room, The Arts House at the Old Parliament. Tickets here.

Stephen Witt – The Thinking Machine

For better or worse, AI is everywhere today. The American journalist Stephen Witt traces how we got here in his new book, The Thinking Machine, covering the rise of the tech company Nvidia and its billionaire CEO, Jensen Huang. In this talk, Witt shares insights on Huang, whom he calls the “emperor of AI”, and how the leather-jacket-clad leader might shape our future.

Nov 13, 7.30pm at Victoria Theatre. Tickets here.

Vera Brosgol – Flipping Classic Fairy Tale Narratives

If you’ve seen the animation flicks Coraline and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, then you’re already familiar with the work of Vera Brosgol. The author and storyboard artist is also behind the graphic novel, Be Prepared, and the illustrated adventure book Return to Sender. In this talk, Brosgol will offer a masterclass on visual storytelling, sharing how she reimagines fairy tales with wondrous, unexpected results.

Nov 14, 4pm at Chamber, The Arts House at the Old Parliament. Tickets here.

Truth on Trial: Fighting to Be Heard

Some truths are difficult to share, much less write a book about or make a movie on. Hear from three storytellers who have brought difficult truths to light through their work: Singaporean filmmaker Ken Kwek, whose films and plays centre on social issues; Singaporean writer Mysara Aljaru, who co-edited Brown is Redacted; and Japanese filmmaker and journalist Shiori Ito, whose memoir and documentary, Black Box Diaries, helped spark Japan’s #MeToo movement.

Nov 14, 11.30am at Victoria Theatre. Tickets here.

Now Showing: The Parallel Lives of Singapore Cinema and Literature

Obsessed with film? Find out how Singapore cinema and literature have influenced one another over the years in this talk featuring poet and former SWF director Yeow Kai Chai, poet Theophilus Kwek, producer and writer Teh Su Ching, and Izzy Osman, director of The Water is Blue in Tanjong Katong.

Nov 15, 1pm at Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium, National Gallery Singapore. Tickets here.

Rhyme Off: Shared DNA of Poetry and Rap

If you can appreciate the casting of Travis Scott as a bard in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, you’ll enjoy this panel on how rap is a modern form of poetry. It features Singaporean poet and performer Pooja Nansi, up-and-coming homegrown rapper Abangsapau, and Omar Musa, the Australian rapper and author of Fierceland. Listen in as they discuss what the two forms have in common, from musicality and rhythm to the art of oral storytelling.

Nov 21, 8.30pm at Play Den, The Arts House at the Old Parliament. Tickets here.

Embodying Multiple Worlds: Poetry and Belonging

What does it mean to belong to more than one culture, or to move between different languages and worlds? In this panel, three poets discuss how writing can help us make sense of identity and belonging. Hear from Somali-British poet Momtaza Mehri, Singaporean poet Shivram Gopinath (you may be familiar with his poetry collection, Dey), and Malaysian writer and spoken word poet Melizarani T. Selva, as they share their experiences of living between different worlds, languages and cultures.

Nov 13, 8.30pm at Ngee Ann Auditorium, Asian Civilisations Museum. Tickets here.

Speculative Architecture: The City, Its Ghosts and Its Dreams

You’ve heard about hostile architecture, but what about haunted architecture? In this panel, find out how cities and buildings are shaped by stories, whether they’re about a forgotten past or dreams of the future. Hear from Joshua Comaroff, author of Horror in Architecture; Daryl Lim Wei Jie, a poet and literary critic; and Natalie Wang, whose latest poetry collection, Possession, explores the idea of “HDB gothic”.

Nov 20, 8.45pm at Chamber, The Arts House at the Old Parliament. Tickets here.

The Critical Eye: The Art of Critiquing and Re-Viewing

These days, with the deluge of TikTok hot takes, Letterboxd reviews and Instagram text slideshows, it seems like everyone’s a critic. But what makes for a good one? It takes more than just having an opinion: you need to look beyond your own experience and consider the history, politics and culture behind a story or piece of art. Pick up a few pointers at this talk featuring three writers: Momtaza Mehri (pictured), an award-winning poet and critic from London; Ja. Deepa, editor of Indian film magazine The Talkie; and Singaporean playwright and arts critic Nabilah Said.

Nov 14, 10.30am at Ngee Ann Auditorium, Asian Civilisations Museum. Tickets here.