Out Of This World

SINGAPORE'S BIGGEST literary phenomenon in recent years has been speculative fiction. Local writers are increasingly incorporating supernatural or science-fiction elements into their narrative fiction and winning acclaim here and around the world.

Rachel Heng's much talked-about debut novel Suicide Club (2018) looks at a future where humans can live past 200 years of age. JY Yang's popular Tensorate novella series (2017-2018) merges fantasy, science fiction and Asian mythology to create a brave new world of magical monks and dragons. Nuraliah Norasid won the Epigram fiction prize for The Gatekeeper, a fantasy novel about snake-haired Medusas roaming an island not unlike Singapore; while Sharlene Teo's Ponti (2018) weaves elements of the pontianak mythology into a decades-long story of three women.

Partly reflecting these "new energies", the theme of the upcoming Singapore Writers Festival is 界 (jiè), which refers to worlds and borders. Several of the talks, discussions, courses, films screenings and performances are centred on science and technology, science fiction, fantasy and mythology, horror, utopian and dystopian fictions, and combinations thereof.

Festival director Yeow Kai Chai says: "Essentially, literature is speculative. All literature expresses the frontiers of the imagination... But we specifically wanted to explore the rise of speculative fiction that combines the supernatural or futuristic with literary fiction, a phenomenon that's taking place in Singapore and other countries.

"In China, for instance, science-fiction works are very much in demand, with writers like Xia Jia and Liu Cixin held in high regard. We've invited Xia to deliver a talk on what's regarded as the golden age of Chinese science fiction, and also conduct a workshop on world-building (or the process of creating an imaginary universe). We sense that readers in Singapore and the rest of Asia are hungry for Asian science fiction."

Mr Yeow thinks Singapore is the perfect place to host discussions on Asian speculative fiction: "If anything, Singapore is a reality born out of the imagination. The pioneers speculated what this island with limited resources could be, and set about to create it. The country has been a crucible of experiments, from its social policies to its radical solutions for its water supply."

Among the over 310 events are talks on artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, blockchain, climate change, microplastics, security versus privacy and other issues reflecting the new realities of our technologically advanced age. Science and futurism aside, the festival also has popular fiction and non-writers such as Man Booker prizewinner Kiran Desai, humour writer David Sedaris and Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh giving lectures or courses and participating in group discussions.

The Singapore Writers Festival runs from Nov 2 to 11 are various locations in the Civic District. Early-bird tickets are available from now until Sept 30 at a 20 per cent discount from Sistic. This includes the Festival Pass at S$20 (regular price S$25) which give you access to most of the talks and panel discussions. Lectures and courses require separate tickets. Go to www.singaporewritersfestival.com for more information.

HIGHLIGHTS OF SINGAPORE WRITERS FESTIVAL 2018

LOVE, DEATH AND FAMILY LIFE: POSTCARDS FROM DAVID SEDARIS By David Sedaris

David Sedaris is the best-selling humour writer of quirkily titled books such as Me Talk Pretty One Day (2000) and Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls (2013). In this reading session, Sedaris will read out loud his favourite sections of his latest books Theft By Finding (2017) and Calypso (2018).

Nov 3 (Sat), 12pm to 1pm, Victoria Theatre, S$20.

18TH CENTURY WALL STREET: BETWEEN THE RICH & THE POOR By Paddy Hirsch

Amid debates today on the growing gap between the rich and the poor, financial journalist Paddy Hirsch looks at the history of Wall Street and how it evolved literally from a wall built in the 17th century to protect the rich from the pirates and the Native Americans to become New York City's financial epicentre.

Nov 4 (Sun), 3.30pm to 4.30pm, The Arts House Screening Room, Free with festival pass.

THE FAMILIAR AND THE ALIEN Panel discussion

How do you create strange imaginary universes that readers can believe? Two of Singapore's hottest speculative fiction writers, Rachel Heng of The Suicide Club and JY Yang of the Tensorate series, get together with popular sci-fi writer Kass Morgan of The 100 fame to discuss the finer points of world-building.

Nov 4 (Sun), 7pm to 8pm, The Arts House Chamber, Free with festival pass.

OWN YOUR BRAIN: HUMAN AUTONOMY IN A DIGITAL AGE By Miriam Meckel

Digital life commentator Miriam Meckel thinks we are losing our autonomy to big data and Internet algorithms that record and influence our every move online. How do we stay independent in the face of these less-than-visible forces? Professor Meckel offers some strategies in this lecture.

Nov 10 (Sat), 12.30pm to 1.30pm, The Arts House Chamber, S$20.

THE BLOCKCHAIN ECONOMY: REWRITING THE STORY OF US By Aaron Lee

Poet and lawyer Aaron Lee looks at the revolutionary digital ledger in which transactions made in bitcoin or another cryptocurrency are recorded chronologically and publicly. Although blockchain has a seemingly less-than-visible effect on our lives now, it is set to impact everything from banking to healthcare in the future.

Nov 10 (Sat), 3pm to 4pm, Funan Showsuite, Free with festival pass.

FOR BETTER OR WORSE: THE WORLD IN 2068 Panel discussion

What will the world look like 50 years from now? Authors and journalists Sarah Churchwell, Miriam Meckel and Jeff Goodell observe the rapid changes the world has undergone in the recent centuries, from two world wars to technological advancements, and speculate on the shape of our future.

Nov 10 (Sat), 4.30pm to 6pm, The Arts House Chamber, Free with festival pass.

THE ETHICS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE By Robin Lee

Having worked in Silicon Valley for six years and now an adjunct professor at one of Singapore's universities, Robin Lee is well-versed in the discussions on artificial intelligence (AI). Today, AI is no longer the stuff of fiction but a reality that will impact our lives dramatically. Lee discusses the rights and wrongs of this technology.

Nov 11 (Sun), 2pm to 3pm, The Arts House Play Den, Free with festival pass.

THE WATER WILL COME By Jeff Goodell

Journalist-author Jeff Goodell travelled with former US president Barack Obama to Alaska to examine the extent of climate change. Convinced that rising sea levels will force us to reinvent our living spaces and consequently ourselves, his lecture ominously titled The Water Will Come looks at this dire future.

Nov 11 (Sun), 3pm to 4pm, Victoria Theatre, S$20.

THE GOLDEN AGE OF CHINESE SCIENCE FICTION By Xia Jia

Xia Jia is one of China's most exciting science-fiction talents. In this Mandarin lecture, she looks at the rising popularity of Chinese science fiction not just within China but also among sci-fi fans across the world. She traces its origins and inspirations, and discusses its relevance to Chinese society.

Nov 11 (Sun), 3.30pm to 4.30pm, The Arts House Blue Room, Free with festival pass.