Past pages to future stories: Singapore Writers Festival 2025 opens

SINGAPORE — The 28th edition of the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) opened with a call to reimagine literature’s role in shaping the future, as the festival director welcomed guests to this year’s theme, “Shape of Things to Come.”

Organized by Arts House Group and commissioned by the National Arts Council, the festival’s 2025 edition coincides with Singapore’s 60th anniversary, a milestone year that invites both reflection and renewal.

“This year, we celebrate not just our past struggles and achievements, but also the confidence we’ve built over the years to press forward with optimism and hope,” said festival director Yong Shu Hoong in his opening address.

The theme, he said, reflects the festival’s aim to “re-evaluate the past, recalibrate the present, and reimagine what our future may bring.”

Among this year’s highlights is a new Sci-Fi Spotlight track, exclusive to SWF 2025, which explores how science fiction can speculate on future possibilities across technology, society, and culture. 

“By bringing together writers from Singapore, Asia, and beyond, we hope to spark conversations on issues affecting us now or in the near future — whether utopian or dystopian,” he added.

The festival also expands its reach into other creative fields such as culinary arts and architecture, demonstrating how writing can intersect with food science, history, and urban design. Off-site programs include literary meals, walking tours, intergenerational storytelling sessions, and pop-up events across heartland communities.

This year, SWF hosts over 300 presenters, including more than 40 international writers, across genres and languages. But at its core, the festival remains committed to uplifting local voices. 

“Global conversations should enrich local perspectives,” the director emphasized. “SWF is a platform for Singapore talent to engage meaningfully with the world.”

He also spotlighted emerging voices shaping the next generation of literature, including multidisciplinary artist North, whose debut poetry collection Homesick launches this year, and author Wen Yi Li, returning with her second novel When They Burned the Butterfly, a historical fantasy set in postcolonial Singapore.

Reflecting on his own journey as a poet, the director recalled reading her first poem at a long-gone café in the 1990s. “That space no longer exists,” he said with a smile, “but the spirit of discovery endures.”

As the festival unfolds across venues from the Arts House to community spaces, it continues to redefine what a literary festival can be — a meeting place of ideas, disciplines, and generations.

“Our hope,” the director concluded, “is that SWF remains a space where literature connects with lived experiences, inspires imagination, and fosters exchange among all — young and old, emerging or established.”