How many books do you currently own? Have you read them all?
More than 3000 books.. except for the reference books…i have read all.

What’s unique about your own library?
I have autographed copies of Jeffrey Archer, Othman Wok, Paul Bailey, Ben Okri,Michael Cunningham,Elizabeth Choy, Matthew Reilly just to name a few.

In the event of a fire (touch wood), what is/ are the book(s) that you will save? The Great Movie makers of Hollywood’s Golden Age by George Stevens Jr Six Memos for the Next Millennium by Italo Calvino

Pugalenthii is a successful entrepreneur, author, editor, life coach and scriptwriter. A former NS Captain from the Republic of Singapore Air Force, he has founded and owned the publishing firm, VJ Times International, where he published more than 170 Singaporean writers and poets over a period of 20 years.

He is one of Singapore’s most prolific horror writers, having created the successful best-selling horror series, ‘Nightmares’ which has over 30 titles. He has also written books in other genres and they are translated in many languages and are sold in 18 countries worldwide. His Singlish to English grammar book was a joint project with PCK to improve Speak Good English Campaign. More than 100 titles of his books can be found in the National Library. He has also forayed into conducting motivational talks in various schools and tertiary institutions and is currently working on a motivational book “Life Coaching for Students”. He has recently written and directed a short film, ‘Blood Lust’, the first in a 13 part horror series.

More of Pugalenthii is available at http://www.facebook.com/pugalenthii

Jean Tay graduated in 1997 with a double-degree in creative writing and economics from Brown University, USA.  For her fiction, she was awarded Weston Prize for Fiction from Brown, as well as the 1^st and 3^rd prizes for NAC’s Golden Point Short Story competition in 1995 and 2001 respectively.

Plays produced include “Water from the Well” (1998), “The Knot” (1999), “Hopper’s Women” (co-written with Cindy Koh, 2000), “Plunge” (2000), “Everything but the Brain” (2005, 2007) and “Boom” (2008).  Jean has also written the books for the musicals “The Admiral’s Odyssey” (2005), and “Man of Letters” (2006).

In July 2007, Jean was selected to attend the prestigious month-long International Playwriting Residency organised by the Royal Court Theatre in London, where the concept for the play “Boom” was  developed.  The play was first staged in 2008 by SRT, and has been selected as an ‘O’ and ‘N’ Level literature text for 2010.

What are you currently reading?
I’m currently reading “Frog under a Coconut Shell” by Josephine Chia, and enjoying it very much.  It’s a very well-written and touching piece of local fiction, which weaves together stories of her youth growing up in a kampong and her mother’s peranakan heritage, as well as her mother’s current struggle with Alzheimer’s.  I’ve also just been watching a couple of Jane Austen movie adaptations, and have been inspired to revisit some of my dog-eared Jane Austen novels (Emma, Mansfield Park).

How many books do you currently own?
I’m not sure exactly….Maybe around 300?  Although this includes my husband’s books, old Economics textbooks and outdated travel guides.   I’ve probably read most of them over the years, although I have most likely forgotten about half of what I’ve read. (That’s certainly true for my Economics textbooks!)

What’s unique about your own library?
It’s a pretty eclectic mix, although mostly fiction.  Somehow I’m not a big non-fiction or poetry reader.  But over the years, I realise that I’ve been accumulating more and more plays.  It’s a nice way to relive the plays that I’ve really enjoyed, as well as to appreciate those plays that I will never get a chance to see in person.  I think that reading a play also gives one a clearer sense of the writer’s craft and attention to detail, that you might sometimes miss in a live performance.

In the event of a fire (touch wood), what is/are the book(s) that you will save?
Definitely the Bible, I couldn’t live without it.  But if I have time, I’d probably try to grab a couple of my favourite fantasy novelists too, for some escapist reading, like JRR Tolkein or Guy Gavriel Kay.  And of course, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

For the avid traveller, why not turn your interesting travel experiences into exciting fictional stories? Writing about your travels is a great way to capture the experience and places you have been to and to share them with others. It entices readers to want to visit the places too!

Josephine Chia, author of seven published books in Singapore and the UK, will share her writing skills and how she creates stories out of her travel experiences. Her book Isn’t Singapore Somewhere in China, Luv? is a collection of fictional stories of Singaporeans and their experiences abroad. Based on this book, gain insights on some of the stories and how they were weaved together as well as the use of fictional characters in the places Josephine visited.

Bring along snapshots or collectibles from one of your most memorable holidays and we’ll show you how to transform them into a fictional story suitable for publication.

Please bring along writing materials! Due to limited spaces for this hands-on workshop, please register only if you can really make it here or access http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg, ‘Singapore’.

About the Book
Isn’t Singapore somewhere in China, luv? is a collection of short stories
about Singaporeans who are abroad. The stories are not just about places
but also about the people who are travelling, in search of adventure and
emotional fulfilment. Characteristics of the majority of Singaporeans are
worked into the characters, their love of Singaporean food, their sense of
belonging in Singapore and their hardworking attributes.In the stories, these
characters are put into situations that are not their usual fare.

About the Author
Josephine Chia writes both fiction and non-fiction and has published seven
books. Her first literary break was when she was one of the winners of UK’s
Ian St. James Awards in 1992 for her short story, 'Tropical Fever', which
was subsequently published in an anthology by Harper Collins. Since then,
Josephine has won several other literary prizes and is a member of UK’s
Society of Authors and UK Society of Women Writers & Journalists. She
lives in West Sussex, England. 

Find out more at www.josephinechia.com.

Resources accessed and provided by ASK! services of the public
libraries on 11 January 2011. For more, check our catalogue at
http://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg or email ask@nlb.gov.sg

1. Singapore’s 100 historic places / [writers/researchers, G. Uma Devi ... et al.].
Call No.: English 959.57 SIN -[HIS]

2. Discover Singapore : the city’s history & culture redefined / text by Susan Tsang ; photography by Edward Hendricks.
Call No.: English 959.57 TSA

3. Singapore’s heritage : through places of historical interest / Dhoraisingam S. Samuel.
Call No.: English 959.57 SAM

4. Ray Tyers’ Singapore : then & now / [Ray Tyers] ; revised and updated by Siow Jin Hua.
Call No.: English 959.57 TYE -[HIS]

5. Singapore : the encyclopedia / [editor-in-chief, Tommy Koh ; general editors, Timothy Auger, Jimmy Yap, Ng Wei Chian].
Call No.: English 959.57003 SIN -[HIS]

Resources accessed and provided by ASK! services of the public
libraries on 27 November 2010. For more, check our catalogue at
http://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg or email ask@nlb.gov.sg

Have you ever wondered why there are bat motifs in a Chinese temple? Or why is it that cactus is rare in a Chinese home? Join us for a walk through Singapore’s Chinatown – a journey into the Chinese traditions, superstitions, myths and taboos.

Based on the book Choi! Touchwood, this tour takes you through landmarks like Thian Hock Keng Temple, Smith Street, Ang Siang Hill and Sago Lane.

Based on their years of research and conceptualisation of Choi! Touchwood, designers of the book will reveal and share fun facts in the world of Chinese superstition at the heart of Singapore’s Chinatown. Explore how the book covered the contrasts of a modern society and traditional beliefs and remind you about your childhood days when traditions, myths and taboos were a big part of your lives. Bear in mind though that this is not a heritage trail! So come armed with your own stories and beliefs to share with the group.

For this tour, we bring you on the first part of the journey covered in the book and leave you to explore the rest on your own!

Check out www.choitouchwood.com for more information. This programme is jointly presented by National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) and the National Library Singapore.

As places are limited, registration is required at http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg, “Singapore”. Or you can click here.

Join us for a relaxing stroll this December as we unwind and relive moments of old Singapore in a walking tour.

Based on the book A Stroll Through Old Singapore by Pugalenthii, the writer will bring you on a walking tour around the Padang. Chance upon interesting discoveries about places you thought you knew enough about as the writer reveals to you interesting facts about these places found in his book.

We will begin our journey from the middle of the Padang and make several stops, among some, Queen Elizabeth Walk, The Victoria Memorial Hall and the Lim Bo Seng Memorial. What stories do these places hold? What stories or memories do you have of them?

As places are limited, please register at here at http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg, ‘Singapore’. Open to 14 years and above.

As this is an outdoor walking tour, please be in comfortable attire and footwear. The tour ends at the last stop around the Padang and participants will disperse from this location.

Mei Lan comes from a famous Chinese dynasty but yearns to free herself from its stifling traditions; Howard seethes at the indignities heaped on his fellow Eurasians by the colonial British; Raj fresh off the boat from India, wants only to work hard and become a successful businessman.

A Different Sky is published by Harvill Secker and is set against the backdrop of pre-Independence Singapore.

3 Dec 2010, 7pm @ Earshots, the Arts House

Join the Singapore Book Club for ‘A Different Sky’ by Meira Chand on 3 Dec 2010. The author and Dr Koh Tai Ann from NTU speak at the event which is facilitated by Deepika Shetty.

More information can be found at the Book Council’s site here. To register, email to info@bookcouncil.sg.

The programme is presented by the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) and the Arts House.

Check out more plus the exciting line-up of events at http://www.caketheatre.com/

The art of living in the in-between is a collaborative art project featuring installation, film, performance, workshops and gigs that uncover the inspirations and fantasies that have catalysed 5 years of works by Cake. Over 5 days, a shophouse is transformed into a hotbed of images, words, sound, strange movement, magnetic encounters and unexpected happenings sometimes way into the night! Wander through the rooms, each flowing and ebbing with exquisite strangeness or come especially for the performance that’ll put the ultra in “ultra Cake mix” or get revitalised in a workshop or hang loose and fancy free at a gig or just come for it all and get a super Cake fix.

What does it mean to create “Singapore literature” in the 21st century?
How do local poets taking up the art today locate themselves in relation to their predecessors and to the larger world?

Join four young poets – Grace Chua, Koh Xin Tian, Teng Qian Xi and Zhuang Yusa – as they tackle these and other vital questions while relating their thoughts to their own poetic practice. The event, facilitated by Nicholas Liu, will include readings of poems by each of the writers, a panel discussion and a Q&A session.

This session is in collaboration with the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS).

As places are limited, please register at http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg ‘Singapore’. Alternatively, email Athena_AZIZ@nlb.gov.sg your name and contact details with the email header ‘Making It New.’

About the Facilitator and Poets
Nicholas Liu, a graduate of the National University of Singapore, has his poems published or are forthcoming in magazines including QLRS, nthposition, Stand Magazine, and Poetry Review (UK). He edited two issues of the NUS Literary Society’s literary review, Argot, and is currently editing the anthology Storm Glass: Singapore Poets Before Their First Books.

Grace Chua is a journalist with The Straits Times. She holds a B.A. in Literature and psychology from Dartmouth College and an M.S. in science writing from MIT. Her poems have been published in Quarterly Literary Review Singapore (QLRS) and the anthology From Boys To Men. Her first collection of poetry, ‘The Stamp Collector’s Wife’ (FirstFruits publications), was published earlier this year.

Koh Xin Tian was chairman of the NUS Literary Society from 2007–2008. Her writing has appeared in The Smoking Poet, Theatrex Asia and Softblow. She won second prize in the SPH-NAC Golden Point Award for poetry in 2009.

Teng Qian Xi’s first collection, ‘They hear salt crystallising’, was published by Firstfruits Publications in 2010. Her poems have appeared in QLRS, the Tangent, Argot, Softblow, BigO, Slope, on the London Underground, among others. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in comparative literature.

Zhuang Yusa lives in Singapore. His poetry has been published in Asia Writes, Sargasso, The Toronto Quarterly, Ganymede, The Los Angeles Review, Softblow, nthposition and elsewhere. He is a founding editor of Walnut Literary Review (www.walnutliteraryreview.net).