Haresh Sharma, Colin Cheong

The Singapore Writer's Festival 2014 kicks off today with more than 120 local and international writers in attendance. We think there's no better time than now to examine the state of this city we call home – with a little help from the nation's sharpest literary minds, of course. Grab your festival pass and join them at these panel discussions happening over the weekend as they place one foot in the annals of history while planting another in the future.  

The World Before Singapore

When: 1 November, 10 - 11am
Where: The Salon, National Museum of Singapore
The agenda: Did you know that iconic fashion photographer Helmut Newton was formerly a photographer at The Straits Times before he was fired from the position? Join authors John van Wyhe, Isa Kamari, and John Miksic in a discussion moderated by Lai Chee Kien as they turn the lens on colonial and pre-colonial Singapore. 

Singling Out Singlish 

When: 2 November, 4 - 5pm
Where: Glass Hall, Singapore Art Museum
The agenda: Singlish is arguably the mark of a true Singaporean, a shared language that has inked its birthright in the tongue-in-cheek Coxford Singlish Dictionary. Join Ann Ang, Haresh Sharma, and Lee Thean-jeen as they discuss how they weave Singlish into their writing.

Lion City Secrets

When: 2 November, 7 - 8pm
Where: Glass Hall, Singapore Art Museum
The agenda: A sterile utopia? Billionaires' playground? Writers Yeo Suan Futt, Colin Cheong, and Dave Chua plumb the depths of the city's underbelly to showcase a side of Singapore you won't see on flyers or billboards.

The Singapore Writers Festival 2014 takes place from 31 October to 9 November 2014. Visit www.singaporewritersfestival.com for a full listing of the festival programme.