It’s that time of the year where bookworms and fans of literary works gather to soak up all things books at the Singapore Writers Festival 2025 (SWF), happening from 7 to 16 November.
This year, the 28th edition, inspired by the theme “Shape of Things to Come”, invites audiences to dream, question and reimagine a world that is inventive, inclusive and deeply human through the transformative power of literature.
The edition also focuses on local authors and stories, in celebration of Singapore’s 60 years of independence.
With over 200 programmes and more than 300 local and international presenters, SWF 2025 offers a dynamic line-up that gets you curious while inviting you to envision the next chapter we wish to create collectively.
You can expect to meet and hear from international heavyweights such as R.F. Kuang, author of bestselling titles The Poppy War series, Babel, Yellowface and the recently released Katabasis; Sathnam Sanghera, twice shortlisted for the Costa Book Award; Faith Erin Hicks, Eisner Award-winning cartoonist and animator; Victoria Chang, winner of the Forward Prize; and Raymond Antrobus (UK), whose poetry has been recognised by the Griffin, T.S. Eliot and Forward Prizes.
You can also anticipate an invigorated programme with fresh tracks exclusive to this year’s edition such as Sci-fi Spotlight and SG60 Homage, alongside a reimagined SWF Classroom, a new The Salon series, and signature programmes such as Youth Fringe, SWF Playground, SEA xChange, Festival Highlights, Book Launches, and SWF In Conjunction.
SWF 2025 will then close with its signature Festival Closing Debate, where participants will playfully discuss the motion: “This House Believes That Robots Are Our Friends.” This is a chance where you’ll get to participate in a debate about the role of robots and technology in our future with both wit and wisdom.
SG60 Homage
This new track features a travelling exhibition which pays tribute to Singapore’s rich publishing history in all four official languages, tracing its evolution from the 1960s to the present day.
Set to launch, at the start of the festival, at The Arts House at the Old Parliament, you’ll be able to enjoy panel discussions too, where publishers share how they position Singaporean stories for the world stage. You can even learn more about the exhibition through an an accompanying microsite, offering a platform for self-guided exploration.
Other programmes focused on the local scene to look out for include The Shadow of Things to Come, a story walk that blends Malay folklore with real-life personal accounts, revealing the unseen, spooky sides of our national monuments, as well as food-related programmes that uncover the rich traditions and stories of Chinese dialect groups through specially curated menus like A Feast of Words & Flavours.
Sci-Fi Spotlight
Dedicated to the imagination and mind-bending concepts of science fiction, this track invites audiences to dive into futuristic worlds shaped by culture, technology, and identity.
Anchored by pioneering voices in Asian science fiction alongside international authors, such as Ken Liu, author of The Paper Menagerie, and Hao Jingfang, acclaimed for Folding Beijing and the sci-fi thriller Jumpnauts, Sci-fi Spotlight highlights how the genre can stretch our vision of distant worlds while reflecting lived histories to redefine our present and future.
Some of the programmes to look out for include Festival Keynote Talk: Ken Liu – The Future of Art in the Age of AI, which discusses how AI can reshape our creativity; The Edible Future, a micro sci-fi writing workshop that explores how food fuels speculative storytelling; and Beyond the Time Machine, a conversation on how authors use time travel to illuminate personal and collective journeys.
