One of the most prominent literary events in the region, the Singapore Writers Festival is a yearly highlight on the calendar of our local literary and cultural scene. Over the years, the SWF has hosted global literary giants and showcased the works of major regional up-and-comers, including our own homegrown stars.

 

Breaking through the shadows of a global pandemic, the multilingual festival returned this year with an added touch of flamboyance beneath notions of indulgence – a brilliant gift of colours to brighten the increasingly tedious monotony of socially distanced lives.

Working around the theme “Guilty Pleasures”, SWF 2021 invites introspection and open celebrations of whatever makes you happy. This year’s indulgent motif centres around discussions and explorations of what it means to belong to traditions of high art, literature, and creative expression, challenging the scales on which we measure intrinsic value and ideas of respectability.

Recently ending its 5 – 14 Nov run, SWF 2021 was done in a hybrid format, making greater use of online engagements than before. International speakers were able to participate digitally.

And just like the proverbial opportunity born out of adversity, this year’s digital panels have given us all a chance to catch those that we missed and re-watch those that left us feeling a pressing urge to ponder further.

 

 

From now – 28 Nov, immerse in selected panels from this year’s thought-provoking line-up anytime, anywhere with SWF’s Video-on-Demand pass. Pass holders get to return to their favourite panels from the Festival and re-watch them as they please. For just $12, purchase a VOD pass and get unlimited access to over 80 programmes available, including this year’s Event of the Season with Julia Quinn, bestselling author of the phenomenal Bridgerton novels. Get to meet Rhianna Pratchett, the brains behind some of your favourite gaming moments, or spend a session with R.L. Stine, a name synonymous with teenage horror and all our adolescent memories.

Highlights that hit closer to home this year include The Magazines We Grew Up With, a panel in conversation with the voices behind LIME and Teens – yes, the ubiquitous schoolyard magazines of yesteryears – and Writing in the Dark: Scary Stories from SEA, with storytellers that have spent years at the heart of Singapore’s favourite hush-hush pastime: reminding one another about the things that roam where we cannot see.

Perfectly in line with this year’s running theme, you can now freely indulge in panels, repeatedly rewinding at any point, without the need to be limited by anybody’s expectations. Like other private endeavours, you get to watch, pause, or even simply choose a panel according to your own desires and at your exclusive discretion when you hold a VOD pass.

For more information on individual panels and a full rundown of all available programmes, click here. We recommend acquiring the pass as soon as possible in order to make the most out of it and its extensive offerings.

To avoid missing out because of the Festival’s limited duration, purchase SWF 2021’s VOD pass for just $12 today.

For more on the Singapore Writers Festival, visit their site here.