Poets & Writers Theater

“My process of writing is one of contemplation and one of constantly trying to be as authentic as possible in the emotions that I’m trying to express.” Cyril Wong speaks about the voices from his dreams and meditation practice that gave him the stories for his new novel, This Side of Heaven, out now from Epigram Books.

“Without knowing where we came from and how we got here, how can we possibly understand where we are and come to grips with where we go next?” Jeremy Tiang describes the history and research involved in writing his debut novel, State of Emergency (Epigram Books, 2017), which explores the leftist movements of Singapore and Malaysia through the members of one family.

“I think that with writing, it’s really a space that you own...this sort of free space where you’re really sure of what you’re doing and it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks or what sorts of boxes even exist out there.” Amanda Lee Koe, author of Ministry of Moral Panic (Epigram Books, 2013) and winner of a 2016 PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grant for Ten Years of Marriage by Su Qing, talks about the relationship between her creative process and inspirations, which include the city of Singapore.