Compare and contrast to Pink Dot in 2009.
Pink Dot 2017 - Part One
in Singapore
Compare and contrast to Pink Dot in 2009.
Please support the Jakarta Animal Aid Network and their campaign to end this cruel and inhumane practise. Please donate here.
"Long Tailed Macaques are extremely popluar in Indonesia as they are used as Dancing Monkeys, Topeng Monyet is what they are called in the Indonesian Language.
Therefore this project has a major focus on the Dancing monkeys. This extremely cruel practice is where juvenile Macaques are forced to perform (dance, ride bikes) in the loud and very crowded busy streets of Jakarta. An illegal trade in wild Macaques has built up around this phenomena known as ‘Topeng Monyet’.
JAAN observed a worrying increase in the use of these monkeys on Jakarta streets since 2009 and has started to campaign against this abuse ever since."
In 2009 cowboy hats and bunny ears were in. There was a lot more space too.
At the end of 2016, Sing Lit Station held its first Prose Bootcamp with Clarissa Goenawan, Ng Yi-Sheng, Toh Hsien Men and Teoh Ren Jie, and a cast of writers, publishers, agents, academics and editors.
In June 2017 Krishna, Daryl and I regrouped with the Clarissa, Yi-Sheng and Hsien Minh and spent a very pleasant Saturday afternoon going through their manuscripts.
Here are some of the images.
We Rose Up Slowly, The Second Edition,
is available at
Books Actually, all good bookstores and online here (free shipping in Singapore).
I must concede I did not take to the cover at first, and argued with the publisher - whose winning argument was that I was too old to know what would sell to the average young Singaporean.
Now I think the cover is really good and I don't know what I was complaining about.
I think I was too attached to the First Edition cover. Sigh.
Let me know what you think.
Speakeasy #31 was held on 17 May 2017 at Artistry with poets, Yong Shu Hoong and Will Beale.
Shu Hoong is one of my favourite poets and Frottage one of the best Singaporean poetry books published. Will Beale is such an exciting poet who uses music to great effect.
If you missed this reading, or want to hear more, then do come along to "Singapore & Australia: connections, country & belonging”, a literary roundtable presented by Sing Lit Station on 22 June 2017 at 3A Jalan Kubor.
Shu Hoong and Will, and also Balli Kaur Jaswal, David Wong and Eileen Chong, will be reading and discussing their Singapore Australian connections.
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows was sold out at Books Actually last Thursday night after Balli Kaur Jaswal's book launch.
Another wonderful, warm novel from Balli, and a very enjoyable book launch.
Here's a review from one of my favourite newspapers, The Economist.
Many thanks and hats off to the multi-talented Daryl Qilin Yam for taking most of these images.
All images are copyright Jon Gresham and Daryl Qilin Yam, all rights reserved. Please contact me if you wish to purchase rights to use an image.
SingPoWriMo 2017 closing party at Sing Lit Station.
The roti prata was very nice. The poetry even nicer. Well done to all the winners. 'Bread talks, but the kopi tiam.'
Don't forget to support the SIngPoWriMo 2017 Anthology at Indiegogo
This year's anthology will be edited by Ruth Tang, Stephanie Dogfoot and Daryl Qilin Yam.