Celebrating a poet, writer, teacher: Sing Lit Station and Pagesetters come together in a new fundraising initiative to support the publication of Ho Poh Fun’s written works.
We hope that by bringing awareness to one of Singapore’s first ecoliterary female writers, we can continue to inspire and educate readers and writers to contribute and respond to Singaporean history and literature.
“earth sprouts spathes for wombs cradling tight each a nipple a peep of a shoot” — from “Anthurium” ┉ “Did I hear the lost sea groan amidst the flow of suburban traffic? A gurgle in some underground crevice was stifled even as the past ought to intrude on the present. A sudden fear gripped me. Nothing I spoke of sounded real anymore” — from “East Coast Story” ┉ “when at last I go to make payment deliberating between which of the two credit cards I should flash at the counter my father gives a look which speaks very clearly he regrets having voted a party in more than thirty years ago” — from “shopping”
‘The Collected Works of Ho Poh Fun’ brings together the complete manuscript of Katong and Other Poems, five of her published short stories in the literary journal Singa and miscellaneous pieces.
One of the first ecoliterary female writers in Singapore, Ho’s writing reflects a range of concerns that still resonate today. Refusing to be pigeon-holed as a writer, Ho’s little-read fiction expresses the keen sensibility of female desire and a keen response to the island’s extensive land reclamation in the 1970s.
At a time when the modern woman was portrayed in terms of career and home, Ho wrote about the agency of feminine consumerism, and Singapore’s transition into a nation of shopping centres. Edited by Dr Ann Ang, the volume brings together creative and critical responses to her work by fellow writers, friends and former students.
More than commemorating Ho’s life, this new volume presents her as a writer in her own right.
Contribute to this landmark publication by making a donation to Sing Lit Station in support of production costs, or write your own creative (textual / visual) or critical response to one of her works.
Support this project:
Follow @singlitstation and @pagesetters on Instagram and Facebook for more information about this fundraising campaign.
A Note about Funding this Project
Books are a labour of love, requiring time and professional expertise to bring to fruition. The limited number of poetry readers means that publishers are not always able to publish writers who justly deserve to be published, and the growing tradition of Singapore writing remains locked away in out-of-print editions. In contributing financially to this book project, you are committing to bringing out Ho’s writing in print. The publishing house for Ho’s book will be Pagesetters Services.
Potential dollar matching from the Cultural Matching Fund, if approved, will go to covering our fundraising costs and supporting our efforts to grow the Singapore literary scene.
Editorial Call for Submissions
As part of the manuscript preparation, Dr Ann Ang is also inviting fellow writers and interested individuals to build the critical and memorial context(s) for The Collected Works of Ho Poh Fun (working title). The publishing team would like for you to write your own creative (textual / visual) or critical response to one of her poems or fiction pieces, but would equally welcome your own recollections about Ho as a writer or teacher.
In particular, we are interested in recollections that illuminate her influences, her thinking about her own writing specifically, or literature in general. Expressions of interest can be sent to ann.ang@nie.edu.sg. Submissions are due 31 March 2024 and should be about 5 poems or 2000 words. An honorarium will be offered for all accepted contributions. The amount of the honorarium can be determined based on the funds raised.
About Sing Lit Station
Est. July 2016 / A platform where readers and writers meet. Sing Lit Station is a literary non-profit and writers’ centre in Singapore. We are a registered charity and Institution of Public Character (IPC) since Dec 2016.
We aim to grow the literary community by: 1. Providing professional development for emerging and established writers; 2. Creating a one-stop portal for new and existing readers of Singapore literature; 3. Building a participative community within the literary scene and the general reading population.
Beyond our core programmes described below, we also organise a variety of innovative outreach and public art programmes including the Singapore Poetry On The Sidewalks, where we stencilled invisible poetry onto the sidewalks of popular art districts; Sing Lit Body Slam, where we offered a world-first showcase blending professional wrestling and spoken word; as well as Manuscript Bootcamp, our exclusive and intensive weekend-long editorial programme for aspiring writers.
We are also carrying a writing workshop series for migrant workers and other underprivileged communities.
Any queries? Contact Karisa Poedjirahardjo from Sing Lit Station Limited: karisa@singlitstation.com
About Pagesetters
Pagesetters Services is a content specialist focusing on print and digital publications.
At Pagesetters, we make sure to listen first to the foundation of your ideas. Then, we work to make sure that your project is brought to its fruitful completion. This ensures that the core of your project is exactly that: the heart that drives the storytelling.
Pagesetters runs the Ethos Books imprint, an independent publisher of non-fiction, fiction, and poetry.