#BuySingLit goes bigger to promote Singapore Literature in 2019

Unique partnerships and additional weekend to boost SingLit accessibility to a more diverse audience.

Grab lunch and bond over Singaporean literature with a writer or get snippets of SingLit on-demand from a story machine – these are just some highlights of the over 80 programmes at #BuySingLit 2019. The third edition of this movement to promote Singapore literature promises to be its biggest yet, with the addition of an extra weekend of activity that will be held from 8-17 March 2019, which will cast a spotlight on unique programmes offered by various local publishers, retailers and non-profits.

“#BuySingLit seeks to bring SingLit closer to the hearts of Singaporeans, and we have a diverse range of programmes and partners in 2019 that will showcase the local literature scene in unusual ways and reach beyond our current SingLit book lovers. We are heartened by the support of our partners and local talent that has helped cultivate #BuySingLit 2019 to be its largest-ever yet.” says William Phuan, Executive Director, Singapore Book Council.

A programme making its debut in #BuySingLit 2019 is Sing Lit Cloud, a project by Sing Lit Station that will see special self-order machines with printers installed in three different locations around Singapore, such as Our Tampines Hub. The Sing Lit Cloud printers will dispense bite-sized excerpts of Singaporean bestsellers that you can take home with you for free.

“Our organisation has always been committed to promoting the literary arts in unique and innovative ways. We took an idea from France and spun it in a way that we hope will entice, entertain and enthral Singaporeans who have yet to hear about the many stories our local authors have been writing for a long, long time.” says Daryl Qilin Yam, Station Control of Sing Lit Station.

Another key highlight is #BuySingLit Yong Siak Street Party by independent bookshop BooksActually who have activated their neighbours along Yong Siak Street to bring SingLit to life along this Tiong Bahru street for a weekend. Besides book launches and panel discussions, participants can swap stories with a local writer over lunch at the family-run Cheng’s restaurant, or search for the elusive writer roving Yong Siak Street to score a personalised flash fiction story.

For busy Singaporeans, a debut programme of note in #BuySingLit 2019 is Grab SingLit, a joint collaboration between online SingLit retailer Localbooks.sg and Grab Singapore that allows Grab users to redeem a selection of SingLit books with their GrabReward points on the Grab app.

“There is a whole world of Singapore literature just waiting to be discovered and we are excited to be working with a partner like Grab to bring them to a larger audience. Through the Grab SingLit campaign, we hope the users of Grab Rewards will kick-start their exploration into the wonderful world of Singapore literature,” says Chloe Chee, Marketing Executive of LocalBooks.sg

“We are pleased to be part of BuySingLit 2019, and work with the organisers on this innovative initiative. We hope by making the local works easily accessible via our mobile platform, more people will be encouraged to discover Singapore’s literature. The initiative is also in-line with Grab’s latest efforts to enrich our users’ experience on our app beyond their daily transactions. We believe this is key as we strive to become the everyday super app in Singapore,” says Gillian Ang, Head of Marketing, Grab Singapore.

#BuySingLit 2019 will also see the launch of Pesta Buku Melayu, Singapore’s first ever Malay-centric book fair held in the heart of the Malay community Geylang Wisma Serai, thanks to a joint effort led by publisher Pustaka Islamiyah and six local publishers and arts groups. After a successful inaugural run in 2018, Textures — A Weekend with Words is back with the theme “Love and Loss (and some things in between), celebrating SingLit in various genres and forms.

For those seeking an intergenerational experience, look forward to the Legend of Bukit Merah – An Intergenerational Adaptation which dives into the legend of Redhill, that’s set to delight diverse audiences through different lens of the story. Or choose to unwind instead, with poetry and terrarium experience by Ethos Books. We All Step On Snails: A Poetry & Terrarium Experience lets you fight those urban blues through a poetry performance by poet Marc Nair while crafting your very own terrarium.

The #BuySingLit movement is supported by the National Arts Council. The secretariat is the Singapore Book Council, and the official advertising agency is DDB Group Singapore.

Click here to download Annex A (BSL 2019 Programme Highlights)