Singapore Unbound

About this Organization

Singapore beyond Singapore. Beyond territorial sovereignty and legal fictions. Beyond political controls and cultural straitjackets. Singapore Unbound is an invitation to dream new possibilities for the idea of Singapore. Starting in the USA, Singapore Unbound builds people-to-people understanding by facilitating cultural exchange, publishing literary works of merit, and presenting insightful events. Our flagship activity is the biennial Singapore Literature Festival in New York. Started in 2014, the festival brings together Singaporean and American authors and audiences for in-depth conversations about literature and society. Between festivals, we extend the dialogue by running the Second Saturdays Reading Series, a regular platform for the reading of Singaporean and American literatures in various intimate venues around New York City. Our independent press, Gaudy Boy, brings powerful works of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction by authors of Asian heritage to an American and Singaporean audience. Finally, SUSPECT is our journal of writing and art, publishing original writings, book reviews, and artist interviews. Our activities are guided by three core values. We aim to be independent, innovative, and inspiring. A staunch proponent of the freedom of expression, Singapore Unbound upholds the creative autonomy of the committed writer. We challenge censorship of the arts and support fair opportunities for all artists. Motivated by a spirit of innovation, we create opportunities and collaborations where none existed before. In our audience outreach, we seek always to inspire a love for literature. The arts, for us, are not a hobby or a tool, but a way of life. Singaporeans and Americans have been living in one each other’s country for a long time. The history of this two-way expatriation is yet to be written. More recently, with the growth in arts education, creative industries, and academic ties between both countries, more writers and artists are making their homes abroad. Singapore Unbound is born of this movement of people and ideas. We invite you to dream with us and shape the course of this migration.