{"title":"Creative non-fiction","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"home-is-where-we-are-hardcover","title":"Home is Where We Are  (Hardcover)","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eby Wang Gungwu with Margaret Wang\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePublished by NUS Press\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDoes home have to be a country or a city?... Or is home this house or that? We have been fortunate.... We seemed always to have been home.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWang Gungwu’s account of his university education in Singapore and the UK,  and the early years of his career as an academic in Malaysia capture the excitement, the ambition and the choices of a generation that saw it their responsibility to build the new nations of Southeast Asia.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe exploration of the emotional and intellectual journey towards the formation of an identity, treasured by readers of Wang's \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHome is Not Here,\u003c\/em\u003e extends in this volume into an appreciation of love, family life, and the life of the mind. We also see these years from Margaret’s perspective, her own fascinating family story, and her early impressions of this young bearded poet.  Wise and moving, this is a fascinating reflection on identity and belonging, and on the ability of the individual to find a place amidst the historical currents that have shaped Asia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr data-cke-eol=\"1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e","brand":"City Book Room","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42598287212762,"sku":"9789813251328","price":26.6,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/products\/36.jpg?v=1649310878"},{"product_id":"one-fierce-hour-by-alfian-saat","title":"One Fierce Hour \/ by Alfian Sa'at","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePublished by Landmark Books \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOne Fierce Hour\u003c\/em\u003e is Alfian Sa’at’s first and breakout work. It was hailed as ‘truly a landmark’ for Singaporean poetry when it was published in 1998 when the poet was just 21 years old. Since, then it has been kept in print and has entered the list of canonical anthologies of Singapore literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe collection contains the anti-anthem \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSingapore You Are Not My Country\u003c\/em\u003e written well before social media gave voice to dissent and different views of Singapore. Alfian remains an intelligent writer with an unabashedly social and political voice. He has written 37 plays, 3 works of prose and 2 poetry anthologies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr data-cke-eol=\"1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e","brand":"City Book Room","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42599900119258,"sku":"9789814189552","price":15.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/products\/69.jpg?v=1649337163"},{"product_id":"songs-from-a-distance","title":"Songs From A Distance","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eEdited by Vanessa Lim\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSongs From A Distance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e is an anthology of 31 poems composed by migrant workers based in Singapore. It collects the shortlisted and winning entries from the 2015 and 2016 Migrant Worker Poetry Competition organised by Shivaji Das and his team. The poems come in updated translations and are accompanied by an Introduction by Shivaji Das, an Editor's Note by Vanessa Lim, and a message from the designer Randy Yeo. Presented in a midnight blue cover with the poets' names printed on an exposed spine, Songs From A Distance gives unheard voices a new form, and stands at the forefront of an exciting and emerging literary genre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr data-cke-eol=\"1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e","brand":"City Book Room","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42602244571354,"sku":"9789811154904","price":29.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/products\/103.jpg?v=1649386031"},{"product_id":"migrant-life-by-omar-faruque-shipon","title":"Migrant Life\/ by Omar Faruque Shipon","description":"Migrant Life: Stories of Reverist\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBy Omar Faruque Shipon \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe narrator is ultimately the catalyst or repository for the stories of the varied quotidian workers he encounters. While not topographically explicit, the stories catch for us up close something of the poetry of conversations between migrant workers, often revealing complicated: stories of a worker missing his father's funeral far away, a mother's sorrow even her migrant son for whatever reason tries to lie on speakerphone, unfairnesses. \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBy reading these stories, you enter tragic-comic lives you perhaps never realised before, and yet perhaps uncannily similar in some ways to your own.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e~ By Richard Angus Whitehead (Lecturer at the National Institute of Education, Singapore)","brand":"City Book Room","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42602249683162,"sku":"","price":17.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/products\/105.jpg?v=1649386416"},{"product_id":"bite-harder-open-letters-close-readings-by-koh-jee-leong","title":"Bite Harder: Open Letters \u0026 Close Readings \/ By Koh Jee Leong","description":"Fifteen years ago, Koh Jee Leong left a promising career in Singapore’s Education Service in order to become a poet in New York City. The change was transformative. \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBite Harder: Open Letters and Close Readings\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e tells the story of the change through essays that blend the personal and the literary: unlikely friendships in graduate school and the Village; encounters with the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche and the activism of gender rights advocate Pauline Park; reading Eavan Boland on the Upper West Side and reading Gregory Woods in Queens. These formative experiences are described alongside pioneering essays on Singapore poets, such as Goh Poh Seng, Cyril Wong, Yeow Kai Chai, and Justin Chin, and uncompromising letters about the struggle for freedom of expression. Koh’s unique perspective as both insider and outsider informs these essays and letters.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBite Harder\u003c\/em\u003e is a vital contribution to the nascent genre of literary essays and the field of cultural criticism in Singapore.","brand":"City Book Room","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42603310973146,"sku":"","price":25.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/products\/115.jpg?v=1649396205"},{"product_id":"poems-from-prison-by-said-zahari","title":"Poems From Prison  \/ by Said Zahari","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"auto\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePublished by Function 8\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"auto\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"auto\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis collection of poems written by Said Zahari during his 17 years of imprisonment without trial under the ISA.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"auto\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"auto\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSaid Zahari was the editor-in-chief of Utusan Melayu. He was fluent in both Malay and English. During his time in prison, he learnt Chinese from his Nantah comrades and is also proficient in Chinese.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"auto\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"auto\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe book is in Malay and English.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"City Book Room","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42947215163610,"sku":"9789672638407","price":25.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/products\/saidzahari.jpg?v=1657087006"},{"product_id":"what-we-inherit-growing-up-indian-edited-by-shailey-hingorani-varsha-sivaram","title":"What We Inherit: Growing Up Indian \/ edited by Shailey Hingorani, Varsha Sivaram","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished by AWARE\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA celebration of the slippages, strife and secret histories that make us—for better or worse—who we are.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA woman faces off against a xenophobic stranger across a supermarket turnstile.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eA young girl mistakes her first period for strawberry yoghurt and endures an embarrassing puberty ceremony.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the funeral of her cruel and prejudiced dadhi, a granddaughter reflects on the confusions of grief and the trauma passed through family lines.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA follow-up to the best-selling anthology\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eGrowing Up Perempuan\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(AWARE, 2018),\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhat We Inherit\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003etells the stories of Indian women (and a few men) in Singapore entirely in their own words. They question the expectations foisted upon them, discover new avenues into old traditions and carve out spaces for joy amid anger and sorrow. At a time when the bonds between us seem at constant risk of breaking, \u003cem\u003eWhat We Inherit\u003c\/em\u003e turns our attention towards community in all its complexities. It’s a reminder of how we honour, betray and ultimately bear witness to each other… and ourselves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFeaturing contributions by:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAkshita Nanda, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBalli Kaur Jaswal, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eConstance Singam, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKelly Kaur, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMandakini Arora, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMatilda Gabrielpillai, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePooja Nansi, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePrasanthi Ram, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRanjana Raghunathan, Sharul Channa, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eand more\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ethos books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43015712243930,"sku":"","price":15.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/products\/57C54F21-EB5F-4A84-AE8F-A747803D8114.webp?v=1658731530"},{"product_id":"brown-is-redacted-reflecting-on-race-in-singapore","title":"Brown is Redacted: Reflecting on Race in Singapore","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"MainText\"\u003eEdited by \u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eKristian-Marc James Paul, Mysara Aljaru, Myle Yan Tay\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"MainText\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBrown is Redacted: Reflecting on Race in Singapore\u003c\/em\u003e responds to, expands on and questions what we think we know about the lived experiences of minority-raced people in Singapore. Inspired by Brown Is Haram, a performance-lecture on minority-race narratives staged at The Substation in 2021, this anthology reflects on how brownness is constructed, sidelined, but also celebrated in this nation-state. Through a combination of essays, academic works, poems, and stories by brown individuals, Brown is Redacted both attempts to and fails to create a singular brown experience. What this anthology does produce instead, is a moving and expressive work of solidarity and vulnerability.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\"\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBrown is Redacted\u003c\/em\u003e is an incredible and much-needed collection of work that challenges preconceived notions about state- and socially created categories. The works here interrogate the nature of identity, using the lenses of art, academia and personal experience and capturing the dreary pain of being othered as well as the powerful joy of being seen. The writers hold nothing back, offering their hurt, tenderly showcasing the beauty in the under-represented, and triumphantly celebrating individuality.\" \u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" lang=\"EN-US\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eAkshita Nanda, co-winner of the Singapore Literature Prize in English Fiction\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"MainText\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" lang=\"EN-US\"\u003e“\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBrown is Redacted\u003c\/i\u003e, through its ambition and lyricism, liberates us from the multicultural straitjacket stitched in the 1960s. On every page is a voice that has risen from the interstices of overlapping traditions and generations. Together they lay bare the complexities of the brown experience: the rawness of the struggle, the absurdity of the ignorance, the radical agency of choice, the ecstasy of solidarity. We can transcend. To be brown in Singapore is to dance between anguish and joy.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" lang=\"EN-US\"\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" lang=\"EN-US\"\u003eSudhir Thomas Vadaketh\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e, \u003c\/b\u003eEditor-in-Chief, \u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eJom\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ethos books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43414149857498,"sku":"9789811852725","price":27.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/products\/BCD4AB75-A880-47AA-BFC6-4818372BD727.webp?v=1666862152"},{"product_id":"besiege-me-by-nicholas-wong","title":"Besiege Me \/ by Nicholas Wong","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished by \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eNoemi Press\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePoetry. Asian \u0026amp; Asian American Studies. LGBTQIA Studies. A new collection six years after Nicholas Wong won the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry, BESIEGE ME opens with a timely mocking tone that confronts the tension between China and Hong Kong. Poems in the book speak queerly of urban existences crushed by political and economic powers --\"What cities \u0026amp; bodies deny a sometime-crisis, \/ not knowing they're a series of which?\" Behind the portrayals of the speaker, his parents, his home city, and domestic migrant workers there, the collection boldly outlines the vulnerability of entrapment and its masochistic pleasures. BESIEGE ME seeks for a redefinition of transcultural poetics with its linguistic playfulness.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAbout Nicholas Wong \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003eNicholas Wong is the author of BESIEGE ME (Noemi Press, 2021), and CREVASSE (Kaya Press, 2015), the winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry. He is also the recipient of the Australian Book Review's Peter Porter Poetry Prize. His poem has been longlisted for the University of Canberra Vice Chancellor's International Poetry Prize in 2019. Wong has contributed writing to the radio composition project \u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eOne of the Two Stories, Or Both\u003c\/span\u003e at the Manchester International Festival 2017, and the catalogue of the exhibition \u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eOne Hand Clapping\u003c\/span\u003e at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. He teaches at the Education University of Hong Kong.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"City Book Room","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43778726625498,"sku":"978193481944","price":34.7,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/products\/AE353637-6057-4C2D-A07C-16AAF578381A.webp?v=1678336132"},{"product_id":"no-bed-of-roses-the-rose-chan-story-cecil-rajendra","title":"No Bed of Roses - The Rose Chan Story \/ Cecil Rajendra","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe true story of Asia’s legendary ‘Striptease Queen’.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“All her life Rose had battled poverty, prejudice, moral hypocrisy, racism, puritanism and gender discrimination – and often, but not always, emerged triumphant.”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSent by her impoverished parents from China to Singapore in 1931, six-year-old Rose Chan learned to survive on her wits and bravado. The Flower of Malaya transformed herself into the consummate show woman with her shocking dance moves and snake wrestling acts that took her and her troupe around Malaya and the world. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBehind the glamour, the five marriages, travel and adulation was a life of hardship, sorrow and suffering that threatened to break her but never left her bowed. In her ‘retirement’ years, Rose returned to the one place she felt happiest – Penang – where she ran her famous Sakura club until her untimely death in 1987. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLawyer and poet Cecil Rajendra was introduced to Rose Chan in the 80s when she invited him to pen her memoirs. ‘No Bed of Roses’ charts the remarkable story of Asia’s ‘Striptease Queen’ who was also known as the ‘Charity Queen’ in her later years.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"City Book Room","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44065405927642,"sku":"9789671765791","price":29.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/files\/IMG_2366.jpg?v=1693194175"},{"product_id":"new-singapore-poetries","title":"New Singapore Poetries","description":"\u003cp\u003eEdited by Marylyn Tan and Jee Leong Koh\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eWrapping itself, tasting, luxuriating in the recurrent themes of the body, family, sexuality, spirituality, neo-colonialism, geographies, positionalities, identity, and nationalism, \u003cem\u003eNew Singapore Poetries \u003c\/em\u003ebrims with the ambition and talent of 18 of Singapore’s newest poetic voices, many hitherto unpublished. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eShowcasing an expansive body of work by each poet, \u003cem\u003eNew Singapore Poetries\u003c\/em\u003e is a breathtaking testament to the imagination and nerve of what poetry in Singapore can be—an interrogation of the  very nature of what constitutes a poem; a straddling of national identity and personal grief; a processing and yet remembrance of erased history and rewritten trajectories—a way to tell the truth anew. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eMired against the backdrop of Singapore the country, Singapore the city-state republic, and ‘Singapore’ the concept, bearing witness to the past and crystallizing the present, \u003cem\u003eNew Singapore Poetries\u003c\/em\u003e architects futures yet unseen, but yearned for.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEditors:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMarylyn Tan \u003c\/strong\u003eis a sensuous and queer writer-artist-reprobate. Her work aims to subvert, revert and pervert, to disrespect respectability, to take pleasure seriously, and to reclaim power. Her first child, \u003cem\u003eGAZE BACK\u003c\/em\u003e (Ethos Books, 2018; Singapore Literature Prize, 2020), is the lesbo trans-genre grimoire you never knew you needed. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJee Leong Koh\u003c\/strong\u003e is the author of \u003cem\u003eSteep Tea\u003c\/em\u003e (Carcanet), named a Best Book of the Year by UK's \u003cem\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/em\u003e and a Finalist by Lambda Literary in the US. His collection of zuihitsu \u003cem\u003eThe Pillow Book\u003c\/em\u003e was shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize. His second Carcanet book \u003cem\u003eInspector Inspector\u003c\/em\u003e was published in August 2022. Originally from Singapore, he lives in New York City.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eContributors:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlly Chua I \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAndrew Kirkrose Devadason I \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnurak Saelaow I \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChristian Yeo I \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHamid Roslan\u003cspan\u003e I \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eila I \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIzyanti Asa’ari  I \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJack Xi I \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKenneth Constance Loe I \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLaetitia Keok I \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLisabelle Tay I \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLune Loh I \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eMok Zining I \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eNathaniel Chew I \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eShawn Hoo I \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eShou Jie Eng I \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eworms virk I \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"City Book Room","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44133445009626,"sku":"","price":24.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/files\/11.webp?v=1696928513"},{"product_id":"dakota","title":"Dakota \/ by Wong Koi Tet","description":"\u003cp\u003eTranslated by Shanna Tan \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDakota\u003c\/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/citybookroom.com\/products\/da_ge_da\"\u003e达哥打\u003c\/a\u003e by Wong Koi Tet, winner of the 2020 Singapore Literature Prize (Chinese Creative Non-fiction), meets readers in an English translation by Shanna Tan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDakota\u003c\/em\u003e is a sharp and whimsical work of literary creative non-fiction about coming-of-age in the 1970-80s in an iconic Singapore neighbourhood lost to urban renewal named Dakota Crescent. The deeply personal vignettes stitch together a mosaic of Singapore’s urban history. Humorous with a touch of melancholy, Wong Koi Tet’s evocative writing makes us reflect on place as an anchor of history, heritage and home.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e ‘\u003cem\u003eDakota\u003c\/em\u003e is about a place that has expired, about distant memories and forgotten things, but writing it enveloped me in a comforting intimacy. \u003cspan style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'San Francisco', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e– Wong Koi Tet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLimited box sets of \u003cem\u003eDakota\u003c\/em\u003e are available \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/citybookroom.com\/products\/dakota-box-set\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePUBLICATIONS IN LITERARY MAGAZINES\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"The Longkau's Name\" originally appeared in \u003cspan\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.thecommononline.org\/the-longkaus-name\/\"\u003eThe Common\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“My Take on Pantheism,” “21 Grams,” and “The Neighborhood Zoo” originally appeared in The Southern Review (\u003cspan\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.thesouthernreview.org\/issues\/detail\/Autumn-2022\/262\/\"\u003eAutumn 2022\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“An Instant,” “Because of Cod Liver Oil,” and “Zipping Up” originally appeared in The Georgia Review (\u003cspan\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/thegeorgiareview.com\/shop\/issues\/winter-2023\/\"\u003eWinter 2023\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eABOUT THE AUTHOR\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWong Koi Tet (Singapore, 1973) is an esteemed writer in the Singapore Chinese literary scene and has worn many hats in his writing career: a journalist with a local Chinese newspaper, an editor of literary magazine \u003cem\u003eAfterwards\u003c\/em\u003e in the 1990s, a drama scriptwriter for the local television channel and now, a part-time creative writing lecturer at Nanyang Technological University. Since 1995, he has published several books of prose, poetry, short stories, and cultural commentary. \u003cem\u003eDakota \u003c\/em\u003e达哥打\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003ewas first published in 2018 and clinched the 2020 Singapore Literature Prize in Chinese Creative Non-fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eABOUT THE TRANSLATOR\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShanna Tan is a Singaporean translator working from Korean, Chinese and Japanese into English. She translated the bestselling \u003cem\u003eWelcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop\u003c\/em\u003e by Hwang Bo-reum (Bloomsbury, 2023) and is working on a few more projects at the moment.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"City Book Room","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44776296120538,"sku":"9789811892363","price":25.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/files\/english-singlecover.jpg?v=1711897386"},{"product_id":"a-million-kites-testimonies-and-poems-from-the-children-of-gaza","title":"A Million Kites --- Testimonies and Poems from the Children of Gaza","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThis little book is a collection of poems and testimonies from the children of Gaza, compiled between October 2023 and March 2024.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eLeila Boukarim and Asaf Luzon came together in December 2023 to create this book with the aim of raising funds to support organizations helping Gazans and to amplify the voices of Gazan children who have suffered, and continue to suffer unfathomable injustices.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"sqsrte-text-highlight\" data-text-attribute-id=\"ac1adab7-cd41-4591-bec1-d95df6325ac2\"\u003eAll profits\u003c\/span\u003e from the sale of this book will be donated to organizations helping the people of Gaza.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"City Book Room ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45984790479066,"sku":"9783000787126","price":17.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/files\/Screenshot2024-11-20at4.17.39PM.png?v=1732090841"},{"product_id":"the-teddy-bear-chronicles-xi-xi","title":"The Teddy Bear Chronicles \/ Xi Xi","description":"\u003cp\u003e(Hardcover)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTranslated by Christina Sanderson\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is a most unusual book. For several decades Xi Xi has been widely known for her award-winning poetry and fiction. This time, she has chosen to write about the teddy bears she began making in 2005, after treatment for cancer, in order to improve the mobility of her right hand. She made the bears herself from scratch, choosing some of her favourite characters from history and legend such as the Taoist philosopher Master Zhuang, the Mongol ruler Genghis Khan, and Beauty and the Beast. She also created exquisite items of clothing for them and wove a series of delightfully witty essays around them, giving her readers fascinating insights into Chinese culture, and into the ways in which Chinese clothing and fashion have evolved through the ages.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is a book for all who love literature and teddy bears.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"City Book Room ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46249777397978,"sku":"9789882371859","price":50.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/files\/IMG_0074.jpg?v=1740967236"},{"product_id":"51-personae-tarwewijk-marielle-marielle","title":"51 Personae: Tarwewijk mariëlle \/  mariëlle","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e《51人：塔尔维》 （51 Personae: Tarwewijk）是一本三语（荷、中、英）的写作与图像笔记，基于一个人在自己街区的独自行走。\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e它的起因是2019年8月陈韵对ook的一次拜访。ook是艺术家mariëlle在鹿特丹刚刚开始创办的一个在自己家里和社区里的艺术项目。在这24小时的停留之后，mariëlle对51人项目产生了浓厚的兴趣，并提议一起做点什么。 2019年的秋冬，mariëlle开始通过电邮向陈韵描述她刚搬来一年的塔尔维街区，她通过步行所观察到的这一街区和周边街区的人们、设施、房子和公共空间。这些写给朋友的邮件，一直持续到新冠疫情爆发。\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e有一天，陈韵建议将这些内容汇编成一本小册子，作为给塔尔维和鹿特丹城南居民的礼物，也是给所有想在一个新的地方寻找“家”的感觉的人们的参考。这不是City Walk，虽然它的确鼓励更多地行走。这些独自的行走，并没有走出每日生活的范畴，只是故意地绕了一些弯路，同还不认识的人们开口说一些不是很有必要的话，并提出了一些“多余”的问题。这些行走不只是在发现外部环境和他们看似平淡无奇的历史，更是在发现寻常城市角落里的反常，以及这些反常与自身经历的联结，发现和追问什么才是构成“家”的所在的基础。\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e----------\u003cbr\u003eAbout the author\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003emariëlle verdijk loves and writes in Rotterdam (CET), where she is also part-time chef and full time neighbour.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"City Book Room ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46337180631258,"sku":"","price":20.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/files\/Screenshot2025-03-31at1.50.33PM.png?v=1743400242"},{"product_id":"the-saga-podcast-transcripts-kelly-leow-and-jasmine-ng","title":"The Saga Podcast Transcripts \/ Kelly Leow and Jasmine Ng","description":"\u003cp\u003eMarch 2009. When 100 strangers arrived at a run-of-the-mill meeting for Singapore gender-equality group AWARE, long-time members sensed that something was wrong. Who were the mysterious women wresting control of this respected volunteer organisation? And what disturbing secrets united them? What happened next became the stuff of national legend: starting with an astonishing coup and culminating in an extraordinary demonstration of equality and justice. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFirst released in 2020 as an award-winning long-form narrative podcast—the first ever in Singapore—\u003cem\u003eSaga\u003c\/em\u003e captured the social and political reverberations, and electrifying plot twists, that defined this chapter in Singapore civil society history. Now \u003cem\u003eThe \u003c\/em\u003eSaga \u003cem\u003ePodcast Transcripts: Fury, Faith and the Fight for Justice in the AWARE Saga\u003c\/em\u003e brings together in print the voices of those who lived it—the activists, observers and members of the public who found themselves swept into the storm.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is more than a record of events. It is an intimately human story of power and resistance, courage and community—and a reminder of how fragile, and how vital, civic life can be.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eSaga\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnyone who has an interest in Singapore and how the cogs move within it should pay attention to this groundbreaking work. --- \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTan Pin Pin, filmmaker\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eStorytelling done right ... sharp details and characterisation contribute high fidelity definition to the drama of a hostile takeover. ---- \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNg Kah Gay, publisher\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Authors\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eKelly Leow \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eand\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e Jasmine Ng \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eare the co-writers and co-producers of the podcast \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/aware.org.sg\/saga\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eSaga\u003c\/a\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e(2020-21).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout AWARE\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The \u003cstrong\u003eAssociation of Women for Action and Research (AWARE)\u003c\/strong\u003e is Singapore’s leading women’s rights and gender equality organisation. Since its formation in 1985, AWARE has carried out research on numerous issues affecting women, including workplace sexual harassment, poverty of older women and Singapore’s compliance with UN anti-gender discrimination standards. Over the years, AWARE has effectively advocated against laws, public policies and mindsets that discriminate against women. AWARE also provides case management, counselling, legal advice, befriending and other assistance to women in need. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"City Book Room ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47797905948890,"sku":"9789819445974","price":45.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/files\/34e040_529d329c999f43fc966e1a2bf5b36891_mv2.png?v=1777100931"},{"product_id":"things-in-nature-merely-grow-yiyun-li","title":"Things in Nature Merely Grow \/ Yiyun Li","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e[ paperback edition ] \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR MEMOIR 2026\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2025\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'The best book I have read this year' \u003c\/strong\u003eDAVID NICHOLLS\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Masterly … I'm in awe' \u003c\/strong\u003eSALMAN RUSHDIE\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Beautiful' \u003c\/strong\u003eDOUGLAS STUART\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Extraordinary'\u003c\/strong\u003e SARAH MOSS\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'A formidable testament to a mother's love' \u003c\/strong\u003eSARA COLLINS\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'There is no good way to say this,' Yiyun Li writes at the beginning of this book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'There is no good way to state these facts, which must be acknowledged. My husband and I had two children and lost them both: Vincent in 2017, at sixteen, James in 2024, at nineteen. Both chose suicide, and both died not far from home.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is no good way to say this - because words fall short. In this remarkable, defiant work of radical acceptance, Li turns to thinking and searching for words that might hold a place for her son, James. Li does 'the things that work': including not just writing but gardening, reading Camus and Wittgenstein, learning the piano, and living thinkingly alongside death. \u003cem\u003eThings in Nature Merely Grow\u003c\/em\u003e is a testament to Li's indomitable spirit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"City Book Room ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47915717886170,"sku":"9780008753849","price":25.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/files\/71Wxql3-WQL._SL1500.jpg?v=1779800416"},{"product_id":"the-monkey-chronicles-xi-xi","title":"The Monkey Chronicles \/ Xi Xi","description":"\u003cp\u003eTranslated by David Morgan, Jasmine Tong Man \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book is the translation of \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/citybookroom.com\/products\/yuan_hou_zhi_xixi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003e猿猴志\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/citybookroom.com\/products\/yuan_hou_zhi_xixi\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAfter her celebrated \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe Teddy Bear Chronicles\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, Xi Xi turns her creative vision towards the world of the primate kingdom. At the age of 73, Xi Xi traveled extensively across Asia, from tropical forests to conservation centers, immersing herself in the natural world of apes and monkeys\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eXi Xi then documented 51 endearing ape and monkey puppets that she had sewn, weaving them into a series of insightful dialogues with her friend, the Hong Kong writer Ho Fuk Yan. These discussions cover the depiction of apes and monkeys in Chinese and Western literature, painting, drama, and film, as well as the close relationship between humans and their primate relatives. Xi Xi's own words, imbued with a profound empathy, reveal the heart of her work: \"If there is a common theme to our conversation, it is to respect life and speak for those lives that have been discriminated against in the history of human development, and apes are the starting point for this.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"City Book Room ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48043973443802,"sku":"9789882373556","price":80.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/files\/51f94tVoovL._AC_UF1000_1000_QL80.jpg?v=1781242068"},{"product_id":"slander-an-autotheory-of-six-malayan-films-remy-shah-jeremy-sharma","title":"Slander! an autotheory of six malayan films, Remy Shah \/ Jeremy Sharma","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhy did we not explore the Malay world that we formerly inhabited? How did Malaya’s flourishing cinema of the 1950-60’s, a Southeast Asian counterpart of Hollywood, fade into oblivion?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ePerhaps this happened by the slander of imagination brought upon ourselves, being in constant demand to construct, upgrade, reclaim and renew. The increased silence of the past rests upon a culture that becomes complicit with silence. It presses, yet probes like a burden, partially self-imposed through the everyday.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"Basisalinea\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-US\"\u003eThis book is a study of six films made between 1958–1963 in pre-independence Singapore, as told through the fictional persona of Remy Shah. In his story, Shah applies characteristics of both fiction and theoretical essays, along timestamps and still images of film sequences. It is a book of autotheory; a kind of meta-novel which is at once a diary, a thesis, and a meditation. The artist novel addresses how we perceive both images in films through the lens of time, and coloniality and history through the lens of film.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBelieving in the capacity of art to dynamically narrate points and connections, artist Jeremy Sharma–using the pseudonym Remy Shah–samples history by means of film, painting, writing, philosophy and more, while intertwining them with cultural and personal positions that are contemporaneous with socio-economic topics and matters of affection, both pressing and beautiful. In revitalizing screenshots from past films, he poetically sutures fragments of an archive to become an assemblage that continuously resists identification. As fact, fiction, notes and anecdotes, the information age finds historical, cultural, and personal resonances in the present.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"City Book Room ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48217627197658,"sku":"9789083404134","price":34.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/9344\/0730\/files\/18_09_20232908_jpg.webp?v=1783996742"}],"url":"https:\/\/citybookroom.com\/zh-tw\/collections\/creative-non-fiction\/%e5%8e%86%e5%8f%b2%e4%ba%ba%e6%96%87.oembed","provider":"City Book Room ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}