Trainers/Speakers | The Singapore Book Council Academy

Inga Gaile (Latvia)

Inga Gaile (1976) is a Latvian poet, prose writer, spoken-word performer, playwright and theatre director, and translator of poetry from Russian. Her work focuses on everyday lives of women, gender issues and social injustices. To date she has published five books of poetry, including her latest Lieldienas (Easter, 2018) and a book of poems for children Vai otrā grupa mani dzird? (Can the Back Row Hear Me? 2014). Among her prose works is the Stikli (The Glass Shards, 2016), published as part of the series of historical novels titled We. Latvia: The 20th Century, and her collection of short stories Piena ceļi (Milky ways, 2018). Mūsu Silvija debesīs (Our Sylvia, who art in Heaven) is her theatre play about Sylvia Plath. Her selected poems 30 Questions People Don’t Ask came out from Pleiades Press in 2018 in translation by Ieva Lešinska. She is active in the feminist movement in Latvia and founder of a female stand-up comedy group.

Courses conducted:

Writing For Children And Young People: Coincidences And Realities Of Crossing Borders (2019)

Ana Sousa Gavin

Ana Sousa Gavin is an experienced storyteller and trainer, qualified in Psychology and Early Years Education. She has a great passion for storytelling and believes that anyone can be a storyteller with their own personal style.

Courses conducted:

Anya Goncharova

Anya Goncharova is a literary agent working for Peony Literary Agency and Tender Leaves Translation. Currently based in Shanghai, she works with international and local authors to connect them with top publishers and readers all over the world. Prior to her agenting role, she was the editor heading the English-language list at Penguin Random House North Asia where she published a variety of fiction and non-fiction from and about the region. Anya works in English, Russian and Chinese and she is always on the lookout for fiction in English and in translation, as well as original non-fiction.

Courses conducted:

Woo Hsia Ling

Woo Hsia Ling is an independent Producer, Production and Stage Manager. She has produced participatory theatre performances such as A TINY COUNTRY by Attempts (commissioned by M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020); and Saltwater by Jamie Lewis (Theatre Works in Melbourne 2015, Brisbane Festival 2015, and Bleach* Festival 2016 in Gold Coast). Ling was also the Managing Producer for Chinatown Crossings by Drama Box, a promenade theatre performance that ran two sold-out seasons in 2018 and 2019. She is currently the Producer for The Little Old Cooking Club That Could by Jamie Lewis which will premiere at Drama Box’s Scenes Festival this year.

Ling graduated from Queensland University of Technology with a Master of Creative Industries (Creative Production & Arts Management).

Courses conducted:

From Page to Stage: 17A Keong Saik Road (2020)

Koh Hui Ling

Koh Hui Ling is a theatre practitioner who finds meaning in the process of community engagement and the participation of non-artists in art-making. Her desire to create alternative avenues for public dialogue has led to the development of GoLi – The Moving Theatre, Singapore’s first inflatable moving theatre that transforms spaces into vibrant places for critical discourses. Currently the Associate Artistic Director of Drama Box, she formed its youth engagement work and has developed a set of Drama-in-Education and Theatre-in-Education programmes for youths, teachers and adult-learners. Recognised for her contribution to community, youth and culture, Hui Ling has been awarded the Young Artist Award from the National Arts Council Singapore and the Singapore Youth Award from the National Youth Council.

Courses conducted:

From Page to Stage: 17A Keong Saik Road (2020)

Dr George Jacobs

Dr George Jacobs has taught collaborative learning to a wide variety of teachers in Singapore, from teachers of lower primary students to teachers of adults. Furthermore, he has written many articles and books on collaborative learning, reading and related topics. George serves on the boards of the International Association for the Study of Cooperation in Education and the Extensive Reading Foundation. Currently, he teaches at James Cook University, as well as helping the Book Council.

Courses conducted:

Shelley Kenigsberg

Shelley Kenigsberg is a prominent freelance editor, writer and trainer. She runs S K Publishing (working with a range of private and publishing clients) and, since 2009, has presented Editing in Paradise masterclass programs. In 2012, Writing in Paradise began and now, both programs are fun in (as the name suggests) paradisiacal places. This year, Byron Bay, Ibiza, Myanmar and Bali. She is currently involved in training editors, mentoring writers, and editing and writing for trade, corporate, academic and educational, government and private clients.

Shelley is Head of the Macleay Diploma in Book Editing and Publishing and has delivered the course for the past 26 years. She has developed and presented courses for writers centres (Northern Rivers WC, Northern Territory WC, NSW WC, Tasmanian WC, Qld WC); Asia-Pacific Writers and Translators; Societies of Editors, Style Council, Institute of Professional Editors conferences, Distance Education for the Open Learning Conference in Australia; writers festivals in Indonesia (Ubud Writers Festival 2004–16) and language and corporate institutes overseas (Indonesia, Japan and South Africa). Shelley is a founding member of Professional Editors Association (NSW), was President of the NSW Society of Editors from 2001–03, Vice-President in 2004, Chair of the Accreditation Board and active in other national initiatives through the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd).

Shelley is writing her own book. So she understands how to wear a few hats. The author one is, currently, the worst fitting. This will change.

Courses conducted:

Smita Khanna

Smita has been working with Jacaranda Literary Agency for over two years. Within the agency she wears many hats – those of an assistant agent, running of Write Advice, which is Jacaranda’s editorial consultancy, as well as keeping an eye out for good book ideas and the right people to write those books.

Courses conducted:

Is My Book Agent Ready? Editing your manuscript for submission to an agent (2020)

Catherine Khoo

Author, educator, editor and publisher (in this order!), Catherine Khoo, has been writing and publishing since 1988.

She created the Young Author Scheme in 2003, mentoring under-18s to pen their first novella.

In 2005, she set up her own boutique publishing house, Experiences & Experiments Books, to showcase the works of her young authors as the big publishing houses deem them too childish! Since then, a selection of young authors’ books are available in print, as ebooks, and collected into anthologies. http://www.catherinekhoo.sg/estore

In 2010, she launched the Young Reader Club (YRC) magazine, the host of excellent stories by 10 to 14 year olds. YRC prides itself on its reputation of presenting excellent works of art, supporting emerging writers and connecting young authors with audiences of all nationalities, across lifestyles and cultures.

In 2017, she franchised out her creative education suite, Unique English Classroom, to Malaysia, http://www.english.edu.my/ (10 centres) and Philippines http://www.uecyoungauthors.com.ph/(8 centres).

Her vision: to build the next generation of thinkers and writers while creating a library of children’s literature for the region!

Courses conducted:

Anthony Koh Waugh

Anthony has been a writer-bookseller since 2007. As a full-time freelance writer, he has over seven years of writing experience for various online and print magazines. His portfolio ranges from lifestyle pieces and celebrity interviews to self-help articles and investigative reports. He founded Booktique Where Writers Shop, a literary bookshop in 2013 to support independent writers. His proudest achievement in writing was when POPULAR Bookstore CEO invited him to contribute his life-changing story to their corporate magazine Popular News.

Courses conducted:

How to Survive as a Freelance Writer (2018)

Lee Kow Fong

Lee Kow Fong, or Ah Guo, graduated with a BA(Hons) from the National University of Singapore and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Translation and Interpretation from the Nanyang Technological University. He received his MA in Children’s Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University, UK in 2011. Besides teaching as a full-time lecturer at the School of Humanities & Social Sciences, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, he is also actively involved in the promotion and creation of children’s picture-books in Singapore.

Courses conducted:

Josef Lee

Josef Lee is a Singaporean picture-book writer-artist and his illustrated short stories have been shared online on his blog, 'Josef Lee's Bedtime Stories for Adults' since 2008. To date, he has created 18 picture-stories. In April 2017, Josef successfully published his first picture-book - 'Wake Me Up At Happyland' via a crowdfunding campaign. Since then, his works have attracted the attention of various publishers from Taiwan and China. Within two years, he has published a total of eight picture-books and one novel adaptation. Another of his work is currently being adapted into a children's play in China, and slated to be performed all around China.

Courses conducted:

Karen Lee

Karen is a storyteller and trainer with 20 years of teaching experience in the education field. She has been telling stories to people of all ages, from all walks of life, sharing with them hope, courage and a chance to understand the self and others. She has trained preschool teachers and volunteers who tell stories in their communities. She enjoys bringing to her audience the joy that can be gained from storytelling.

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Lee Seow Ser

Lee Seow Ser is the author of The Rain Tree and Si Ma Guang and the Giant Jar. As project lead of To S.I.R. (Socially Inclusive Reads) with Love, she joyfully creates values-imbued picture books with stories in dyslexia-friendly font, Braille and tactile elements for children, with or without special needs, to enjoy.

Courses conducted:

Improving the reading comprehension skills of dyslexic children aged 7 – 9 (2018)

Charmaine Leung

Charmaine Leung is the author of 17A Keong Saik Road – a creative nonfiction book about her childhood in Keong Saik Road when it was a prominent red-light precinct in 1970s and 1980s. After a life overseas for almost 20 years, Charmaine returned to Singapore and discovered a vastly different Keong Saik Road. Her childhood and the changes she witnessed upon her return promoted her to pen a memoir of her growing up years. 17A Keong Saik Road was shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize 2018 and has been featured in various panels in Singapore Writers Festival and talks since its launch in May 2017.

Courses conducted:

From Page to Stage: 17A Keong Saik Road (2020)

Caryl Lewis (Wales / United Kingdom)

Caryl Lewis (1978) is the author of eleven Welsh-language books for adults, three novels for young adults and thirteen children’s books. Three-times winner of the Wales Book of the Year, she came to prominence with her novel Martha, Jac a Sianco (2004) which, like most of her work, explores the lives of farming families in rural Wales. It was published in English translation as Martha, Jack and Shanco in 2007 by Parthian Books in translation by Gwen Davies and made into a successful feature film. Her novel Y Gemydd (2007) is being published in September this year in English as The Jeweller. Caryl Lewis has also written extensively for cinema and television, notably adapting her novel for the film version. Her TV credits include the Welsh-language scripts of the internationally acclaimed bilingual crime series Y Gwyll / Hinterland and Craith / Hidden.

Courses conducted:

Zhang Ling

Zhang Ling is a Chinese Canadian author whose major works include A Single Swallow （《勞燕》)， Aftershock （《餘震》）， and Gold Mountain Blues （《金山》). She won the Chinese Media Literature Award for Author of the Year, the Grand Prize (twice) of Overseas Chinese Literary Award, Taiwan’s Open Book Award, and was twice nominated for the Hong Kong Dream of Red Chamber International Prize for Chinese Fiction. Her novella Aftershock has been adapted into China’s first IMAX movie.

Courses conducted:

A Single Swallow - In Conversation with the Author, Translator and Editor (2020)

Cynthea Liu

Cynthea Liu is an award-winning children’s book author, publisher and writing coach. Her picture book works are published Simon & Schuster, Sterling, and Disney Worldwide and her work has been translated into multiple languages. She is al so the publisher of Starts With Us, which empowers children to change the world in pursuit of their talents and interests.

Courses conducted:

Children’s Book Boot Camp (2019)

Okky Madasari

Okky Madasari is an award-winning Indonesian novelist and essayist. She has published five novels, one short story collection and three children’s novels since 2010. Her novels have been translated into English, Malay, German and Arabic. In 2017, Okky was selected by the US government to represent Indonesia for the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa, US, from August to October 2017.

She regularly writes essays for Indonesian and international media and journals, and becomes a regular writer for the Jakarta Post (for samples of her article see for instance: https://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2018/12/22/political-mothers-at-their-best-and-worst.html and https://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2018/07/24/hijab-avoided-subject-on-childrens-day.html), Jawa Post (see: https://www.jawapos.com/opini/25/10/2019/berharap-kepada-nadiem/ and https://www.jawapos.com/opini/21/09/2019/siapa-yang-bebal/) and Detik.com (see: https://news.detik.com/kolom/d-4274454/90-tahun-dongeng-keindonesiaan)

Okky has been providing writing workshop for essay, fiction, feature and reports and other writings for business purposes for general public, universities, government offices, communities and corporates. She has been developing a unique method to allow for a quick mastery of basic writing skills in producing quality pieces. She has giving workshops to people from private companies, state-owned firms, government institutions and universities.

Courses conducted:

Helen Mangham

Helen Mangham joined Jacaranda Literary Agency as a partner in 2013. Originally from the UK she started her publishing career in London at Curtis Brown literary agency as assistant to two of the senior agents. She was also one of the agency’s readers, responsible for reading manuscripts languishing in the ‘slush pile’. During this time she also worked as a freelance reader for Piatkus Books. She went on to work as a book publicist for Belinda Harley Associates where she promoted a range of high profile titles from leading UK publishing companies – including Michael Chabon’s ‘The Mysteries of Pittsburgh’, Andrew Morton’s controversial biography of Princess Diana, Whitley Streiber’s ‘Communion’ and the autobiography of Elton John’s lyricist Bernie Taupin.

Helen has lived overseas with her family for many years including stints in Budapest, Warsaw and Taipei before moving to Singapore.

Courses conducted:

From Pitch to Publication Masterclass (2018)