ALL IN! Young Writers Media Festival 2015

THE WRITE MEDIA FOR THE WRITE AUDIENCE

ALL IN! Young Writers Media Festival http://all-in.bookcouncil.sg @ALLIN_SINGAPORE | #ALLIN2015 | www.facebook.com/AllInYWF

28 February & 1 March 2015 Library@Orchard, Orchard Rd

WHAT IS ALL IN? All In! Young Writers Media Festival is an annual festival for aspiring writers between the ages of 13 and 25. The gathering brings forth a hodgepodge of writing mentors and industry players in publishing, broadcasting, blogging, creative writing, screenwriting and journalism, among others, to meet, mingle and share their expertise with today’s young writers.

The Festival intends to highlight successful industry players who have chosen writing careers and show the paths they took to get there.

FOREWORD 1 CALENDAR 2 Here’s the list of things to come! Plan out your sessions and find out how you can maximise your Festival experience by finding out what’s in store for you on both days of All In!

DAY ONE 4

With a wide array of seminars and panels discussions, Day One is a rich trove of opportunities to interact with keynote speakers and resource persons from the industry!

DAY TWO 6

Day Two has four individual workshops designed to increase your awareness of industry poractices and to provide platforms to explore your current writing skills and options

SPEAKERS PROFILES 8

Run through our roster of speakers, moderators and workshop facilitators to get a better feel of the Festival vibe, and encourage yourself to attend all the sessions that you can!

OTHER FESTIVALS 15

Know more about the other Festivals that we do, and discoveryour oportunities for volunteering and participating in other major events organised by the Singapore Book Council.

FOREWORD

Welcome everyone, to the seventh edition of the All In! Young Writers Media Festival.

For the past six years, All In! has become the place for young content creators to converge and share their ideas and creations with industry professionals and key media players, with the hope of building a stronger, more dynamic sphere of opportunities for burgeoning writers.

With the goal of strengthening the youth’s involvement in the writing industries and its adjunct fields, All In! banks on the potentials of youthful insight, while honouring the traditions cast by more seasoned professionals – a process that creates interrelatedness of the new and the tested, the masters and the mentees.

This year, we have prepared a distinguished array of speakers and workshop facilitators, all well-versed in their fields of writing expertise, bringing new flavours of practices and principles from the industries they are a part of, and cultivating a mesh of ideas and content that is unique to All In!

More so, we have added a tinge of fringe activities that showcase works by students, with the intent of highlighting how much potential the next generation of writers has to offer.

We invite you to immerse yourselves in both the technical and creative activities of the Festival to get a full-fledged feel of this youthful Festival.

On behalf of the managing team for All In!, thank you for heeding the call to cultivate the culture of writing among the young and the young at heart.

Kenneth Quek Festival Director National Book Development Council of Singapore

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ALL IN!

CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES

Day One of the Festival presents seminars and panel discussions that provide insights into the varied industries where writing is predominantly used.

28 February 2015 | Saturday 10.30 am

Registration | Library@Orchard Level 3 KEYNOTE SPEECH

11am

The Rise of Graphic Novels in Asia by Lim Cheng Tju Moderator: Adan Jimenez

WELCOME: THE AUTHOREDITOR 12pm

01pm

02pm

03pm

04pm 04.30 pm

05.30 pm

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Felix Cheong & Samantha de Silva Moderator: Linn Shekinah

MONETISING YOUR WRITING Patrick Balo Moderator: Kelvin Ang

LUNCH BREAK WITH PERFORMANCES SELF-PUBLISHING: DANGERS & OPPORTUNITIES Wendy Wong & Sarah Mounsey Moderator: Zed Yeo

WRITING FOR THEATRE IN ARTSY SINGAPORE Geetha Creffield & Joel Tan Moderator: Koey Foo

SOCIAL MEDIA: UNDERSTANDING THE TERRAIN Hirzi & Muna Moderator: Andrew Chow

BLOGGING AS A CAREER See Wee Heng & Liyana Othman Moderator: Peter Lin

TEA BREAK WITH PERFORMANCES BEING A FULL-TIME AUTHOR Dave Seow, Zed Yeo, & Otto Fong Moderator: Linn Shekinah

HARD & SOFT: JOURNALISM AT ITS CORE Gregory Loo & Stacey Rodrigues Moderator: Andre Fois

WRITING FOR RADIO Radio Heatwave & Harry Corro

PANEL PRESENTATION ON MEDIA LITERACY SP, NP, NTU, NUS

Day Two is a series of half-day workshops that give hands-on exercises and trade techniques that young writers need to stay afloat and survive their chosen fields!

ALL IN!

CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES

1 March 2015 | Sunday 10.30 am 11am

Registration | Library@Orchard Level 3 SPEED-PITCHING: BASICS & PREPARATIONS

SHORT FILM WRITING Ray Pang

Catherine Carvell

02pm

BREAK (NO LUNCH PROVIDED)

02pm03pm

Performances & Awarding

03pm

IMPROVING COPYEDITING & PROOFREADING SKILLS Samantha de Silva

CRAFTING EFFECTIVE CHARACTERS, PLOTS & SETTINGS Verena Tay

TICKETING INFO TICKETS (Inclusive lunch on 28 Feb )

EARLY BIRD (now till 15 Jan 2015)

REGULAR (16 Jan 2015 onwards)

1-Day Pass (Seminars & Panel only)

S$ 30

S$ 40

Individual Workshops

S$ 20

S$ 30

* Special packages provided for partner-schools and establishments, and schools applying for NAC-AEP grants. Email info@bookcouncil.sg for enquries on discount rates and special packages.

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DAY 1

28 FEB 2015

10.30am

11.00am12.00pm RM 1 & 2

12.00pm01.00pm RM 1

REGISTRATION KEYNOTE ADDRESS

The Rise of Graphic Novels in Asia

by Lim Cheng Tju

WELCOME THE AUTHOR-EDITOR Felix Cheong & Samantha de Silva | Moderator: Linn Shekinah

Writers need to develop multi-faceted skills to keep them afloat in the industry they are part of. Authors find themselves becoming the first editors of their work, as they tread their publishing journey.

MONETISING WRITING 12.00pm01.00pm RM 2

01.00pm02.00pm 02.00pm03.00pm RM 1

02.00pm03.00pm RM 2

03.00pm04.00pm RM 1

03.00pm04.00pm RM 2

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Speakers Patrick Balo | Moderator: Kelvin Ang

Some say that writing doesn’t get you too far. Listen to these gurus who have translated the written word into powerful moessages that get points across and earn decently at the same time, and prove people wrong!

Lunch with Performances SELF-PUBLISHING: DANGERS & OPPORTUNITIES Wendy Wong & Sarah Mounsey | Moderator: Zed Yeo

The session looks at the dangers and opportunities that self-publishing presents, as well as a review of platforms available for self-publishers.

SOCIAL MEDIA SINGAPORE: THE TERRAIN Hirzi & Munah | Moderator: Andrew Chow

In the age of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms, a new form of writing has emerged, which enables end-users to immediately connect with other audiences almost in real-time.

WRITING FOR THEATRE IN ARTSY SINGAPORE Geetha Creffield | Moderator: Koey Foo

With industry professionals and former practitioners, the panel looks at the social implications of theatre in Singapore’s arts scene and society in general, and how it impacts the aspiring playwright.

BLOGGING AS A CAREER OF CHOICE See Wee Heng & Liyana Othman | Moderator: Peter Lin

The session looks at the dangers and opportunities that self-publishing presents, as well as a review of platforms available for self-publishers.

RM 1: IMAGINE

04.00pm04.30pm

04.30pm05.30pm RM 1

04.30pm05.30pm RM 2

05.30pm06.30pm RM 1

|

RM 2: MAKE THIS

Break with Performances SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE: BEING A FULLTIME AUTHOR Dave Seow, Otto Fong, Zed Yeo | Moderator: Linn Shekinah

A panel with full-time authors, both traditional and electronic, the encounter provides young writers the opportunity to weigh the options on going full-time with writing.

SINGAPORE CAMPUS RADIOS: WRITING FOR THE STUDENT BASE Radio Heatwave DJs, Student Managers & Harry Corro

The session looks at the possible impacts that setting up a campus radio has for a school, and how teachers can use the facility more by creating writing opportunities for budding writers.

HARD & SOFT: JOURNALISM AT ITS CORE Gregory Loo & Stacey Anne Rodrigues | Moderator: Andre Frois

A panel with full-time authors, both traditional and electronic, the encounter provides young writers the opportunity to weigh the options on going full-time with writing.

MEDIA LITERACY & CONTENT CREATION 05.30pm06.30pm RM 2

Panel presentation of students from National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University, Singapore Polytechnic, and Ngee Ann Polytechnic Moderator: Linn Shekinah

A panel presentation of partner schools, concerning writing and the media they are translated into. Gather insights in writing standards for the varied fields that each school represents, with the hope of finding your own voice in weaving stories for a targeted audience.

Information is correct at the time of printing. The Festival organisers reserve the right to change speakers, evemnts, session times, dates and/or other details when deemed necessary.

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DAY 2

1 MAR 2015

10.30am RM 1

RM 1: IMAGINE

|

RM 2: MAKE THIS

REGISTRATION SHORT FILM WRITING: FORMATS & STRUCTURES

11.00am02.00pm RM 1

Ray Pang, Director | Catharsis Films

The session looks at the requisites of film production for short films, from the conceptualisation to the writing formats. Towards the end of the workshop, attendees are tasked to present a short script for critiquing.

SPEED-PITCHING: PREPARATIONS & REQUISITES Catherine Carvell, Children’s Books Author 11.00am02.00pm RM 2

02.00pm03.00pm

03.00pm06.00pm RM 1

How do first-time authors pitch for their work to a publisher? The three-hour workshop discusses the requisites of speed-pitching for manuscripts and the requisites needed to prepare for such an encounter with publishers. Towards the end of the session, participants are to speed-pitch a current work-in-progress.

Break (No lunch provided) | Performances & Awards IMPROVING COPYEDITING & PROOFREADING SKILLS Samantha de Silva, Director | Firebird Communication

The session looks at the requisites of film production for short films, from the conceptualisation to the writing formats. Towards the end of the workshop, attendees are tasked to present a short script for critiquing.

CRAFTING EFFECTIVE CHARACTERS, PLOTS & STRUCTURES Verena Tay, President | Storytellers Association of Singapore 03.00pm06.00pm RM 2

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The workshop is an intensive, hands-on workshop that aims to provide young and first-time fiction writers with the knowledge and skills to create complex, realistic and engaging characters in their fiction.

Related skills such as dialogue and plot will also be briefly explored in this workshop in the context of character crafting, and participants will be learning largely through collaborative and individual exercises as well as post-workshop feedback. Materials provided include workshop handouts.

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SPEAKERS & MODERATORS LIM CHENG TJU

(KEYNOTE)

Lim Cheng Tju is the co-editor of Liquid City Vol 2, an anthology of Southeast Asian comics published by Image Comics in 2010, which was nominated for an Eisner award for Best Anthology.

He is also the country editor (Singapore) for the International Journal of Comic Art. He writes and edits comics sometimes.

FELIX CHEONG

(WELCOME: THE AUTHOR-EDITOR)

Felix Cheong holds a masters degree in Creative Writing from the University of Queensland. He has been an adjunct lecturer in Singapore with Murdoch University since 2011 and University of Newcastle since 2009. He has written numerous collectiosn of prose and poetry, and won the National Arts Council’s Young Artist of the Year for Literature Award in 2000.

SAMANTHA DE SILVA (WELCOME: THE AUTHOR-EDITOR)

Samantha develops and conducts courses in communication skills and also runs writing workshops and mentorships. She creates content, copy-edits and proofreads for corporate, academic and creative projects like script analysis and writing for film and fiction projects. She has been a contributing writer and voice talent on the satirical podcast, The Mr Brown Show, since 2008.

LINN SHEKINAH

(MODERATOR: SELF-PUBLISHING & BEING A FULL-TIME AUTHOR)

Linn Shekinah made her first foray into children’s picture books with The Watchtower Warrior, which won the Media Development Authority’s (MDA) First-Time Writers & Illustrators Publishing Initiative Award. She was commissioned by the Preservation Monuments Board of National Heritage Board to pen The Fearless Twins and the Magical Kaleidoscope: A Narrow Escape. Linn’s Dou Dou, the Imperial Chef, and The Asian Spice Kids are her first series of bilingual books, sponsored by the Lee Kuan Yew Bilingualism Fund.

WENDY WONG

(SELF-PUBLISHING)

Wendy has more than 12 years of experience in the print and digital media design industry. She is currently the creative director for Tusitala. Her rich design journey so far includes corporate identities, magazines/brochures/posters design, user interfaces for applications, websites, just to name a few. Wendy directs and manages the start-up of this digital publishing business, overseeing the branding, designs & creative direction.

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SARAH MOUNSEY

(SELF-PUBLISHING)

Sarah Mounsey grew up in Australia and now lives in Singapore.

She is a teacher, writer and publisher and is utterly obsessed by children’s books. Sarah has published three picture books in the Paw Prints series and they have been awarded a medal in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards.

ZED YEO

(MODERATOR: SELF-PUBLISHING | SPEAKER: BEING A FULL-TIME AUTHOR)

Previously, a librarian working for the National Library Board, Zed has contributed to the establishment of up to 23 book clubs islandwide, performed storytelling in public, and written as well as edited various literature reviews. All these add up to a keen understanding of the reading habits and preferences of the country.

HIRZI

(SOCIAL MEDIA SINGAPORE: THE TERRAIN)

Hirzi Zulkiflie’s claim to fame began from his outrageous YouTube Channel (MunahHirziOfficial) that has garnered more than 20 Million channel views to date. Hirzi Zulkiflie also actively writes and performs for both stage and television.

Hirzi was also awarded Singapore’s Most Engaging Online Personality in 2012 and Singapore’s Most Popular Online Personality in 2014 for the M:Idea Awards.

MUNAH

(SOCIAL MEDIA SINGAPORE: THE TERRAIN)

A communications and new media major from NUS, Munah skyrocketed to social media stardom with Hirzi Zulkiflie in their hilarious YouTube Channel. She has done professional hosting for events and has also starred in several TV and theatrical productions by Mediacorp, AXN, Scrawl Studio, Kakao Talk MY and Oak 3 Productions.

ANDREW CHOW

(MODERATOR: SOCIAL MEDIA SINGAPORE: THE TERRAIN)

Andrew Chow is a Social Media & Public Relations Strategist, Certified Life Coach, Entrepreneur, Speaker and Author in Singapore. His insights on Social Media Strategy, Media Management and Personal Branding have made his a choice selection for workshop leaders.

GEETHA CREFFIELD

(WRITING FOR THEATRE IN ARTSY SINGAPORE)

Geetha is the Head of Department for ACJC’s English and Drama department. She is a postgraduate student reading for a second MA in Performance and Culture at Goldsmiths College, University of London. Geetha is the director of ACSian Theatre, a prize winning youth ensemble that travels extensively and performs across the world.

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SPEAKERS & MODERATORS JOEL TAN

(WRITING FOR THEATRE IN ARTSY SINGAPORE)

A freelance theatre writer, director and performer, working across different genres, styles and cultural contexts, Joel is an Associate Artist with Checkpoint Theatre. Graduating from the University Scholars Programme at NUS with a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature, Joel writes for Checkpoint Theatre’s publications, and provides features for Pioneer and * Days Magazines.

SEE WEE HENG

(BLOGGING AS A CAREER CHOICE)

Better known as AspirantSG, Wee Heng is one of Singapore’s top 15 social influencers. His blog commands over 700,000 page views and 200,000 unique visitors monthly. He actively engages with more 20,000 followers across his social media channels through the same handle. Aside from this, Wee Heng is also a well-rounded marketer with more than 8 years of experience in branding, direct marketing as well as digital and social media communications.

LIYANA OTHMAN

(BLOGGING AS A CAREER OF CHOICE)

Professionally, Liyana has had extensive experience in banking and finance. Aside from her exploits in the business world, she has become an active participant in the United Nations Youth Association Network (UNYANET) General Assembly in Rome in 2014, becoming the only delegate from Singapore since UNYANET was founded in 2011. She manages a team of youth journalists focusing on the topics of international affairs.

PETER LIN

(MODERATOR: BLOGGING AS A CAREER OF CHOICE)

An engineer by training, Peter carried a minor in English Literature from Nanyang Technological University. Although was previously in the banking industry, he was a technical writer for a software company in 2010. Serving in NS, Peter was part of Power 98FM as a broadcast journalist, covering news events and sports activities.

DAVID SEOW

(BEING A FULL-TIME AUTHOR)

Dave graduated with a degree in Communications from the University of Portland. He set up his own publishing company in 2009. Prior to writing children’s books, he worked for Mediacorp and several magazines as a contributor. His book There’s Soup on My Fly! was a finalist in the Hedwig Anuar Book Award in 2011.

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OTTO FONG

(BEING A FULL-TIME AUTHOR)

Otto has a basic foundation in the study of electromagnetic waves and transistors at university level. He studied in the Ministry of Education because he has a strong drive to make science accessible and enjoyable to the masses. As a film directing student in Beijing Film Academy and apprentice in Beijing Film Factory, he learnt the skills to construct a visuallyappealing and emotionally compelling case for science.

HARRY CORRO

(WRITING FOR RADIO)

Harry got his big break in 1993 when he was hired as a radio newscaster. Moving up the production ladder, eventually becoming the programme director for SAFRA Radio Power 98FM and Imaging Producer and morning host of JAM 88.3FM. Currently a visiting lecturer for Broadcasting at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Harry hones students to become future broadcasters, production directors, writers and producers.

GREGORY LOO

(JOURNALISM AT ITS CORE)

Currently involved in The New Paper as a sports journalist, Gregory is also a content producer for the Singapore Press Holdings. He finished a Bachelors in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Mass Communication from the Oklahoma City University in 2009, and has been in the media industry since then, in various capacities, both online and print.

STACEY RODRIGUES

(JOURNALISM AT ITS CORE)

Stacey is the Features and Lifestyle editor of ELLE Singapore, having 10 years of experience in publishing. With a keen interest in communication research, she recently completed a Masters in Mass Communication at NTU. As editor, she manages the editorial team in development of and transition toward a 360-degree approach to content creation in print, video, digital, social media.

PATRICK BALO

(MONETISING YOUR WRITING)

Patrick is the regional creative director of Havas Worldwide, an advertising and branding company, and is currently based in Bangkok. He has previously worked and has gained extensive experience in varied capacities at Ace Saatchi & Saatchi, McCann Worldgroup and Publicis.

KELVIN ANG

(MODERATOR: MONETISING YOUR WRITING)

Kelvin graduated with a Masters in Sports Business Management from the University of Central Florida, and a Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University. He currently works as the manager for corporate affairs of Singapore Power Ltd, overseeing media relations and crisis communications.

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WORKSHOP SPEAKERS RAY PANG

(SHORT FILM WRITING)

Born and raised in Singapore, Ray’s developed his passion for film at 18 while studying for a diploma in Interactive Media Design at the local Temasek Design School. Awarded “The Shooting Gallery Prize” for excellence in his course of study, Ray’s final year project, a short film, “Connection” was screened at *SCAPE youth park’s “STORYBOARD’08” event.

SAMANTHA DE SILVA

(IMPROVING COPYEDITING & PROOFREADING SKILLS)

Samantha develops and conducts courses in communication skills and also runs writing workshops and mentorships. She creates content, copy-edits and proofreads for corporate, academic and creative projects like script analysis and writing for film and fiction projects. She has been a contributing writer and voice talent on the satirical podcast, The Mr Brown Show, since 2008.

VERENA TAY

(CREATING EFFECTIVE CHARACTERS, PLOTS & SETTINGS)

For more than 25 years, Verena Tay acted, directed and written for local English-language theatre inSingapore. To date, three collections of her plays have been published: In the Company of Women (SNPEditions, 2004), In the Company of Heroes and Victimology (both by Math Paper Press, 2011). An Honorary Fellow at the International Writing Program, University of Iowa (Aug–Nov 2007), she now writes and edits fiction, and conducts the occasional creative writing workshop.

CATHERINE CARVELL (SPEED-PITCHING)

Catherine Carvell was born in England and as a small child she loved reading, writing, earthworms and frogs. Her family migrated to Australia when she was eight and she was raised in the northern suburbs of Perth. Her love of nature and stories continued and she went on to study both botany and journalism. Darcy Moon and the deep-fried frogs is Catherine’s first children’s book. Published by Fremantle Press in March 2014, Darcy Moon and the deep-fried frogs is currently available throughout Australia and Singapore and will soon be released in both Turkey and the US.

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OTHER FESTIVALS ASIAN FESTIVAL OF CHILDREN’S CONTENT Developing and disseminating quality Asian content to children is paramount. That would make children aware of Asia’s unique environment and cultural values, promote understanding of, and love for, the literary and visual arts. The Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) aims to draw attention to the rich culture and tradition in Asia upon which content can be developed. We also welcome global talents to the Festival to share their stories, and their journeys with the local and Asian audience at the Festival.

SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL STORYTELLING FESTIVAL The longest running storytelling festival in Asia, SISF hopes to revitalize the art of storytelling and bring it further into the mainstream. SISF hosts a range of events, from masterclasses for the professional storyteller to workshops for non-professional storytellers who bring stories into their daily lives, as well as storytelling showcases and performances that offer audiences colourful and insightful stories from around the world.

ASIAN EXPRESSIONS Asian Expressions (AEX) celebrates writing, reading and publishing in Chinese, Malay and Tamil by encouraging translations of these languages into English. The programme brings writers, translators, publishers and educators together for all languages. AEX supports Singapore’s bilingual policy and helps promotes publishing in the mother tongues.

ACADEMY OF LITERARY ARTS & PUBLISHING The Academy of Literary Arts and Publishing runs short courses, workshops, and masterclasses in publishing, writing, reading and storytelling. The workshops meet the training needs of professionals involved in the publishing industry and the wider public. Both local and international established trainers from the US, UK and Australia are engaged for the courses, being credible professionals from the literary arts and publishing fields.

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Organiser:

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In partnership with

ALL IN! Young Writers Media Festival Organiser:

Venue Partner:

Supporting Partners:

School Partners:

In partnership with

Scan here to discover ALL IN 2015!

http://all-in.bookcouncil.sg Information correct at the time of printing. The festival organisers reserve the right to change speakers, events, session timing, dates and/or other details when necessary. Call 6848.8290 for enquiries and discount rates.