March 16, 2020

On 12 March 1990, the Creative Arts Programme (CAP) was established by the Ministry of Education’s Gifted Education Unit in collaboration with the National University of Singapore’s Department of English Language and Literature. CAP is an annual creative writing programme open to secondary and junior college students. Comprising of a seminar and a nine-month mentorship programme, it offers opportunities to work with and learn from well-known local writers and artists, as well as creates and grows a community of young budding writers.

Today we feature & Words: Poems Singapore and Beyond (2010, Ethos Books), an anthology of poetry edited by Emeritus Professor Edwin Thumboo from the NUS Department of English Language and Literature, who also founded the Creative Arts Programme. Poems include those from notable NUS Alumni such as Lee Tzu Pheng, Arthur Yap, Felix Cheong and Yeow Kai Chai, some of whom have spoken and mentored in the various iterations of CAP. In the anthology, poems are arranged around the themes of identity, homeland, living and words. They illustrate reflections of established local writers on what it means to write, and to be a writer in Singapore, pertinent and formulative questions for any young aspiring Singaporean writers. This anthology is important in conveying the thoughts of a seasoned generation of authors towards their craft and identity as Singaporean writers, and ideally guides the emergent young writer to find their own voice in an ever-changing global landscape.

The anthology can be purchased here.