June 28, 2016

Dr Arthur Yap Chioh Hiong is a distinguished Singaporean poet. He obtained his MA from the University of Leeds on a British Council Scholarship and his PhD from NUS. In 1971, Yap published his first collection of poems, Only Lines, which later won an award from the National Book Development Council. He went on to compose other celebrated poems such as Commonplace and Down the Line, and was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 1983. His poems are known for word play and usage of Singlish. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2006 due to laryngeal cancer.