How was SG Unbound born, when, who created it?
It all began when writer and
arts administrator Paul Rozario-Falcone and I got together one wintry afternoon
in Cornelia Street Café, in New York City, to discuss the possibility of organizing
a Singapore literature showcase in our adopted home. The literary scene in
Singapore was growing, with new writers, presses, and publications, and we
thought it was time to introduce the Big Apple to the Little Red Dot.
To rally support from the
creative community in NYC, we started the Second Saturdays Reading Series, a
monthly gathering featuring an open mike and a published author, and hosted in
different private homes around the city. The first Second Saturdays gathering
was held in Paul and Al’s home in Carroll Gardens in February 2014.
With the support of this
community, we mounted the first Singapore Literature Festival in NYC in October
that year, showcasing 14 Singaporean writers. The festival was so warmly
received that I
was encouraged to make it a biennial event. At the 2nd
Festival in September 2016, Singapore
Unbound was officially launched.
