Epigram Books Blog

TGIF! The weekend is here, but thanks to #reasons, you've found yourself with a blank calendar. So what can you do? Why, take that time to catch up on your reading, that's what! 
These books we've chosen aren't heavy-duty. Instead, they're light-hearted—well, mostly—looks at the world we live in, past and present. And they'll keep you hooked until you find you're on the last page, looking for more. 
Don't worry if you don't know what book to start with—we got you covered like an N95 mask.

Two months after the release of the 2020 Epigram Books Fiction Prize shortlist, Epigram is proud to announce the winner of this year's competition–and he is none other than Malaysian writer, Joshua Kam. The award ceremony and gala dinner was held at the Conrad Centennial Singapore last night, on 16 January 2020. Joshua won more than just a year's worth of bragging rights–the 23-year-old brings home S$25,000 in prize money and a publishing contract with Epigram Books. Joshua is the youngest winner of the Prize to date.

Stephanie Street is an actress and writer, born and raised in Singapore. She later moved to the UK, where she has been going from strength to strength. However,  back here in Singapore, Stephanie has been noted as the playwright who crafted one of the most sublime plays in recent years. Dragonflies captures the mood of the moment with its themes of dispossession, xenophobia and climate change.
It focuses on Leslie, who is forced to leave the UK after Brexit and make his way back to Singapore. However, the Singapore he encounters is vastly different from the Singapore he left behind all those years ago; and he is made to question the meaning of what is home, truly.
Here, Stephanie shares all about the wonderful world of Dragonflies.

The best thing you can give a child is the gift of imagination. And what better way to do that than with books? Books open a whole new world of wonder and excitement, and as bestselling author Stephen King once said, “books are the perfect entertainment: no commercials, no batteries, hours of enjoyment for each dollar spent." Here then are our top recommendations to put a smile on your children's faces this Christmas:

There were so many amazing submissions this time around, our team at Epigram Books was simply spoilt for choice, as the manuscripts were nothing short of phenomenal, as much as they are diverse! Now, we are finally on our last lap of the competition, and are proud to present to you the cream of the crop–our 2020 Epigram Books Fiction Prize shortlist:

Sonny Liew and Hsu Li Yang. One's an award-winning graphic novelist. The other is a doctor dealing with infectious diseases. Both are at the top of their game. 
So what do these two very different people have to do with each other? Well, Sonny and Li Yang have collaborated to come up with The Antibiotic Tales, a comic that dispels the myths and misconceptions about antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance and much, much more. Here, they share more about this new work. 

Panels, discussions, and book launches galore! This year, Epigram's got a few events planned at the annual Singapore Writers Festival just for you. Read on to find out what they are and maybe sign up for a few (if not all) of them.
See you there!

Maureen Yeo's debut children's book, The Great Singapore Poo Sale and Other Beastly Business, was inspired when, as a teacher, she realised her students had no idea that Singapore had a lot of indigenous wildlife, let alone endangered species among them.
In her new book, Make Animals Great Again and Other Creature Comforts, the animals are now looking for the next generation of leaders, but are having trouble settling on the right ones. It's the right set-up for another zany adventure with the wild animals of Singapore.

Yes, it's that time of year once again. We’re getting to close to the massive celebrations for Singapore's 54th birthday, and what better way to get in the mood than getting some great Singaporean reads?
Here’s our recommendation of top books to get for this National Day long weekend.