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A science park creates synthetic life to repopulate the oceans, but to ruinous effect. A local retelling brings the tragic story of Sweeney Todd to colonial Singapore. And a far-future heiress falls in love with an alien life form and must make an existential decision.

“In this gem of a short story collection, Shelly Bryant explores the trajectory of Singapore as a launch pad—a bridge between worlds, a crossroads—taking the reader on a journey of discovery from the earliest days of Singapura to the far future. It is a journey into our past, present and future, one that seems at once astonishing and yet totally real, totally plausible.” –Tina Kanagaratnam, from the introduction
Shelly Bryant divides her time between Shanghai and Singapore, working as a poet, writer, and translator. She is the author of seven volumes of poetry, a pair of travel guides for the cities of Suzhou and Shanghai, and a book on classical Chinese gardens. Shelly’s poetry has appeared in journals, magazines and websites around the world, as well as in several art exhibitions. Her translation of Sheng Keyi’s Northern Girls was longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2012. Launch Pad is her first fiction collection.

Authors

Launch Pad