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Goh Sin Tub

Singapore infopedia.

by Nureza Ahmad

Goh Sin Tub ( b. 2 December 1927, Singapore–d. 16 November 2004, Singapore ) was a “first generation” Singaporean writer, 1 teacher, civil servant, banker, and long-time chairman of St Joseph’s Institution’s board of governors. 2 He authored more than a dozen novels and short stories in his lifetime, including a collection of Malay short stories. 3 Goh was a prolific writer who wrote mostly set-in-Singapore historical fiction, 4 stories and short stories. 5 He is best known, however, for his short stories, which included best-selling titles, the One Singapore  trilogy and Walk Like a Dragon . 6 In recognition of his contributions to the development of Singapore literature, he was conferred the Montblanc-NUS Centre for the Arts Literary Award for English prose in 1996. 7 Early life Goh lived at Emerald Hill in his youth. In 1935, he enrolled in St Joseph’s Institution (SJI) for his education. His studies were interrupted with the start of World War II. His father became unemployed and Goh had to help supplement his family’s income by selling bread from house to house. During that time, he was introduced to a Japanese firm where he started work as a typewriter mechanic. At the urging of his Japanese manager, Goh attended a Japanese evening school where he learned Japanese, and continued his studies at a Japanese teachers’ training school. It was through his contact with his Japanese teachers that he began to form a different perspective of the Japanese, and developed an appreciation of their culture, philosophy and values. Some of his personal experiences and reflections on the Japanese are represented in his works. 8 When the war ended, Goh resumed his education at SJI. In 1947, he received a scholarship to study at Raffles College , being one of the few to be chosen for that year. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English from the newly merged University of Malaya in 1951. 9 Early writing Goh began writing when he was around 10 or 12 years old, and some of his early youth writings appeared in school magazines. 10 He continued writing when he entered college. His literary essays and verses, written under the names S. T. Goh and Augustine Goh, were published in varsity publications such as The New Cauldron . 11 One of his poems written during this period, titled “Eye”, was later included in the anthology The Flowering Tree by Edwin Thumboo in 1970. 12 During his undergraduate days, Goh was also an editor for the students’ union, and a contributor of humour pieces to the Singapore Tiger Standard , a local newspaper. 13 Even when he entered the workforce, Goh continued to pursue his passion for writing and literature. In the 1950s, he ran a poetry circle for a student literary magazine titled Youth that was published by the Combined Secondary Schools of Singapore. The meetings were held at SJI where he was teaching, and one of the budding writers he mentored through this initiative was the young Thumboo. 14 In the 1960s, Goh began writing stories for the Malay press. The editor of the Malay newspaper, Berita Harian , suggested that Goh compiled his written pieces into a collection. This resulted in his first Malay book, Cherpen Cherpen   Pilehan (1965), which was published under his Malay pen name Akbar Goh. His book won the second prize in the National Malay Literature Competition at Kuala Lumpur in 1966. 15 He also won a Malay short story writing competition organised by the Dewan Bahasa Singapore in 1963. 16 From the 1970s, Goh returned to writing in English. However, these pieces were mostly unpublished except for two short stories which appeared in the Sunday edition of New Nation in 1978 under the pseudonym Easter Goh. 17 Goh held senior positions in the civil service (Administrative Service) and top positions in the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation and the United Overseas Bank before he retired as a banker in 1986 and turned to full-time writing. He was motivated to write and sell his first English book,  The Battle of the Bands , to raise funds for the building of a new school for SJI. When the book was well received, the publisher persuaded him to write more stories. Thus, he began writing stories to entertain others, learning the craft as he went along. He also began to read books on writing to improve his story-writing skills. 18 Career as a writer Many of Goh’s writings are autobiographical or biographical in nature. They are often based on his personal experiences, having lived through colonial times, the Japanese Occupation, Singapore’s merger  and separation from Malaysia, and the nation-building years. His various appointments as a civil servant, banker, builder and social worker had also influenced his writings. Goh also drew inspiration from stories that he hears from family, friends and colleagues. He saw the need to share his own personal history and that of others, so that the rich experiences of the older generation could be preserved and passed on to younger Singaporeans to help them better appreciate and understand Singapore’s past. Besides writing to entertain, Goh also wrote as an educationalist. He saw his writing as a way of reflecting his values and to help people understand life issues. Many of his stories encompass a moral point. 19 Goh did not follow a regular writing schedule, though he wrote mostly at night and in quiet environments. He would jot down his ideas on a notebook or on a computer. In the beginning, he wrote using a typewriter but later moved on to the computer. He penned many stories at any one time and would have 40 to 60 stories at various stages of development. He would re-visit these stories periodically to expand or amend them. Typically, he would go through four to five revisions before he was satisfied with them. At times, he would also have his wife review his drafts. 20 Although Goh wrote poetry, essays and novels, it was short stories in which he excelled and gained recognition for. 21 In the 1980s, his short stories “Home for Grandma” in Honour , “Sayonara Sensei” in The Ghost Lover of Emerald Hill and Other Stories , and “Last Yamseng for Daughter” in The Nan-Mei-Su-Girls of Emerald Hill won Merit prizes at the annual National Short Story Writing competitions. 22 Goh passed away at the age of 77 on 17 November 2004 after a stroke. In memory of him, the SJI launched an annual Goh Sin Tub Literary Award for Best Short Story in 2005. The prize is given to the SJI student with the best short story for that year. 23 In 2011, his wife Sylvia Goh (Dr) established a biennial Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize, that is administered by the Department of English Language and Literature at the National University of Singapore . 24 Works 1964: Rhymes for Malaysian Children 25 1965: Cherpen2 Pilehan (subsequently republished as Cerpen-Cerpen Pilihan ) 26 1986 :   Battle of the Bands and Other Stories 27 1987 :   The Ghost Lover of Emerald Hill and Other Stories 28 / Honour and Other Stories (originally published as Battles of the Bands and Other Stories) 29 1989 :   The Nan-Mei-Su Girls of Emerald Hill 30 1990 :   Ghosts of Singapore! 31 1991 :   More Ghosts of Singapore 32 1993 :   Goh’s 12 Best Singapore Stories 33 / Moments in a Singapore Life 34 / The Sin-Kheh 35 1994: Mass Possession: A True Story!: Tales of the Supernatural and Natural 36 / “If you too could do Voodoo, who would you do Voodoo to"? 37 1995 :   Loves of Sons and Daughters 38 1996 :   30 Stories: Narrative Compositions for O-Level 39 1997 :   12 Women and Their Stories 40 1998 :   12 Best Singapore Stories (originally published as Goh’s 12 Best Singapore Stories) 41 / The Campus Spirit and Other Stories (originally published as Mass Possession: A True Story!: Tales of the Supernatural and Natural) 42 / The Girls of Emerald Hill (originally published as The Nan-Mei-Su Girls of Emerald Hill) 43 / One Singapore: 65 Stories by a Singaporean 44 2000 :   One Singapore 2: 65 More Stories by a Singaporean 45 2001 :   Goh Sin Tub’s One Singapore 3: More Singaporean Stories 46 2004 :   Walk Like a Dragon: Short Stories 47 2005:   The Angel of Changi & Other Stories 48 Family Wife: Sylvia Goh nee Voon. Children: Austin Goh, John Goh and Patrick Goh. 49 Author Nureza Ahmad References 1. Chew, D. (Interviewer). (1993, October 12). Oral history interview with Goh Sin Tub [Transcript of MP3 recording no. 001422/7/1, p. ii]. Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore website: http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/ ; Fong, T., & Chow, C. (2004, November 17).  Writer Goh Sin Tub dies after stroke .  The Straits Times , p. 8; Chew, D. (2004, November 17). Novelist Goh passes away . Today , p. 6; Koh, B. S. (1993, May 22). The return of Edwin Thumboo . The Straits Times , p. 2; Cheng, W. (2004, May 8). Stories are all that are left… . Today , p. 20. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 2. Fong, T., & Chow, C. (2004, November 17).  Writer Goh Sin Tub dies after stroke .  The Straits Times , p. 8; Peralta, C. (1995, January 26). Writers must tap history: Goh Sin Tub . The Straits Times , p. 4; David, S. (1998, April 22). SJI board appointed new chairman . The Straits Times , p. 25. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 3. Chew, D. (2004, November 17). Novelist Goh passes away . Today , p. 6; Cheah, B. K. (1969, February 8). The wide-open field for new Malay writers . The Straits Times , p. 12. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Klein, R. D. (Ed.). (2001). Interlogue: Studies in Singapore literature (Vol. 4). Singapore: Ethos Books, p. 20. (Call no.: RSING 809.895957 INT) 4. Klein, R. D. (Ed.). (2001). Interlogue: Studies in Singapore literature (Vol. 4). Singapore: Ethos Books, pp. 22–27. (Call no.: RSING 809.895957 INT); Peralta, C. (1995, January 26). Writers must tap history: Goh Sin Tub . The Straits Times , p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 5. Klein, R. D. (Ed.). (2001). Interlogue: Studies in Singapore literature (Vol. 4). Singapore: Ethos Books, pp. 21–22. (Call no.: RSING 809.895957 INT); Goh, S. T. (1993, January 22). Spirit behind those ghost stories . The Straits Times , p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Klein, R. D. (Ed.). (2001). Interlogue: Studies in Singapore literature  (Vol. 4). Singapore: Ethos Books, pp. 27, 29. (Call no.: RSING 809.895957 INT); Chew, D. (2004, November 17). Novelist Goh passes away . Today , p. 6. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 6. Klein, R. D. (Ed.). (2001). Interlogue: Studies in Singapore literature . (Vol. 4). Singapore: Ethos Books, p. 35. (Call no.: RSING 809.895957 INT); Bestsellers . (1998, September 5). The Straits Times , p. 16; Straits Times bestsellers . (2000, November 4). The Straits Times , p. 23; MPH bestsellers . (2001, December 15). The Straits Times , p. 135; The Life! Bestsellers list . (2004, May 8). The Straits Times , p. 13. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 7. Seah, L. (1996, August 24). Veteran writers win inaugural literary awards . The Straits Times , p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 8. Klein, R. D. (Ed.). (2001). Interlogue: Studies in Singapore literature (Vol. 4). Singapore: Ethos Books, pp. 17, 22–27. (Call no.: RSING 809.895957 INT); Chew, D. (Interviewer). (1993, October 12). Oral history interview with Goh Sin Tub [Transcript of MP3 recording no. 001422/7/1, p. ii, 1–11]. Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore website: http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/ ; Chew, D. (Interviewer). (1993, October 12). Oral history interview with Goh Sin Tub [Transcript of MP3 recording no. 001422/7/2, pp. 12–14]. Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore website: http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/ 9. Klein, R. D. (Ed.). (2001). Interlogue: Studies in Singapore literature (Vol. 4). Singapore: Ethos Books, pp. 18, 20. (Call no.: RSING 809.895957 INT); Chew, D. (Interviewer). (1993, October 12). Oral history interview with Goh Sin Tub [Transcript of MP3 recording no. 001422/7/1, p. ii]. Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore website: http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/ ; Chew, D. (Interviewer). (1993, October 12). Oral history interview with Goh Sin Tub [Transcript of MP3 recording no. 001422/7/2, p. 15]. Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore website: http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/ ; Cambridge exam results . (1947, March 8). The Straits Times , p. 6; Raffles exam results . (1948, June 26). The Straits Times , p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 10. Soong, M. (1988, March 14). Retired banker Goh Sin Tub’s tales from the trampoline . The Business Times , p. 11. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Klein, R. D. (Ed.). (2001). Interlogue: Studies in Singapore literature (Vol. 4). Singapore: Ethos Books, p. 20. (Call no.: RSING 809.895957 INT) 11. Raffles Society, University of Malaya. (1950/51). The New Cauldron . Singapore: Author, pp. 52–73. (Call no.: RCLOS 052 NC) 12. Thumboo, E. (Compiler). (1970). The flowering tree . Singapore: Educational Publications Bureau, p. 20. (Call no.: RCLOS 828.99 THU) 13. Chew, D. (Interviewer). (1993, October 12). Oral history interview with Goh Sin Tub [Transcript of MP3 recording no. 001422/7/2, pp. 16–17]. Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore website: http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/ ; Soong, M. (1988, March 14). Retired banker Goh Sin Tub’s tales from the trampoline . The Business Times , p. 11. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 14. Klein, R. D. (Ed.). (2001). Interlogue: Studies in Singapore literature (Vol. 4). Singapore: Ethos Books, p. 61. (Call no.: RSING 809.895957 INT); Quayum, M. A. (Ed.). (2007). Peninsular muse: Interviews with modern Malaysian and Singaporean poets, novelists and dramatists . Oxford; Bern; Peter Lang, p. 39. (Call no.: RSING 820.99595 PEN); Goh, S. T. (1993). Moments in a Singaporean life . Singapore: UniPress, pp. vii–viii. (Call no.: RSING S821 GOH); Koh, B. S. (1993, June 5). Like student, like teacher . The Straits Times , p. 16. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 15. Klein, R. D. (Ed.). (2001). Interlogue: Studies in Singapore literature (Vol. 4). Singapore: Ethos Books, p. 20. (Call no.: RSING 809.895957 INT); Akbar Goh. (1965). Cherpen2 pilehan . Kuala Lumpur: Singapura: Penerbitan Federal. (Call no.: Malay RCLOS 899.2305 GOH); Jujor lebah penting dari $3,000 . (1966, May 15). Berita Harian , p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Yeo, C. (Interviewer). (2009, May 28). Oral history interview with Goh, Sylvia Tshin En nee Voon [MP3 recording no. 003388/6/4]. Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore website: http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/ 16. Forum on study of Malay . (1964, July 14). The Straits Times , p. 11. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 17. Klein, R. D. (Ed.). (2001). Interlogue: Studies in Singapore literature (Vol. 4). Singapore: Ethos Books, p. 21. (Call no.: RSING 809.895957 INT); Yeo, C. (Interviewer). (2009, May 28). Oral history interview with Goh, Sylvia Tshin En nee Voon [MP3 recording no. 003388/6/4]. Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore website: http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/ ; Goh, E. (1978, August 20). In a flash, he found the meaning to his life… New Nation , p. 24; Goh, E. (1978, October 29). Rat race . New Nation , p. 22. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 18. Klein, R. D. (Ed.). (2001). Interlogue: Studies in Singapore literature (Vol. 4). Singapore: Ethos Books, p. 21. (Call no.: RSING 809.895957 INT); Chew, D. (Interviewer). (1993, October 12). Oral history interview with Goh Sin Tub [Transcript of MP3 recording no. 001422/7/1, p. ii]. Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore website: http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/ ; Yeo, C. (Interviewer). (2009, May 28). Oral history interview with Goh, Sylvia Tshin En nee Voon [MP3 recording no. 003388/6/4]. Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore website: http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/ 19. Klein, R. D. (Ed.). (2001). Interlogue: Studies in Singapore literature (Vol. 4). Singapore: Ethos Books, pp. 16–37. (Call no.: RSING 809.895957 INT); Peralta, C. (1995, January 26). Writers must tap history: Goh Sin Tub . The Straits Times , p. 4; Soong, M. (1988, March 14). Retired banker Goh Sin Tub’s tales from the trampoline . The Business Times , p. 11; Ong, S. F. (1998, August 22). Space for worm’s eye view too . The Straits Times , p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 20. Klein, R. D. (Ed.). (2001). Interlogue: Studies in Singapore literature (Vol. 4). Singapore: Ethos Books, pp. 12, 28, 30–31. (Call no.: RSING 809.895957 INT); Soong, M. (1988, March 14). Retired banker Goh Sin Tub’s tales from the trampoline . The Business Times , p. 11. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Yeo, C. (Interviewer). (2009, May 28). Oral history interview with Goh, Sylvia Tshin En nee Voon [MP3 recording no. 003388/6/4]. Retrieved from National Archives of Singapore website: http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/ 21. Klein, R. D. (Ed.). (2001). Interlogue: Studies in Singapore literature (Vol. 4). Singapore: Ethos Books, p. 35. (Call no.: RSING 809.895957 INT) 22. Spotlight twice on author . (1989. November 17). The New Paper , p. 10. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 23. Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts. (2005, April 11). Speech by Dr Tony Tan, Deputy Prime Minister and Co-ordinating Minister for Security and Defence, at the launch of “The SJIOBA spirit of the LaSallian Mission”, 12 April 2005, 7.30 PM at Sentosa Cove . Retrieved from the National Archives of Singapore website: http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/ ; St. Joseph’s Institution. (n.d.). Scholarships and awards . Retrieved 2016, September 23 from St Joseph’s Institution website: http://www.sji.edu.sg/scholarships 24. Fong, T., & Chow, C. (2004, November 17).  Writer Goh Sin Tub dies after stroke .  The Straits Times . Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore. (2011, April 4). The inaugural Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize 2011 – short stories . Retrieved 2016, September 23, from FASS News website: https://blog.nus.edu.sg/fassnews/2011/04/04/the-inaugural-goh-sin-tub-creative-writing-prize-2011-short-stories/comment-page-1/ 25. Goh, S. T. (1964). Rhymes for Malaysian children . Singapore: Malaysia Publications. (Call no.: RCLOS S821 GOH) 26. Goh, A. (1965). Cherpen2 pilehan . Kuala Lumpur: Singapura: Penerbitan Federal. (Call no.: Malay RCLOS 899.2305 GOH); Goh, A. (1976). Cerpen-cerpen pilihan . Singapura: Federal Pub. (Call no.: Malay RCLOS 899.2305 GOH) 27. Goh, S. T. (1986). The battle of the bands, and other stories . Singapore: MPH Magazines. (Call no.: RSING S823.01 GOH) 28. Goh, S. T. (1987). The ghost lover of Emerald Hill and other stories . Singapore: Heinemann Asia. (Call no.: RSING S823.01 GOH) 29. Goh, S. T. (1987). Honour and other stories . Singapore: Heinemann Asia. (Call no.: RSING S823.01 GOH) 30. Goh, S. T. (1989). The Nan-mei-su girls of Emerald Hill . Singapore: Heinemann Asia. (Call no.: RSING S823 GOH) 31. Goh, S. T. (1990). Ghosts of Singapore! Singapore: Heinemann Asia. (Call no.: RSING S823 GOH) 32. Goh, S. T. (1991). More ghosts of Singapore! Singapore: Heinemann Asia. (Call no.: RSING S823 GOH) 33. Goh, S. T. (1993). Goh’s 12 best Singapore stories . Singapore: Heinemann Asia. (Call no.: RSING S823 GOH) 34. Goh, S. T. (1993). Moments in a Singapore life . Singapore: UniPress. (Call no.: RSING S821 GOH) 35. Goh, S. T. (1993). The Sin-Kheh . Singapore: Times Books International. (Call no.: RSING S823 GOH) 36. Goh, S. T. (1994). Mass possession: A true story!: Tales of the supernatural and natural . Singapore: Heinemann Asia. (Call no.: RSING S823 GOH) 37. Goh, S. T. (1995, i.e. 1994). “If you too could do Voodoo, who would you do Voodoo to?” Singapore: Time Books International. (Call no.: S823 GOH); A twist in the tale . (1994, August 28). The Straits Times , p. 24; Koh, B. S. (1994, August 27). Book fair may include a rights fair soon . The Straits Times , p. 23. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. 38. Goh, S. T. (1995). Loves of sons and daughters . Singapore: Times Books International. (Call no.: RSING S823 GOH) 39. Goh, S. T. (1996). 30 stories: Narrative compositions for O-level . Singapore: EPB Publishers. (Call no.: RSING 808.042 GOH) 40. Goh, S. T. (1997). 12 women and their stories . Singapore: Times Books International. (Call no.: RSING S823 GOH) 41. Goh, S. T. (1998). 12 best Singapore stories . Singapore: Raffles. (Call no.: RSING S823 GOH) 42. Goh, S. T. (1998). The campus spirit and other stories . Singapore: Raffles. (Call no.: RSING S823 GOH) 43. Goh, S. T. (1998). The girls of Emerald Hill . Singapore: Raffles. (Call no.: RSING S823 GOH) 44. Goh, S. T. (1998). One Singapore: 65 stories by a Singaporean . Singapore: EPB. (Call no.: RSING S823 GOH) 45. Goh, S. T. (2000). One Singapore 2: 65 more stories by a Singaporean . Singapore: EPB. (Call no.: RSING S823 GOH) 46. Goh, S. T. (2001). Goh Sin Tub’s One Singapore 3: More Singaporean stories . Singapore: SNP Pan Pacific Pub. (Call no.: RSING S823 GOH) 47. Goh, S. T. (2004). Walk like a dragon: Short stories . Singapore: Angsana Books. (Call no.: RSING S823 GOH) 48. Goh, S. T. (2005). The angel of Changi & other stories . Singapore: Angsana Books. (Call no.: RSING S823 GOH) 49. Obituary . (2004, November 17). The Straits Times , p. 18. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Further resources Goh, S. T. (19--). [Goh Sin Tub Collection] typescripts, photographs [1900]–2004 . Unpublished. (Call no.: RCLOS 828.995957 GOH) Lim, Y. F. (1988, March 11). Author inspired by legend of ghost . The Straits Times , p. 22. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Short stories about the death of innocence . (1988, March 14). The Business Times , p. 11. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. Yap, S. (2008, November 2). Wise lessons to live by . The Straits Times , p. 25. Retrieved from NewspaperSG. The information in this article is valid as at 2016 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources.  It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

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Dr. Cheong Yun Yee is a dreamer, educator and avid reader who writes to express her

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blend of various cultures. Yun Yee holds a PhD in Educational Testing from University

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Looi Siew Teip has been teaching English literature at the University of Malaya for the past 20 years.  He currently also teaches the guqin and has previously worked as a journalist and music critic in Singapore. Outside of his current professional interest in English poetry and medieval English, he also takes a keen interest in environmental issues and Taoist philosophy and practice.

Firqin's

You can request a CV from me here .

Publications:

2022: The influence of age of acquisition, language proficiency and language use on Singapore English consonant perception in Journal of Monolingual and Bilingual Speech. Co-authored with Dr. K. Kalaivanan and Dr. Tan Y. Y.

2020: The homogenization of Ethnic Differences in Singapore English?: A Consonantal Production Study. In Language and Speech. Co-authored with Dr. K. Kalaivanan and Dr. Tan Y. Y.

2018: Juggling two languages: Malay bilinguals’ code-switching patterns in Singapore.  In The Linguistics Journal . Co-authored with Dr. Tan Y. Y.

2018: Poligami, sunnah atau nafsu: In Conversation with Chahaya. In Growing up Perempuan . 

2017:  How the role of Malay women has – or hasn’t – changed . In Karyawan . Co-authored with Filzah.

Presentation and Talks:

Nov 2021: “I’m a normal girl, in a secular world”: Identity and ideology construction amongst Singaporean Muslim influencers. Paper presented at Gender and Sexuality Research Cluster Research Symposium, Singapore.

Mar 2021: The homogenization of Ethnic Differences in Singapore English?: A Consonantal Production and Perception Study. Paper will be presented at New Ways of Analyzing Variation – Asia Pacific conference, Singapore.

Jul 2020: How to become an Effective Ally? by General Assembly Singapore . Singapore. Invited to speak.

Feb 2020: Beyond a Sinicized Singlish: An exploration of subvariants of Singlish through discourse particles. Paper presented at The (Annual) Conference on Asian Linguistic Anthropology, Malaysia.

Aug 2019: The homogenization of Ethnic Differences in Singapore English?: A Consonantal Production and Perception Study . Paper presented at International Symposium on Monolingual and Bilingual Speech (ISMBS), Greece.

Feb 2018: Juggling two languages: the Modern Malay speaker .  Presentation at  Nyanyi Sunyi (Songs of Solitude) , Singapore.

Jun 2017: Juggling two languages: Malay bilinguals’ code-switching patterns in Singapore.  International Symposium for Bilingualism 11 , Ireland.

Online publications :

Book Review: Names For Light | REWRITE London Book Review: Living the Dream | REWRITE London Book Review: Jaz Santos vs The World | REWRITE London Book Review: The Magical Language of Others | REWRITE London Book Review: Hood Feminism by Firqin Sumartono | REWRITE London A recap: Intersectionality in Malaya’s feminist movements | Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) When religion becomes a deal breaker. | Beyond the Hijab . “You’re Not Like Other Malays” | Beyond the Hijab.

Interviews:

On non-fiction with Bookstagrammer Firqin Sumartono  | Books Actually Life in books: This Singaporean woman curates an interesting bookstagram on social justice topic | The Culture Review Mag

Other things I am proud of:

2022 Google Career Certificate Scholar

2021 Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize – Drama

2021 geNiUSbook presentation competition finalist

2021 TechSoup Digital Award

2021 YSEALI Good Governance and Civic Engagement Delegate for Singapore.

2020 US-ASEAN Women’s Leadership Academy Delegate for Singapore.

2020 Tan Mei Ming Scholar

2019 Delegate to Regional Youth Caucus Meeting on Youth Setting and Leading the Agenda for Change in Countering Extremism   within the context of Women’s Rights .

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IMAGES

  1. Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Competition 2019 (Poetry)

    goh sin tub creative writing competition

  2. Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Competition 2017 (The Short Story

    goh sin tub creative writing competition

  3. Call for Entries to The Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Competition 2023

    goh sin tub creative writing competition

  4. The Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize 2021

    goh sin tub creative writing competition

  5. Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Competition Winner: Isaac Lim

    goh sin tub creative writing competition

  6. Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Competition Winner: Barney Gopalakrishnen

    goh sin tub creative writing competition

VIDEO

  1. Creative Writing Competition for Kids

  2. Creative Writing

  3. The best way to find writing competitions (how to use submittable to organise writing submissions)

  4. The Glitch Creative Writing Competition for 11

  5. The Shoes of my Sensei

  6. # Creative Writing Competition#S.D Mission International School Maker (Saran)

COMMENTS

  1. Call for Entries to The Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Competition 2023

    The biennial Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize is a gift from Dr Sylvia Goh to NUS in memory and recognition of her husband Goh Sin Tub, one of Singapore's best-known writers. The Competition is open to all members of the NUS community. The closing date for receipt of entries is at 5pm on Monday, 4 September 2023.

  2. #NUSEnglishLingui...

    #NUSEnglishLinguisticsandTheatreStudies is calling for the submission of original unpublished short stories to The Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Competition 2023 ...

  3. OF ZOOS

    Finally, The Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Competition is looking for short stories from now until 31 Aug! Note that you have to be a part of the NUS community to qualify.

  4. Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Competition Winner: Barney Gopalakrishnen

    The prize ceremony for this year's Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Competition was held on 1 June. In this second segment of a two-part series, we continue to speak to some of the winners of the Competition. Here we converse with Barney Gopalakrishnen who won Third Prize for his play Cycle of Morality.

  5. Results of the Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Competition 2017

    The Prize commemorates Goh Sin Tub's life, achievements and support for education. The genre for this Competition is the short story. Subsequent competitions will feature other literary genres. The competition is open to all members of the NUS community at the time of submission of entry. The closing date for the competition was 31 August 2017.

  6. PDF The Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize 2019

    The Inaugural Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize 2019 - POETRY . Registration Form (Closing date: 30 August 2019, 5pm) Please submit this Registration Form, two printed copies of the entry, and a copy of your NUS staff card or matriculation card by hand or registered mail addressed to: Ms Angeline Ang . Goh Sin Tub Competition 2011

  7. The Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize 2019

    The biennial Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize was established by the late Dr Sylvia Goh with an endowed gift to the Department of English Language and Literature at the National University of Singapore in memory and recognition of her late husband, Goh Sin Tub, who was one of Singapore's best-known local writers. ... The competition is open ...

  8. The Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize 2021

    The Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize 2021 - DRAMA. The biennial Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize was established by the late Dr Sylvia Goh with an endowed gift to the Department of English Language and Literature at the National University of Singapore in memory and recognition of her late husband, Goh Sin Tub, who was one of Singapore's best-known local writers.

  9. Eric Tinsay Valles

    He won a Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing prize for his second collection, After the Fall (dirges among ruins). His first book was A World in Transit. He won Illumination. ELit & Living Now awards for his co-edited A Given Grace and Finding God in All Things anthologies. He co-edited also the Get Lucky and Get Luckier anthologies of Singapore and ...

  10. Goh Sin Tub

    Goh Sin Tub (b. 2 December 1927, Singapore-d. 16 November 2004, Singapore) was a "first generation" Singaporean writer,1 teacher, civil servant, banker, and long-time chairman of St Joseph's Institution's board of governors.2 He authored more than a dozen novels and short stories in his lifetime, including a collection of Malay short ...

  11. The Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Competition 2017 (The Short Story)

    The biennial Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize is a gift from Dr Sylvia Goh to NUS in memory and recognition of her late husband Goh Sin Tub, one of Singapore's best-known writers. The Competition is open to all members of the NUS community. The closing date for receipt of entries is at 5pm on Thursday, 31 August 2017.

  12. Goh Sin Tub

    Goh Sin Tub (simplified Chinese: 吴信达; traditional Chinese: 吳信達; pinyin: Wú Xìndá; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Gôo-Sìn-ta̍t) was a well-known pioneer of Singaporean literature.He was a prolific writer of numerous book titles, which includes bestsellers like The Nan-Mei-Su Girls of Emerald Hill, The Ghost Lover of Emerald Hill, and the Ghosts of Singapore.

  13. DOCX National University of Singapore

    The Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize 2023 - The Short Story. The biennial Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize was established by Dr Sylvia Goh with an endowed gift to the Department of English, Linguistics and Theatre Studies (formerly the Department of Language and Literature) at the National University of Singapore in memory and recognition of her husband, Goh Sin Tub, who was one of ...

  14. Eric Valles / Bio

    In 2013, he won the Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Competition Prize. In 2016, ... Creative Writing in the 21st Century, Writing Diaspora and Asiatic. Eric has read poetry or commentaries at Baylor, Melbourne and Oxford Universities. He has taken up writing residencies at the Vermont Studio Centre, Centrum (Washington) and Wellspring House ...

  15. Judges

    Competition (Chinese Open Category) in 2016, 2020 and 2021 respectively. Yun Yee spends. her free time travelling, contemplating and withering into the truth. ... He has won a Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing prize for poems in his second collection, After the Fall (dirges among ruins). His first poetry book was A World in Transit.

  16. Results for Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize

    The results of the inaugural Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize are out! Congratulations to the following winners: 1st Prize ($10,000) ... The genre for the Inaugural Competition is short stories. Subsequent competitions will feature other literary genres. The competition is open to all members of the NUS community at the time of submission of ...

  17. Jinny Koh

    Second prize winner of the 2023 Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Competition for Short Story Film adaptation of short story "Off Duty" by Threesixzero Productions for StarHub Go. Show less Freelance Digital Copywriter StarHub Aug 2016 - Mar 2017 8 months. Copywriter for StarHub's website and online store ...

  18. DOCX bpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com

    The Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize 2017 - The Short Story. The biennial Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize was established by Dr Sylvia Goh with an endowed gift to the Department of English Language and Literature at the National University of Singapore in memory and recognition of her late husband, Goh Sin Tub, who was one of Singapore's best-known local writers.

  19. DOCX National University of Singapore

    The Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize 2021 - DRAMA. The biennial Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize was established by the late Dr Sylvia Goh with an endowed gift to the Department of English Language and Literature at the National University of Singapore in memory and recognition of her late husband, Goh Sin Tub, who was one of Singapore's best-known local writers.

  20. Firqin's

    2021 Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Prize - Drama. 2021 geNiUSbook presentation competition finalist. 2021 TechSoup Digital Award. 2021 YSEALI Good Governance and Civic Engagement Delegate for Singapore. 2020 US-ASEAN Women's Leadership Academy Delegate for Singapore.

  21. PDF The Xinh-ga-po Pie

    The Xinh-ga-po Pie NUS Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing Competition. He looked and looked. Panning left, zooming right, a shoulder-hung camera picked up and. released. Perhaps it really wouldn't matter if he stepped leftwards, rightwards, upwards, or. turned around by three quarters. All around him were the same neat rows of white.