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Mack Bookers

MACK BOOKERS

We're honoured to have some of Singapore's literary aficionados reviewing books for us. We all love a good read and what better way to share the joys of one than through a review? That said, we also value the significance and importance of a bad read, so you might find some shockers here. Ah, how we love floating in this sea of subjectivity! 


Our Reviewers

Theophilus Kwek is a writer and researcher based in Singapore. Having recently completed an MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, he has written about migration and other social issues for IRIN, The Diplomat, South China Morning Post, and the Singapore Policy Journal. Other poems, translations, and essays have appeared in The Guardian, The Philosophical Salon, EuropeNow, and The London Magazine. He serves as Co-Editor of Oxford Poetry.

 

Ruth Tang writes poetry and plays. Her poems have appeared in the Quarterly Literary Review Singapore. Her other preoccupations include bargain basement books, non-musical theatre, and an awful sense of foreboding about the future.

 

Tse Hao Guang is the author of Deeds of Light (2015 Math Paper Press), shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize. He co-edits literary journal OF ZOOS and online portal poetry.sg. He is a 2016 fellow of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa.

 

Someone once told Wong Wen Pu that only the loneliest, most miserable of people, lived in lighthouses. Wen Pu wishes he lived in a lighthouse.


Olivia Djawoto is still very much a neophyte in the literary world, but she hopes that pursuing an M.A. in English Literature will help make up for lost time. Quite often however, she can't help but fantasize about being a pro ice hockey player on the Boston Bruins.

 

Salome Choa writes about small things in her Muji notebook, and reads about small lives in everything. In between the cycles of laundry she does for her family of seven, Salome tries to think about her role in the cosmos, but inevitably turns to Netflix (no chill).

 

Lu Zhengwen is a current M.A. student in English Literature at NUS. His reading interests include science fiction and fantasy, metafiction and Victorian poetry (the more melodramatic, the better!). In his free time, he enjoys searching void decks for stray cats, eating Japanese kit-kat (raspberry flavour, especially) and slaving away at computer games. He also thinks that Maggie Cheung is very cool.
 

Matthias Ang  is that annoying guy whose laughter always overshadows the joke. Also, when not writing, he spends his time researching for trips to exotic locations which he’ll never be able to go because his major means his future housing will be no better than a cardboard box at the void deck.

Eisabess Chee is currently pursuing a papered stamp of approval at NUS, but at her funeral, please bring: dead contemporary writers, scraps of poetry, and eighty-eight constellations or ex-students, whichever easier.
 

Marie Ee is a writer that dabbles in just about everything – short stories, poetry, and plays. Her latest endeavours include UNSAID’s production of Every Singaporean Daughter and the upcoming book Inheritance: An Anthology. Reluctantly, she will soon graduate with a double major in Middle Eastern Studies and English Literature from Tufts University.
 

Alisa Maya is a final-year English Literature student at NUS. When she is not slaving over essays, she enjoys writing reviews, binge-watching Netflix and taking selfies with her dog.
 

Gideon Goh is a third-year student at the National University of Singapore. He likes books, movies, and video games whenever he’s not knee-deep studying. 
 

Ketan Shah is a lifelong science fiction and comic book fan whose interest was first piqued by Robert Heinlein's  juvenile novels and the superheroic teen angst of Peter Parker. He takes great pleasure in hunting down dark and obscure science fiction short stories from the 50`s,60's and 70`s and discovering new takes on classic superheroes.
 

Leong Wen Shan is an editor, published author and consultant for public relations. She was an editor for Times Publishing before moving to public relations in areas including non-profit, aviation and higher education. She enjoys non-fiction, documentary films and attending music festivals.
 

Melissa De Silva has worked as a journalist and editor. She loves literary and historical fiction, and will take a good mystery any time. She also loves bunnies (real and plush), wide green spaces and trees. Her collection of stories, 'Others' is Not a Race, published by Math Paper Press, explores themes of Eurasian culture and identity.
 

Kane W.Holder is a scriptwriter, fiction writer and blogger with several short stories published. He also writes about the art of work, creativity and storytelling on his website: www.kanewholder.com.
 

Caterina Poh works as an arts manager and translator. Born and based in Singapore, she translates from Chinese to English and was one of the participants in Translators Lab. Her published works include "The Bedroom Travel Agency" by Xiao Han, which was included in the Living in Babel: Singapore Literature in Translation anthology by The Select Centre; and a short story she co-translated, “The Cat Seller” by Chang Ching-Hung, was included in the BooksActually Gold Standard 2016 anthology.
 

Constantly diving into books to expand her imagination, Cheryl Chia is on a journey to find more books to get lost in. When her nose isn't in a book, she is busy in the kitchen baking or on the couch crocheting. Making things bring her great joy. She hopes some day to write a food related book that will win her a James Beard award.
 

Crispin Rodrigues is an educator and a writer. His first collection of poems, Pantomime, will be published in 2018. He is currently working on his second poetry collection.
 

Simon Vincent is a journalist and the author of The Naysayer’s Book Club: 26 Singaporeans You Need to Know, an account of people with alternative ideas for Singapore’s future.
 

Chong Li-Chuan is a Singaporean composer with a keen interest in philosophy, culture and the arts. His career in music and sound started in the late '90s, freelancing in music composition and sound design for theatre, dance, installation art and architecture. 
Listen to his music: https://soundcloud.com/li-chuan-chong


Ianna Chia studies English Literature at the National University of Singapore. She is also a member of the writing circle, Stop at Bad End Rhymes (/S@BER).


The fluffball of energy known as Max Pasakorn (he/him) is a Thai-born writer and spoken word poet residing in Singapore. When not being “sucked dry” by his army officer, he can be found watching the latest Disney movie, gorging on fried chicken, or reading at a poetry open mic. Max is a founding member of the writing collective /Stop@BadEndRhymes (/s@ber). Read more about him at maxpasakorn.wordpress.com