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Aaron Tan

Singapore

Aaron Tan has weathered through TV Dramas, Comedy Series, Music Videos, TVCs and Documentaries, in his decade-long journey as a Creative Director, Screenwriter & Independent Musician. He currently continues to pursue his undying passion for storytelling and content creation as a lecturer in Singapore Polytechnic.

Adeline Foo

Singapore

Adeline Foo has 28 published children's books, sold in Singapore, India, China, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Slovakia, Turkey and Australia. In 2017, she won the Asian Children's Book Award for Tiny Feet, Tiny Shoes. Adeline has also written for MediaCorp's Channel 5 and okto, for Two Boys & A Mermaid, The Diary of Amos Lee and Whoopie's World.

Adrian Tan

Singapore

Adrian Tan wrote the best-selling award-winning novels The Teenage Textbook and The Teenage Workbook. His books were subsequently adapted for stage and screen. He is a litigator with TSMP Law Corporation.

Aileen Hoe

Malaysia

Co-founder and Director of English Champ Malaysia, Aileen is a passionate educator who believes music and movement is a powerful tool in one’s learning journey. She is also a founding member of The Association of Toy Libraries Malaysia and a committee member of We Care Journey, advocating for play and inclusiveness in a wholesome education system.

Amelia Jaishree

Singapore

Currently a lecturer and trainer, Amelia Jaishree holds a Masters of Education from the University of Adelaide. She has sixteen years of experience in mentoring teachers of language and literacy, both locally and regionally.  Amelia believes in making education accessible, attainable and affable, and is committed to quality training which helps learners achieve their optimum potential.

Amutha Saravanan

Singapore

Amutha Saravanan loves to combine her research background in Clinical Neuropsychology with the arts, making a difference to the lives of those going through Da Vinci Group’s Neuroeducation-based programmes. She, her husband CEO Saravanan Manorkorum, and their team are on a mission to cause a paradigm shift in education across the world.

Andy Chua

Singapore

Andy Chua, the award-nominated author of the Fossil Finders series, is an avid reader, web enthusiast, photographer, gamer, badminton-player and jogger. As the co-moderator of Singapore’s largest fossil and paleontology society, he gives guest lectures on Prehistoric Life and Geology and collaborates with paleontologists in other fields.

Andy Martin

UK/Singapore

Andy Martin is a specialist (SEND) teacher for nearly 14 years and has been lucky enough to teach all over the world, from the UK, Australia, Africa and Singapore. He is passionate about developing emotional literacy and the power that story telling can have in the process. His first book is The Rainbow Dragon

Annusia Balan

Singapore

Annusia is an Experience Designer and Researcher working in the public sector. Her work is governed by contextual needs and focuses on humanising content for corporate and public clients. She began her design journey in National Library Board, where she set up library@orchard using design thinking principles. During her free time, she runs The Tamil Class to improve her mother's Tamil language lessons through design.

A.P. Jayaraman

India

Dr A.P. Jayaraman is a nuclear scientist. His stories are based on sober scientific facts, yet sweetly laced with fiction. Travelling across India, these sci-stories have been delivered in English and Malayalam, and have won him the Kerala state award for Children’s Literature. His sci-story ROman, on desalinated water, was presented in ACS 2005 at Singapore.

Ashley Koh

Singapore

As an avid reader and a fervent writer, Ashley pursued her dream and published her first novel, Rosemary and the Wood Hut Fairies, awarded the NAC Presentation and Participation grant, and its Chinese counterpart at 11. She continues to find ways to pursue her passion, and in her spare time, studies at Singapore Chinese Girls’ School and offers you dictionary definitions. 

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Barbara Moxham

Germany/Australia/Singapore

Barbara was born in Munich, raised in Sydney and calls Singapore home. After completing a Bachelor of Design and a Master of Art she worked as an art director and graphic designer. An incurable book addict satisfying her cravings through book illustration, she has illustrated three picture books, her latest being Hello Goodbye Little Island.

Bernard Toh

Singapore

Bernard is the co-founder of the Singaporean award-winning animation studio, Robot Playground Media. As the Creative Director, he oversees all creative aspects of his studio's original productions as well as commissioned works. He has over 15 years of experience in character design, animation and art direction for animated TV and web series, short films, commercials, and documentaries.

Beth Ann O’Brien

US/Singapore

Dr. Beth O’Brien is a Senior Research Scientist at the Centre for Research in Child Development at NIE, NTU. Her interests are in children’s reading development for diverse learners, including bilinguals and children with dyslexia. She currently leads projects on bilingual reading brain networks for typical and dyslexic readers, and technology-based apps for teaching phonics with learning-support-program students. 

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Casey Chen

Singapore

Casey Chen, a multidisciplinary artist who breathes, lives and eats all things aesthetic. Casey has been in the design and art field for over two decades. He is experienced and versatile with various aspects of design, including branding, furniture, jewellery, product design and sculpture. He is the author of three books. 

Clairine Chan Ka Yin

Hong Kong

Clairine Chan is a lecturer in English Language Education at the Education University of Hong Kong where she taught English Phonetics and Phonology and teaching methods courses since 2006. She also provides consultancy services related to English Language teaching to primary schools in Hong Kong.

Colin Goh

Singapore

Colin Goh is a writer/cartoonist whose work includes the international bestseller Search Inside Yourself. With wife Woo Yen Yen, he created Dim Sum Warriors, a critically-acclaimed bilingual comic and app series which was adapted into a musical that played in Shanghai and 25 major Chinese cities. They also founded the satirical website TalkingCock.com and made the multiple award-winning movie Singapore Dreaming.

Cynthea Liu

USA

Cynthea Liu is an award-winning children’s book author, publisher and consultant. She is published with Penguin Random, Disney, S&S, and Scholastic, with her work translated into multiple languages. She is also the publisher of Starts With Us, which empowers children to change the world in pursuit of their talents and interests.

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Daphne Lee

Malaysia

Daphne Lee is the Editorial Consultant at Scholastic Asia, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She was part of the team that created the Scholastic Asian Book Award and Scholastic Picture Book Award. Daphne is also a freelance editor who has worked with a number of publishing houses, as well as individuals on both fiction and nonfiction manuscripts for all age groups, although her specialty and focus are children's and YA fiction.

Darran Kuah

Singapore

Darran has always had the love for drawing. His passion was already evident since his younger days, where he spent his free time busy doodling. In 2003, after working in the I.T. Industry for a decade, he decided to follow his heart and started Chips and Toon, an animation studio that focus on Story-telling and Animation development.

David Liew

Singapore

When he’s not illustrating books, David Liew is a model-maker, sculptor and writer. He has illustratrated Eliza Teoh’s bestselling Ellie Belly series of middle-grade readers, as well as Melanie Lee's award-winning series Squirky the Alien. David is also the Regional Advisor for the Singapore chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

David Seow

Singapore

David Seow is a well-known children’s book writer within Singapore's literary scene. He is the author of 42 well-received children’s books, including the Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di & Xandy series, and his books have been featured in publications such as The Sunday Express and The International Business Times. His latest book is Race to Rio: Joseph Schooling goes for Olympic Gold.

Denon Lim

Singapore

Denon Lim Denan is the executive director and chief editor of Lingzi Media, and President of the Singapore Association of Writers. He is also a poet, having won the Golden Point Award and been shortlisted for the 2006 Singapore Literature Prize. His new poetry collection 《如果还有萤火虫》 (If There Are Still Fireflies) was published in December 2017.

林得楠,新加坡作家协会会长(2016-),出版社玲子传媒执行董事兼总编辑,少年时期开始发表诗作。2001年获得新加坡国家艺术理事会主办金笔奖华文诗歌组第二名,2003年获得金笔奖第一名;1991年出版诗帖《怀念小灯笼》,2005年出版诗集《梦见诗》(新加坡文学奖2007提名作品之一),2017年推出《如果还有萤火虫》 彩色诗集。林得楠也喜爱儿童文学创作,曾以“喊喊哥哥”为笔名主持儿童信箱长达十年,也是多部儿童绘本的撰稿人。

Derin Övgü Ögün

Turkey

Derin Övgü Öğün is a student in Media and Visual Arts Department at Koҫ University. Her interest in photography and collage got her to meet with picture books and the fascination didn’t stop ever since. Her current work focuses on material and sensorial qualities of picture books.

Difference Engine

Singapore

Difference Engine is a Singapore-based independent comics publishing house. We are inspired by the wealth of stories coming from Asia and are driven by the commitment to share those narratives with the world. We believe in sparking imagination through make-believe, in the ability of visual storytelling to share ideas, and in a reality powered by comics.

Djohan Abdul Rahman

Singapore

A freelance writer, Djohan loves to express his thoughts and emotions through poetry and short stories. In his spare time, apart from fishing, he loves to drive people up the wall with his crazy antics.

Don Bosco

Singapore

Don Bosco writes thrilling fiction for teens and children. His stories are mostly inspired by Asian legends and pop culture. He started the publishing studio Super Cool Books in 2011. His Sherlock Hong adventures was acquired by Marshall Cavendish, and his My Blade Quest series by Armour Publishing.

Donna Lim

Singapore

Dr Donna Lim and Ms Kiren Kaur are teacher educators with the National Institute of Education, Singapore. They specialise in English Language methodology courses for young learners. Their interests cover reading and writing methodology, children’s literature, oral communication methodology and assessment literacy.(Dr.) Donna Lim

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Edgar Liao

Singapore

Edgar is a PhD candidate in the University of British Columbia's Department of History. He is currently working on his PhD dissertation project on the history of youth in modern Singapore. He has taught in the NUS Department of History previously and is co-author of  The University Socialist Club and the Contest for Malaya (Amsterdam University Press; NUS Press, 2012).

Edmund Wee

Singapore

Edmund Wee is the founder of Epigram Books which was set up to champion Singaporean literature. Its authors regularly win major book prizes, including the Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award, Singapore Literature Prize and Singapore Book Awards. It also hosts the annual Epigram Books Fiction Prize and its London office started publishing literary fiction from Singapore and Southeast Asia in 2017.

Edwin Ng

Singapore

Edwin Ng has illustrated numerous school text books, teaching materials and children magazines. He is a three times Gold Medal Award winner of Book Design Competition for “Singapore Festival of Books”. He has also been a Costume Designer for People Association Chingay Parade since 2006. Edwin is currently working as an adjunct lecturer in Nanyang Polytechnic.

Elaine Ng

Singapore

Elaine Ng has over 25 years of experience as an educator, and is co-founder of The Learning Connection​s​, an arts organization providing quality arts experiences to young people through theatre programmes and arts education. She is currently a PhD candidate at Griffith University, and heads the Continuing Education and Training Committee at the Singapore Drama Educators Association (SDEA).

Eleaner Choo

Singapore

Eleaner Choo found her love for gritty storytelling when she directed her first documentary on domestic violence. She believes film is a great way to get under the skin of characters and bring awareness of topics to the public and seeks to tackle "talking point" issues to generate discussions. She believes that stories must first educate, then entertain, and bring about a "frission" in your spine.

Eliza Teoh

Singapore

Formerly a journalist and sub-editor at The Straits Times, Eliza Teoh is the author of the national-bestselling Ellie Belly series. Her books are infused with fun animal facts and language tips, which appeal to reluctant readers. Eliza has been a mentor to many young authors, conducting writing workshops in schools and facilitating workshops for the GEP Creative Writing Programme.

Ellie Ngim

Singapore

Ellie Ngim is a graduate from the London School of Economics (LSE) and was nominated in 2015 as Directing Fellow in the Busan Asian Film Academy. With over five International Film Festival screenings and a Gold Effies since joining the media industry in 2012, she is currently managing Bert Pictures and BeVRR.

Elodie Kyra

Singapore

Elodie Kyra had her first taste of literary success as the co-author of her mother's national bestseller Ellie Belly #8: Otter Out of Water. This year, she released Rage, the first book in a planned trilogy. Elodie's debut novel hit the national bestselling list and proceeded to stay there for over 15 weeks, making her Singapore's youngest national bestseller.

Emily Lim

Singapore

Author Emily Lim is the first outside North America to win three medals at the IPPY Awards and first in Southeast Asia to receive the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award. Her Toy Series has been published in 4 languages in 5 countries. Emily was named Mediacorp’s Singapore Woman Award 2013 Honoree for inspiring readers through her writing.

Eunice Olsen

Singapore

Eunice Olsen is an actor, host, pianist, founder and executive producer of Eunice Olsen Media. She created the International Emmy Nominated series WomenTalk TV, an online interview program featuring unsung Asian ‘sheroines’. In 2018, she published her first children’s book I’m a Girl. See what I can be!, a series of poems inspired by the women she interviewed on WomenTalk.

Eva Wong Nava

Singapore

Eva Wong Nava is an art historian, educator and writer. She founded CarpeArte Journal, which publishes her flash fiction and art writing alongside other contributors. Elsewhere, she reads and writes voraciously and authored Open: A Boy's Wayang Adventure, which encourages young readers to be more compassionate to people on the Autism Spectrum.

Evelyn Wong

Singapore

Evelyn is a children's writer who writes about the diversity of languages and life in Singapore. Her picture book, The Naughty Mynah, was adapted for Story Box Theatre by The Learning Connections while her storytelling workshop Makan Mischief was performed in the Singapore Writers Festival for Families. Evelyn has been actively involved in AFCC since the first festival in 2010.

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Felix Cheong

Singapore

Felix Cheong has authored 13 books which span from poetry to satirical flash fiction and picture books. He was conferred Young Artist of the Year for Literature in 2000, and has been invited to read at writers' festivals worldwide. Holding a master's in creative writing, Felix is an adjunct lecturer with LASALLE College of the Arts and other overseas universities.

Fleur Vella-Chang

Australia/Singapore

Fleur Vella-Chang is an Australian-born author and illustrator who has published two books in Singapore including the much-loved, Afternoon Tea at Raffles Hotel. Fleur spends a lot of her time visiting schools to share with them her stories and love of reading.

Francis Wong Hooe Wai

Singapore

Architect Francis Wong Hooe Wai is the author of several books of prose and is a regular columnist for Lianhe Zaobao. He currently teaches creative writing in schools and often conducts storytelling and activity sessions. His recent picture books Grandpa's Little Room and Go Trishaw Go take their settings from old Chinatown. 

虎威原名黄虚怀,是建筑师,也是《联合早报》副刊专栏作者,著有多部散文集。他是推广华文学习委员会驻校作家计划的导师之一,并常受邀为学生们讲故事、做活动。近期创作的绘本《外公的小房间》《三轮车跑得快》都以旧牛车水为背景。

Frané Lessac

Australia

Frané Lessac is an author/illustrator, creating over forty books for children. She was awarded the Muriel Barwell Award for Distinguished Service to Children's Literature and was the inaugural Regional Advisor for SCBWI Australia West. Frané visits schools, libraries and festivals around the world sharing the process of writing and illustrating books.

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Gabby Tye

Singapore

Gabby Tye is an 18-year-old Veterinary Sciences student and also the national-bestselling author of the RunHideSeek trilogy. She has five books released and is now completing EverAfter, the sequel to RunHideSeek. Gabby is the youngest Singaporean author to have had her book rights acquired by a major Chinese publisher. The movie rights to her books have been optioned to Woosh Pictures.

Ginia Ng

Singapore

Ginia Ng, a senior lecturer from SEED institute, holds a Doctoral degree of Education from East China Normal University, specialized in Early Childhood Education. She rose through the ranks with more than 20 years of early childhood teaching and training experience. She is a prolific writer who had written 64 Chinese readers for young children.

黄雪云老师是新苗师范学院的高级讲师,获中国华东师范大学教育学博士学位和新加坡南洋理工大学教育硕士学位。黄老师拥有20多年的幼儿教育工作经验,包括教导学前儿童和培训幼儿华文教师。她也是儿童图画书的作者,出版了约64本学前华文图书和一些幼儿园华文教材。

Glenn Bartlett

Singapore

Glenn Bartlett is Turner’s Executive Creative Director in Asia Pacific. As the head of Creative Services, he tasks his team to deliver  world-class and on-brand creative product across all functions of Turner’s entertainment brands. Dedicated to enhancing his time in Asia, Glenn is passionate about learning new languages and cultures and continues to study Chinese and Japanese. 

Gomathey D/O M Veeramari 

Singapore

Ms Gomy has A Master of Arts in Special Educational Needs with the University of South Wales, UK. She works as a Senior Inclusion Specialist in Presbyterian Community Services for the last 20 years. She oversees the Integrated Childcare Programme funded by MSF at six PCS childcare centres and is also a certified Signpost Facilitator for a parent program - Signpost for Building Better Behaviours.

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Helle Norup

Denmark/Singapore

Helle grew up in Denmark and in a plethora of imaginary worlds. She lived in five different countries and worked with corporate marketing and communication, before moving to Singapore and becoming a full-time explorer and writer. The Missing Barbegazi (Pushkin Children's Books) is her first novel.

Hidayah Amin

Singapore

Hidayah Amin had her first short story published when she was 11. It was only when she lost her childhood home that she resumed writing and published Gedung Kuning in 2010. She has since written six non-fiction books and six children’s books, including the award-winning The Mango Tree.

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Ilgim Veryeri Alaca

Turkey

Ilgim Veryeri Alaca is an Assistant Professor at Koҫ University, Istanbul. She contributed to The Routledge Companion to Picturebooks, The Routledge International Handbook of Early Literacy Education and The Routledge Companion to International Children’s Literature. Her articles appeared in Leonardo, International Journal of Education through Art and Journal of Illustration.

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James Tan

Singapore

James Tan likes to sit in kopitiams and draw what he observes. An illustrator and a comic artist, he has published a travelogue art-book The World is So Big based on his travels around the world. In addition, he has illustrated children's book series Stacey Goes to the Museum and Danger Dan. 

Jean Yeo

Singapore

Jean Yeo is the creator and executive producer of Lion Mums, one of the most popular programmes on local TV in recent years.  Some of her creations have won international awards and are distributed beyond Singapore.  Jean also wrote and directed The Leap Years, an adaptation of Catherine Lim's novella Leap Of Love.

Josephine Chia

Singapore

Josephine was inspired to be a writer and share the stories of her kampong life and Peranakan heritage. Her books often incorporate Singapore's social and political history, with Kampong Spirit Gotong Royong winning the 2014 Singapore Literature Prize. She has spoken at several international writing festivals, and mentors teenage and adult aspiring writers.

Jumaini Ariff

Singapore

Jumaini Ariff is a children’s book author and is well known for her uniquely crafted storytelling persona ‘Nek Selampit’. She has participated in numerous national campaigns and international storytelling performances. As a Malay Language Ambassador, she works closely with various institutions to inculcate interest towards Malay Language amongst the young.

Jumaini Ariff merupakan penulis buku kanak-kanak dan seorang pencerita yang dikenali sebagai Nek Selampit; seorang penglipur lara. Beliau telah melibatkan diri dalam pelbagai kempen- kempen nasional dan festival bercerita antarabangsa. Sebagai Duta Bahasa, Jumaini kini sedang bergiat aktif dengan badan-badan bahasa untuk melestarikan penggunaan bahasa Melayu di kalangan kanak-kanak.

Jyotirmoy Saha

Singapore

Jyotirmoy Saha, is a serial entrepreneur in the media and digital content space. He is renowned for being the Founder and CEO of August Media Holdings. In 8 short years, he has taken the company to a position of leadership in the kids IP production business in South East Asia.

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Karen Lee

Singapore

Karen is a storyteller and trainer with years of experience in the education field. She has been telling stories to people of all ages at schools, libraries and various community space, believing in their power to inspire people, teach values and bring communities together. She also trains preschool teachers, adults and students eager to use storytelling in various ways.

Karthickeyen Govindaraj

Singapore

An alumnus of Nanyang Technological University, the University of Leeds and the University of British Columbia, Mr. Karthickeyen Govindaraj is a pre-university educator and literacy researcher. His teaching and research interests include family literacy, reading education and bilingualism.

Katherine Blyn Wakely-Mulroney

Singapore

Katherine Wakely-Mulroney holds a PhD in English from the University of Cambridge and is an Assistant Professor in the School of Humanities at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. She is the co-editor of The Aesthetics of Children’s Poetry: A Study of Children’s Verse in English (Routledge, 2017).

Kathleen Ahrens 

Hong Kong/USA

Kathleen Ahrens, Ph.D, is a Professor in the Department of English at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She is an Advisory Board Member for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and has served as a final round judge for the Feng-Zi Kai Picture Book Award and Hong Kong Picture Book Award. 

Kathleen Chia

UK/Singapore

Kathleen Chia (co-presenting with Linda Gan) holds a Master’s degree in Child development with Early Childhood Education from the University of London. She has a long history of involvement in teaching young children and in training teachers for the early years. She is a firm believer in the importance of children having authentic learning materials and, often in collaboration with Linda, has written books that are meaningful, engaging and culturally relevant for young children.

Kathy Lee

Singapore

Kathy Lee, Business Development Director of Filmat36 (S) Pte Ltd, has produced more than 100 hours of TV content in various genres, which include food and wild life, crime and investigative, lifestyle, science and history, travel and adventure. Her children info-eds series has been top rated on networks for two consecutive years.

Kenneth Liang

Singapore

Kenneth Liang has been in Media for most of his working life, with stints at the Economic Development Board, the Singapore Tourism Board, and SingTel. As a young producer, he has recieved numerous awards for his work and launched various TV series' on Channel 5 and Dream Forest. 
Kenneth is currently producing content on the internet platform, “Happy-TV”, and continues to produce shows under Dream Forest Stories. 

Khairudin Saharom

Singapore

Khairudin Saharom’s  journey in children’s book illustration began with What Sallamah Didn’t Know, a heartfelt story written by Sharon Ismail.  He is a firm believer that illustrations have the ability to not only connect the reader visually to the text, but also trigger the senses and capture emotions that are true to the story. He has been using drawing as tool for communication even till today in his work as an architect. Khai has also conducted classes on how doodling can help improve the command of language. 

Khairudin is also a familiar face in the media, having hosted many television programmes for both local and regional networks.

Khim Loh

Singapore

Khim Loh is one of Asia's most established producers, with a wealth of industry experience. She co-founded The Moving Visuals Co. and as Executive Producer, her work includes over 100 productions for both local and international broadcasters. She participated in the International Emmy Awards and was an international jury member for the Banff TV Festival and the recent Japan Prize. Khim is currently President of the Association of Independent Producers (AIRPO) Singapore.

Kiren Kaur d/o RATAN SINGH

Singapore

Dr Donna Lim and Ms Kiren Kaur are teacher educators with the National Institute of Education, Singapore. They specialise in English Language methodology courses for young learners. Their interests cover reading and writing methodology, children’s literature, oral communication methodology and assessment literacy.

K Rajagopal

Singapore

Raja is an award-winning director whose works span Singapore's four languages. His debut feature film A Yellow Bird was selected for the Cinefoundation's L'Atelier at Cannes, and he received the Singapore International Film Festival's Special Jury Award thrice for his short films. Elsewhere, Raja's television projects have also earned him local and international awards.

Kristi Wientge

USA/Singapore

Originally from Ohio, Kristi grew up writing stories about animals, her favourite being a jet-setting mouse. She studied to become a special needs teacher and then spent several years exploring the world as a teacher. Karma Khullar’s Mustache is her debut novel and Honey Bees and Frenemies will be released summer 2019, both with Simon & Schuster.

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Lee Seow Ser

Singapore

When not lawyering or mothering, Seow Ser writes, edits and leads Project to S.I.R (Socially Inclusive Reads) with Love. She is the author of four children’s picture books including Si Ma Guang and the Giant Jar (IBBY Outstanding Book for Young People with Disabilities 2017) and The Rain Tree.

Lee Yeow Heng

Singapore

Yeow Heng has an innate flair for visualising, designing and illustrating. He created animated characters for the Singapore National Day Parade in 1997. His favourite character creations can be found in the Adventures of Wesley and in Pura, the Magic Cat. A graduate of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Lee Yeow Heng is now a full time Art Teacher.

Lesley-Anne Tan

Singapore

Lesley-Anne Tan is currently an undergraduate studying at Yale-NUS College. She co-wrote the action-packed Danger Dan children’s book series, published when she was just 16. Her popular Secrets of Singapore series has clinched several awards. She has spoken at numerous schools and literary events, and has been interviewed by both local and international media.

Leslie Lee

Singapore

Leslie is the Executive Director for Media Networks at Disney in Southeast Asia, and is responsible for the on-air content for its channels - programming, acquisitions, localization, distribution and operations. Leslie has over two decades of experience and expertise in the arts and entertainment industry and has held management roles in companies such as Viacom Asia, Mediacorp and SAFRA Radio.

Lim Geok Leng

Ms Lim Geok Leng has been in the publishing industry for 37 years. She started from EPB Education, SNP Pan Pacific Education and next, to MCE Education. Currently, she is MCE General Manager and Publisher of Asia Language Publishing. She has been the president of the Chinese Language Publishing Association in Singapore since 2005.

Linda Gan

UK/Singapore

Linda Gan (co-presenting with Kathleen Chia) holds a Master’s degree in Child development with Early Childhood Education from the University of London and spent 31 years with the National Institute of Education, Singapore, training teachers. She has a special interest in children’s literacy and is the author of numerous literacy materials, stories and rhymes that recognise the efficacy of children having learning materials that relate to their culture and experience.

Linda Tan Lingard

Malaysia

Linda Tan Lingard is Managing Partner of the Yusof Gajah Lingard Literacy Agency and the president of Integra Creative Media Snd Bhd (Oyez!Books), a leading picture bok publisher in Malaysia. Linda has more than 25 years in the publishing industry and is also the founder of the Children's Picture Book Association of Malaysia. 

Lin Xueling

Singapore

Lin Xueling is a journalist by day. But at night, when the moon is full, she hunts shrunken heads, magic daggers and volcanic lakes with her talking cat as her trusty companion. She is currently writing the Great Plain of Stupas which is the second volume in the Island in the Caldera series.

Li Zhiping

China

Li Zhiping was born in Putien, China and immigrated to Singapore at a young age. She graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Chinese Studies, and is currently working as a teacher in a local junior college.

Loh Chin Ee

Singapore

Loh Chin Ee is the Principal Investigator of the Building a Reading Culture (BRC) project on reading and school libraries in Singapore secondary schools. She has spoken and written widely on the importance of reading and the role of school libraries for twenty-first century learning. Further details on her projects can be found at readingcultures.org.

Lucia Obi

Germany

Lucia Obi has been working in academic libraries, and also as a freelance illustrator and editor in the children's publishing industry. Trained in Cultural Anthropology, Chinese Literature, Art and the Library and Information Sciences, she is now the language specialist for Chinese and Korean children's literature at the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany.

Lucia Obi's appearance is supported by the Goethe-Institut Singapore.

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Mabel Wee

Singapore

Mabel Wee was a Childcare Quality Advocate with PCF HQ. She contributes in training and consultation with AECES by mentoring early childhood supervisors as well as assisting novice ProFLAiRs to develop professionally. She helped to simplify Dr Tan’s SG50 book for preschool children.

Marc Checkley

New Zealand/Singapore

Marc has more than 15 years of experience in broadcasting, content production, development and consultancy across the Asia-Pacific. He regularly speaks at creative industry events, and conducts workshops in ideation and public speaking. Marc is current Chairman of the AFCC’s Cross-Platform Summit, judge of the Vancouver Web Fest and was a key advisor to Singapore’s Workforce Development Agency for television and screenwriting training frameworks. In 2016, Marc launched IO Creative, a production, development and consultancy agency with offices in Singapore, UK and Switzerland.

Marco Sparmberg

Marco Sparmberg has worked on numerous new media pioneer projects in China, Hong Kong, Germany and the UK during the past 12 years. He is one of the leading transmedia evangelists in Asia. As Audience Development Lead at Mediacorp, he drives the organization’s social media strategy as well as digital business transformation in digital content. 

Mariann How

Singapore

Mariann How holds a master’s degree (Hons) in English. She is a passionate educator and mother, and believes in reading storybooks. She incorporates fun, integrated activities in a joyful environment for young learners so that they can develop a love for reading and a positive disposition towards learning English.

Marie Toh

Singapore/UK

Marie Toh is an illustrator currently based in London. She enjoys visual story telling and illustrated her first book, The Boy in the Whale Suit, which was published by Epigram. She has since illustrated movie posters for local independent cinemas such as The Projector and Anticipate Pictures.

Mark Greenwood

Australia

Mark Greenwood’s award-winning picture books include Simpson and his Donkey, The Mayflower and Jandamarra. His latest chapter book series delves into History Mysteries. Mark often works with his wife, illustrator Frané Lessac, to produce books that promote an understanding of multiculturalism. His new picture book, The Happiness Box, is set in Singapore.

Mary Chin

Singapore

Currently Course Chair of the Diploma in Creative Writing for Television and New Media, Singapore Polytechnic, Mary Chin co-produced the original web series The Leon Theory and managed its transmedia story extensions over several media platforms. She spent more than 10 years as a writer-producer in the media industry, with her works shown on MTV Asia, Discovery and National Geographic.

Mary George

Singapore

Dr Mary George is a child development consultant and teacher educator. She currently writes primarily for emerging teens and publishes What’s Up, a monthly newspaper for children in Singapore. Be it for adults or kids, Marys primary focus is on educating for resilience, hope and wisdom.

Mary Rose Adelle G. Pacificar

Philippines

Mary Rose Adelle Pacificar is a Filipino writer and illustrator who focuses on children’s literature. She is now working on a series of flash fiction and illustrations on and for children with special needs. She is currently teaching literature courses at the University of the Philippines High School Iloilo.

May Tan

Singapore

May Tan is the Director of Literary Arts at the National Arts Council. She works closely with the literary community and government partners to champion Singaporean literature and writers as well as to cultivate an appreciation of the diverse stories from Singapore.

Melissa Choo

Singapore

Melissa Choo is a librarian who dare to believe and dream. She is also a strong advocate for reading and promote reading in Mother Tongue Languages to all age group, especially children from four to twelve.

Meryl Chin

Singapore

Meryl Chin is an Associate Librarian from the Children and Teens team at the National Library Board, Singapore, which supports primary and secondary schools in building a sustainable reading culture through the provision of reading programmes that inspire and encourage reading and learning. She also manages and writes for the discoveReads website, the go-to resource for students, parents and teachers for all things to do with reading.

Michele Schofield

Australia/Singapore

Michele Schofield is Senior Vice-President, Content Development and Sales at One Animation, tasked with developing and guiding new IP, managing content sales globally and One Animation's portfolio of YouTube channels. A 20 year industy veteran, Michele has held previous positions as the head of content at A+E Networks Asia and Turner Entertainment Networks Asia. 

Mindy Pang

Singapore

Mindy Pang has more than a decade of experience as an editor and marketing manager at Marshall Cavendish International (Asia). She was the driving force behind key publications as a senior editor and currently develops marketing strategies to help the publishing house remain a leading publisher in Asia and beyond.

Mira Widhayati

Indonesia

Mira Widhayati graduated from Bandung Institute of Technology’s Visual Communication Design. Mira is a member of Kelompok Pencinta Bacaan Anak (Society for the Advancement of Children’s Literature) and has represented Indonesia in workshops overseas. Initially illustrating short stories for children's magazine Bobo, she continues to illustrate picture books while finding joy in storytelling.

Mohd Mukhlis Bin Abu Bakar

Singapore

Mukhlis Abu Bakar is an Associate Professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University. He obtained his MA and PhD from the University of Wales, Bangor, UK. His current research interests lie in the fields of bilingualism, biliteracy, and literacy learning, and span the domains of home, school and faith.

Myra Garces-Bacsal

Singapore

Rhoda Myra Garces-Bacsal is an Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. She is the Co-Coordinator of the Diploma in Special Education and the Professional Development Leader of the Early Childhood and Special Needs Education Academic Group. She manages the vibrant website gatheringbooks.org

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Ng Siew Chin

Singapore

Siew Chin is a Research Assistant at NIE. She has recently completed a master’s degree in education from the University College London and holds a bachelor’s in early childhood educational studies and leadership from Wheelock College. She was a preschool teacher working with children from eighteen months to six years old. 

Norhashimah Azli

Singapore

Norhashimah Azli is an associate librarian at the National Library Board, Singapore. When not engaging children and teens through reading programmes in schools, she works with a team of librarians to produce services to encourage reading and learning at the public libraries. 

Nur’afifah Binte Mohd Hussain

Singapore

Nur’afifah is a mother and educator who is highly passionate about children and books. She enjoys storytelling, dramatising and interacting with young children. Her belief that books can lead to fun and engaging learning experiences sparked the hopes to share this love and joy of reading with the very young.

Nur’afifah ialah seorang ibu dan pendidik yang mempunyai minat yang mendalam terhadap kanak-kanak dan buku. Minatnya ini menimbulkan keseronokan tatkala bercerita, berdrama dan berinteraksi dengan kanak-kanak. Melalui buku dan pengalaman yang menarik dalam pembelajaran, dia berharap keseronakkan serta rasa cinta terhadap buku-buku dapat dikongsi dan diterapkan dalam jiwa kanak-kanak dari seawal usia.

Nur Artika Arshad

Singapore

Nur Artika is a Research Assistant at NIE. She is involved in the ‘Singapore Kindergarten Impact Project’, a large-scale longitudinal study on the transition from preschool to primary school. Her research interest lies in the language and literacy development of early learners. 

Nur Ashikin Binte Kamaruddin

Singapore

Nur Ashikin has four years of experience working with students with dyslexia. She has a Post-Graduate Certificate in Specific Learning Differences from the University of New South Wales. Currently, she is an Awareness Speaker and a member of the English Exam Skills Programme in the Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS).

Nur-El-Hudaa Jaffar

Singapore

Nur-El-Hudaa Jaffar began writing fiction in 2014. Since then, she has won awards for her children’s books, short stories and poetry. She is also a translator and an editor. A volunteer storyteller at a library, Nur-El-Hudaa believes that there is no age limit to enjoy a children’s book.

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Oscar Ng

Singapore

Oscar Ng was inspired by Kwan Shan Mei’s illustrations since primary school that she doodled on every textbook. She furthered her studies at Central St Martin’s in UK and returned to serve at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts for 21 years. She was appointed by the estate to organize the collection of Kwan Shan Mei.

Otto Fong

Singapore/Thailand

Formerly a science teacher and scriptwriter, Otto Fong is the author of bestselling comic series Sir Fong's Adventures in Science. In the last eight years, Fong has toured over a hundred schools promoting the learning of science, and is now working on Book 7 of the Sir Fong series. Totally Totto, a 16-episode adaptation of the Sir Fong series, will be telecast on OKTO in 2018.

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Pamela Rushby

Australia

Pamela Rushby has written over 200 books for children and young adults. She has won many awards – including a bag of gold coins at a festival in Iran. Pam is a registered teacher and speaks regularly at schools, festivals and conferences. She loves delving into history to find her stories.

Paper Monkey Theatre

Singapore

Paper Monkey Theatre creates theatre productions and workshops infused with puppetry for children and family entertainment, encouraging artistic development and enriching learning experiences. Helmed by well-known playwright Benjamin Ho, Paper Monkey’s aims to introduce performing arts through professional, fully staged productions that include puppetry, dance, and a variety of music and songs into their repertoire. 

Patrick Yee

Singapore

With 180 books to his credit, Patrick Yee is one of Singapore's leading illustrators. In 2016, he received The Most Prolific Illustrator award from the Singapore Book of Records. His works include the Lee Kwan Yew and Rosie Rabbit series, the latter translated into eight languages. Patrick also lectures at various tertiary institutions and teaches Art Therapy to special needs children.

Pearle Chua

Singapore

Pearle Chua is an Associate Librarian at the National Library Board. An ardent reader, Pearle has worked with various primary and secondary schools in Singapore to promote reading. She is an avid collector of children’s books and enjoys turning her home into a mini library. 

Peter Creamer

UK/Australia

Dr. Peter Creamer and his wife, Kathy Creamer are joint partners of Little Pink Dog Books, a newly established children’s picture book publisher. Uniquely, the partnership specifically provides emerging and talented children’s authors and illustrators with opportunities, which Dr. Creamer strongly believes will allow them to be recognized by established publishers.

Priscilla Tey

Singapore

Priscilla Tey is an illustrator and art educator. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), she loves woolgathering and maintains a healthy sheep obsession. Her first picture book, In-Between Things, was published worldwide by Candlewick Press in 2018 and she is currently working on two more books under the same publisher

Pushpavalli Narayanasamy

Singapore

N. Pushpavalli has a diploma, degree and Masters in Early Childhood Education. She has been the Principal of the Ramakrishna Mission Sarada Kindergarten since 2008, and was appointed an ECDA Fellow in 2015 and Skills Future Fellow in 2017. In her 20 years of preschool experience, she has explored many approaches to nurturing bilingualism in children.  

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Quek Hong Shin

Singapore

Hong Shin is a freelance illustrator who has illustrated several picture books including The Amazing Sarong, The Incredible Basket and the Ahoy, Navy! series for RSN's 50th anniversary. The Amazing Sarong – the first book he wrote and illustrated – was shortlisted for Best Children's Title at the Singapore Book Awards 2016.

Photo credit: Epigram Books 

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Radhika Dhawan Puri

Singapore

Radhika D. Puri is an award-winning journalist. She has won the World Press Institute Media fellowship and the Polestar Award, the latter for her contributions to internet journalism. She moved to Singapore in 2007, where she became a research associate at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Mountain of Fire and The Fibonacci Revelation are her first two novels.

Rehina Pereira

Rehina Pereira is an accomplished media professional with over 25 years of experience and the Founder/Executive Producer of Verite Productions Pte Ltd. Rehina produces content across multiple genres and languages, including documentary, drama, travelogue, info-educational content, content for children and animation. She specialises in producing print-to-screen adaptations (series, telemovies) for television and enjoys collaboration with writers to bring their vision to screen.
 

Rilla Melati

Singapore

Rilla is a pioneer of Malay speech and drama programmes for schools in Singapore, and the founder of Mini Monsters Ltd. Author of several Malay children's storybooks, she has written scripts for many Malay children's TV shows since the 1990s. Rilla has also translated SR Nathan's The Crane and the Crab into Malay.

Rixou Low

Singapore

Rixou is a comic artist, writer and illustrator who lives in Singapore, but spent most of her growing years in the imaginary lands of classic practical effects-based fantasy movies. Her works, which blend present day settings with fantastic elements, have received accolades both locally and overseas.

Robert Gunnar Magnuson

Philippines

Robert Gunnar Magnuson is an author and illustrator of numerous children’s picture books. He also enjoys making comics for young readers. His book, The Great Duck and Crocodile Race, was awarded one of the Best Reads of 2012 by the NBDB. He lives with his wife and son in the Philippines.

Rosemarie Somaiah

Singapore

Rosemarie Somaiah runs Asian Storytelling Network. One of Singapore’s best-known storytellers, Rosemarie works with all ages. She creates original content in text and performance for educational, community and corporate organisations. Her books include The Never Mind Girl and Other Stories, Gateway to Singapore Culture and Indian Children’s Favourite Stories

Ruth Martin de Guzman

Philippines

Ruth Martin-De Guzman is an educator, author and a mother. She is a pioneer teacher at The Raya School of Adarna House, the oldest children’s literature publisher in the Philippines. She is currently the Executive Director of Adarna Group Foundation Inc, a philanthropic organisation advocating for early and universal literacy in grassroots communities.

Ruth Wan-Lau

Singapore

Ruth Wan-Lau is the author of the Timmy and Tammy series and the Percy and Pam series. Over 300,000 Timmy and Tammy books have been sold since 2014, and Chinese versions have been launched with the support of the LKY Bilingualism Fund. Ruth is passionate about teaching children to love reading and to love Singapore.

Ruth Wong

Singapore

Ruth Wong Yeang Lam teaches at the National Institute of Education, NTU. She specializes in methodology courses on teaching English at the primary level. She believes in the power of reading, and indulges in the collection of children’s books as a hobby.

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Saad Chinoy

Singapore

Saad is a professional geek with Tusitala, the digital publishing firm of Potato Productions. He develops technology that enables creation of stories that adopt the interactivity of the digital medium to go beyond the printed page, without trying to replace it. "Trans-media storytelling" as the marketese would have it.

Sarah Mounsey

Singapore

Sarah Mounsey is a book (and chocolate!) obsessed teacher librarian and author who lives in Singapore. She spends her days juggling 3 sons, hundreds of students and thousands of books. She is the author of the award-winning Paw Prints series of books, which have been published in Singapore.

Sarah Odedina

UK

Sarah Odedina has worked in the area of children’s publishing for over two decades and with authors ranging from JK Rowling and Neil Gaiman, to debut authors whose stars are just rising. Sarah is Editor-at-Large for Pushkin’s Children’s Books as well as Editor of Scoop Magazine

Sara Siew

Singapore

Sara Siew is an editor at the National Gallery Singapore. She was involved in the inception of the Gallery’s publications department in 2010, and has to date overseen the production of an extensive range of titles including the Awesome Art series for children, which she authored.

Satoshi Kitamura

Japan

Satoshi Kitamura is a Japanese children's picture book author and illustrator. In 1983, he received the Mother Goose Award for the Most Exciting Newcomer to British Illustration for Angry Arthur (written by Hiawyn Oram). He has written and illustrated over 50 children’s books and continues to explore the medium.

Seetha Lakshmi

Singapore

Dr Seetha Lakshmi is an Associate Professor of the Asian Languages and Cultures Academic Group at the National Institute of Education, Singapore. Appointed as a trainer in 1997, she has been a leading figure in the teaching and research of Standard Spoken Tamil, Curriculum Review, Innovative Tamil pedagogy for the Tamil diaspora, Corpus Data and Teaching Tamil through Media.

Shannon Ong

Singapore

Shannon is a blur book-lover turned mother and bookseller of Woods in the Books. Even after 10 years, she remains enchanted by the beautiful books arriving daily and derives every joy in sharing them with the angels and human beans walking through the little green door. Her dream is to be able to sit down in the bookshop, read all day and laugh with the elves there.

Sharon Ismail

Singapore

Sharon's love of books since young has resulted in her current passion to write books for children on issues relevant to their lives. In addition to being an educator from primary to university levels, Sharon also acts and hosts for stage and television. The Ghost with Dirty Feet is her third book after What Sallamah Didn't Know and Makan Time!, a bilingual picture book. 

Sim Ee Waun

Singapore

A food & travel writer and freelance editor for 28 years, Sim Ee Waun turned to writing children’s books as her second career. She co-authored history-based The Little Singapore Book and The House on Palmer Road and is a founding partner of boutique children’s publisher Pepper Dog Press.

Soefara Jafney

Soefara Jafney is a freelance illustrator and designer. Her illustration work includes 13 children's books under the Sam, Sebbie and Di-Di-Di series.She also designs limited edition scarves and illustrates for dUCk, a lifestyle brand and is a part of H.M.O Collectibles, a company that designs and produces premium statues.

Suchen Christine Lim

Singapore

Suchen Christine Lim has authored over twenty works, including Fistful of Colours, which bagged the inaugural Singapore Literature Prize. Awarded a Fulbright Grant, she has had writing fellowships and residencies in both local and overseas universities. In 2012, she was awarded the S.E. Asia Write Award for her works. Her latest publication is The Man Who Wore His Wife's Sarong

Suffian Hakim

Singapore

Suffian Hakim is a writer; contributing articles, and scripts to magazines and television shows. He has authored two novels and in 2017, he was the second runner-up for the prestigious Esquire X Montblanc Fiction Writer Prize. While described as “undoubtedly one of the most whimsical, creative and unpretentious young voices in Singapore literature” by The Straits Times, his mother has described him as “criminally negligent in cleaning his room."

Sumathi D/O Krishna Kumar

Singapore

Sumathi D/O Krishna Kumar is a Senior Educational Therapist and an Educational Advisor at DAS. As an Educational Advisor, she contributes to the area of Staff Professional Development. She has a Post-Graduate Certificate in Specific Learning Differences from the London Metropolitan University and has been active in the area of specialised educational services.

Sung Yuen Ling

Singapore

Yuen Ling left the engineering profession to join her family business Maha Yu Yi Pte Ltd. She started the children’s bookstore 8 years ago and it now has the widest collection of Chinese children’s books in Singapore. She sources books for the National Library, preschools, primary schools, and international schools in Singapore.

Suriya Rethnna

Suriya Rethnna is a publisher with Raji Publications, having been in the industry since 2000. Also a freelance writer, she is recognized as Singapore's first female Tamil novelist and her works were shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize in 2014 and 2016. Suriya has authored children's storybooks for primary schools and currently conducts writing workshops at secondary schools.

Susila Stephenson

Susila Stephenson has 30 years' working experience with special needs children in childcare centres. She holds a Bachelor of Science with Second Class Honours in Psychology with Counselling and Early Childhood Professional certificates accredited by ECDA. Currently, she works as a Senior Learning Support Educator in Presbyterian Community Services. She is also a certified Signpost Facilitator for a parent program - Signpost for Building Better Behaviours.

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Tan Ai Khim

Singapore

Ai Khim nurtures creativity amongst students in NAFA and SIMGE (RMIT) and is best known for designing the winning entry ’OrchidStar’ logo for the Singapore National Day Parade 2012. She loves to produce random craft works to keep her creative juice flowing and mind-wander in museums for inspiration.

Tan Chee Lay

Singapore

Associate Professor Tan Chee Lay is Executive Director of the Singapore Centre for Chinese Language and Deputy Head of NIE's Asian Languages and Cultures Academic Group, Nanyang Technological University. A prominent writer and artist, he has won several writing awards, including the Golden Point, Young Artist and Fang Xiu Literary Awards. Dr. Tan also has over 20 books published. 

陈志锐副教授,英国剑桥大学汉学博士。他现任南洋理工大学国立教育学院亚洲语言文化学部副主任,主管华文、马来文及淡米尔文系,同时也是新加坡华文教研中心院长(研究与发展)。他受委国家图书馆华文阅读委员会主席,曾发起新加坡全国学生文学奖、新加坡诗歌节,并担任东南亚文学奖、新加坡文化奖等评审。他曾获新加坡金笔奖、方修文学奖、青年艺术家奖、全国杰出青年奖,陈之初美术奖等,撰写并主编华文创作、中英文学术论著逾20种。

Tan Ter Cheah

Singapore

Tan Ter Cheah lost her right leg to synovial sarcoma at age six, with her debut book ONE based loosely on her memories of the experience. Trained as a lawyer, she later obtained her professional accountancy qualification while working full-time. She hopes to share her love for words and her life experiences with children and adults alike.

Tarsheeni Tania Rajoo

Singapore

Tarsheeni Tania Rajoo is an Educational Therapist and an Educational Advisor (EA) with the Staff Professional Development (SPD) division at DAS. Tarsheeni has a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, a Diploma in Business Management from Nanyang Polytechnic, a Specialist Diploma in Specific Learning Differences (SpLD) from the DAS Academy.

Thant Thaw Kaung

Myanmar

Now Executive Director of the Myanmar Book Aid and Preservation Foundation, Dr. Thant has been active in modernizing and revitalizing libraries. He is also on the Executive Committee of the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation chaired by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, working to operate mobile libraries across the country. For his extensive work, Dr. Thant has received international fellowships and awards.

Tonia Whyte Potter-Mäl

Canada/Singapore

Tonia Whyte Potter-Mäl’s passion for beautiful and inspiring picture books has remained strong since childhood. Her parents, and greatest mentors, cherished reading stories as a family. A speaker of multiple languages, an educator at International Baccalaureate schools and also an IBPYP Workshop Leader, she is particularly interested in global literacies, as well as supporting culturally responsive practices within learning communities.

Trish Donald

New Zealand/Australia

Trish explores various mediums including digital, pen, paint, and found objects to create mixed media drawings. Equipped with a degree in fine arts, a career in graphic design and teaching in the vocational education sector, she now brings her eclectic style to children’s picture books.

Tusitala

Tusitala means storyteller. We're a digital-native studio founded in 2010 with a love for both digital and print medium and a heart for local, Asian narratives that are meaningful and inspiring. Working with content creators and print publishers, we enable narrative that transcends the traditional boundaries of print without trying to replace its tactile nature. 

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Vanithamani Saravanan

Dr Vanithamani Saravanan was formerly Associate Professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University and at the Bahrain Teachers College, University of Bahrain. Her research interests are in bilingual education, literacy education and in applied linguistics.

Vijayanand Thamotharan

Singapore

Vijayanand Thamotharan is the Director of Crimson Earth. He has previously worked as the Director of Absolutely Parents. His interests include publishing, business development, education planning and content development.

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Wendy Toh

Singapore

Wendy Toh is a close family friend and god-daughter of Kwan Shan Mei after getting to know her through her friendship with Kwan Shan Mei’s daughter, Loretta. Now semi-retired, she works part-time as a clinic assistant at Toa Payoh.

William Royston

Singapore

Trained and qualified through the University of South Australia, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and a father to two boys, William Royston enjoys singing, reading and performing on stage. He joined Julia Gabriel Education in 1995. A talented and versatile teacher, William has taught young students as well as adults in the Julia Gabriel Foundation Teaching Certificate Course. In 2010, he was the recipient of Preschool Teacher of the Year award

William Wan

Singapore

Dr William Wan is the General Secretary of the Singapore Kindness Movement, consultant at Goodwins Law Corporation and a Justice of the Peace. He chairs the Prison Fellowship Singapore and the Ethics Committee of Farrer Park Hospital among other community commitments. He is also a published author and public speaker.

Wong Swee Yean

Singapore

Swee Yean is a storyteller who enjoys sharing the joy of the oral tradition. She has trained teachers and emerging storytellers of all ages and regularly shares the folklore of Asia with local children, sometimes re-imagining the traditional tales for a modern audience for better appreciation of the values as well as respect for cultural diversity.

Woo Yen Yen

Singapore

Woo Yen Yen is a professor specializing in curriculum development and multimedia production. With husband Colin Goh, she created Dim Sum Warriors, a critically-acclaimed bilingual comic and app series which was adapted into a musical that played in Shanghai and 25 major Chinese cities. They also founded the satirical website TalkingCock.com and made the multiple award-winning movie Singapore Dreaming.

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Xinmin Ng

Singapore

Xinmin lives for capturing visuals that are neglected in our daily lives. Her passion lies in heartfelt homely films  which she feels are what young adults neglect now. She believes that following her passion will lead her to her goal one day -  to do a movie that will be able to touch everyone's hearts. 

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Yang Shu Hung

Singapore

Currently a Chinese teacher, freelance translator and interpreter, Yang Shu Hung spent her schooling years buried in both English and Chinese literature. Her love for both languages is rooted in a belief that they are interconnected. She hopes to instil in her students the same passion for languages and literature - just as her teachers had in her.

Yovita Siswati

Indonesia

Yovita is a mother of two who became an author by accident. She enjoys writing stories for children including novels, and in particular those with historical backgrounds. Yovita has written more than 40 children’s books. One of her books, Misteri Kota Tua, was placed on the IBBY Honor List in 2016. 

Yusof Gajah

Malaysia

Yusof Gajah is Malaysia's foremost naive art artists. He studied art and later launched his career as a full-time artist where he proceeded to make waves in the art world. A writer and illustrator of children's picture books, his books have won numerous awards, most notably the Noma Concours Grand Prix Award for The Real Elephant. He regularly conducts art workshops and enjoys working with children.

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Zed Yeo

Singapore

Zed Yeo is the writer of the Saurus Series picture books and the YA fantasy novel, Half Ghost. He has also written a collection of bizarre short fictions for mature readers, Unapologetically Insane Tales. His favourite toy is a wind-up bird. He does not own a glove with five glittery gems... yet.

Zulaihabe Talip

Singapore

Zulaihabe is a Senior Principal in PPIS Child Development Centre has shown her leadership capability that secured her centre the National Board's School Heritage Champion Award in 2017. The efforts were already translated through the Malay Mother Tongue curriculum implementation and environment set up such as a Culture and Heritage Room. She has also successfully led some parenting workshops about Malay Mother Tongue Language learning for pre-schoolers.