Moderators

Andrea Pasion-Flores is the general manager of Anvil Philippines, one of the biggest general trade publishers in the Philippines. Andrea was previously an agent for Jacaranda Literary Agency, handling fiction and the children’s list. Prior to that, she was the Executive Director of the National Book Development Board of the Philippines.

Avery Fischer Udagawa’s translations from Japanese to English include J-Boys: Kazuo’s World, Tokyo, 1965 by Shogo Oketani, House of Trust by Sachiko Kashiwaba in Tomo: Friendship Through Fiction—An Anthology of Japan Teen Stories, and Festival Time by Mogami Ippei in The Best Asian Short Stories 2018. She is the International and Japan Translator Coordinator for SCBWI.

Find out more about Avery's work here.

Cheeno Marlo Sayuno is an Assistant Professor at the University of the Philippines Los Baño. He has won awards for his children’s stories The Magic Bahag, Si Tiya Salome, and The Missing Blanket. His research interests also include discourse analysis, communication research, and dance.

Christabel joined NLB as an outreach librarian and worked very closely with children aged 7-17 years. She now advises school libraries on their revamp process, and selects books for children and young adults.

Chua Chee Lay, a third generation Chinese Singaporean, is a linguist and award-winning poet. He was also a researcher for Chinese Children Literature in NTU for 15 years. Currently, he serves as the President of the Contemporary Arts Research Association (CARA) and May Poetry Society and Head for National Writer-in-Residence Project for Schools.

新加坡第三代华人，现任当代艺术研究会会长与五月诗社社长，从事儿童文学教学与研究并主持全国院校驻校作家项目多年。

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.

Darel is a visual storyteller who illustrates the tales of the natural world through his unique brand of wry wit and whimsy. He believes in the draw of storytelling as a means of engagement, creating experiences that simultaneously excite and educate. Particularly interested in museums and culture, he has worked with art, cultural and educational institutions to encourage learning through the power of imagination and play.

Find out more about Darel's work here.

Denise started Closetful of Books after six years of working with children’s literature. With Closetful of Books, she shares her love for reading through specially-tailored workshops with authors and illustrators and super-duper fun bookfairs in local and international schools. Denise also puts her studies in Mass Communications and English Literature to good use by spending all her time reading.

Find out more about Denise and Closetful of Books here.

Don Bosco writes fun and exciting books for young readers. His stories are inspired by Asian history, legends and pop culture. He's currently working on Last Kid Running, a gamebook series in which young runners tackle thrilling AR challenges.

Find out more about Don's work here.

Donna Lim is a teacher educator with the National Institute of Education, Singapore. She specialises in English Language methodology courses for young learners. Her interests cover reading and writing methodology, children’s literature, oral communication methodology and assessment literacy.

Elaine has worked as a librarian for over 25 years in companies, public libraries and international schools. She has a master's degree in library science from the University of British Columbia and a master's in education from Sheffield University, where her thesis was on reading motivation in EAL students. 

To find out more about Elaine's work here.

Fleur Vella-Chang is an author-illustrator, teacher and homeschool mum. She is the author of the much-loved book Afternoon Tea at Raffles Hotel and its sequel Mabel Moves to Singapore. Fleur enjoys visiting schools to share with students her love for storytelling and passion for seeking wonder in ordinary things.

EdTech has been an area close to Gerald’s heart for the past 15 years. He is currently Managing Director and Co-founder of SnapLearn, a platform bringing learning and reading to life using Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) technologies. He was formerly Head of Learning (Content & Services) at Samsung Asia and Regional Director at Pearson APAC.

Geraldine Teo-Zuzarte is Group Professional Practices Officer at NTUC First Campus and Centre Director of The Caterpillar's Cove Child Development and Study Centre. She is an appointed ECDA Fellow and was awarded the SkillsFuture Fellowship in 2017 in recognition of her expertise in early childhood education.  

Harprit Singh Sidhu is Licensing Manager with CLASS Limited which is an independent, not-for-profit, non-government organization that seeks to eliminate unauthorized use of copyright works of its members and affiliates. Before joining CLASS, he was an educator in a local government secondary school.

Hwee Goh spent 16 years as a TV journalist at Channel News Asia before extending her writing to books. In 2015, she produced the bestselling Lee Kuan Yew and a few non-fiction titles for kids. She followed through in 2018/9 with The Plano Adventures, a fantasy series based on science, with co-author Mo Dirani. Hwee is also an Editorial and Communications specialist at The Media Consultants Singapore.

Find out more about Hwee's work here.

Dedicated to life-long learning and bringing stories, books and people together, Jane Hayes, has worked for more than four decades as a teacher, librarian and senior education officer in Australia, the USA and the UAE. She is currently enjoying her fourth year as Senior School Teacher Librarian at Dulwich College, Singapore.

Jane Wee is currently the Head of Chinese Language, Content and Services in the Public Libraries of NLB. She is responsible for the overall strategic directions and implementation of quality nationwide reading for the Chinese Language. Her team works on the development of the physical and digital library collections in the entire public library network for the Chinese Language.

黄美萍目前是新加坡公共图书馆内容与服务组的华文主管。 她负责新加坡公共图书馆里整体关与华文阅读的战略规划与实施。她与团队也负责公共图书馆属下26间分馆的纸板图书和数码图书的采购与发展。

Jeffrey Tan is an experienced Theatre Director, Drama Educator and Creative Producer.  His productions in 2019 includes “MY Bridge of Light” – a Bicentennial Community Play for Marsiling Yew Tee GRC, “It’s not Romeo and Juliat’ for Ageless Theatre and “Legend of Bukit Merah’ an intergenerational theatre as part of BuySingLit2019.

Katherine Wakely-Mulroney is an Assistant Professor of English at Nanyang Technological University’s School of Humanities, where she specialises in British literature of the long eighteenth century and children’s literature.

Banker-turned-Producer; Kenneth co-leads the team at Monstrou Studio, a producer & distributor of original content. He also serves as an EXCO member of the Association of Independent Producers, Singapore, looking after the association's affairs in Industry Development and International Partnerships.

Kenny Leck is the co-founder of BooksActually, an independent literary bookstore that specializes in Fiction + Literature titles. He also helms the publishing imprint Math Paper Press, and the handmade stationery line, Birds & Co. On good sunny days, he sees himself as a karung guni man too.

Kim Beeman is Head of the Senior Library at Tanglin Trust School in Singapore. She has previously worked as a teacher-librarian at independent schools in Bangkok and New York City, and was a cookbook librarian in New York City for many years. 

Kanagalatha (Latha) has written two Tamil poetry collections. Her short story collection Women I Murder won the 2008 Singapore Literature Prize. Her works have been widely translated and published in various literary journals. Latha is a director for Poetry Festival Singapore and is the Associate editor of Tamil Murasu, Singapore’s Tamil newspaper.

When not lawyering or parenting, Seow Ser writes, edits and leads To SIR (Socially Inclusive Reads) with Love, a ground-up initiative, creating quality books for children with or without special needs. She has authored four children's books, including Si Ma Guang and the Giant Jar (IBBY Outstanding Book for Young People with Disabilities 2017) and The Rain Tree.

Lim Cheng Tju writes about history and popular culture. His articles have appeared in the Journal of Popular Culture and the International Journal of Comic Art. He co-authored The University Socialist Club and the Contest for Malaya: Tangled Strands of Modernity (Amsterdam University Press /  NUS Press, 2012).

Lin Xueling is a broadcast journalist. She focusses on terrorism, defense issues and geo-politics. She believes strongly in Southeast Asian stories and has written a novel based in our region called the "The Island in the Caldera".

Marcus Liu is a Senior Legal Associate with Amica Law LLC focusing on intellectual property and in particular, in IP protection and management. He graduated with a LL.B (Hons) from the Singapore Management University in 2012, and was called to the Singapore Bar in 2013. While at SMU, he was placed on the Dean’s List in his last year.  

Margaret Tang is a writer and voiceover artiste. Over the course of nine years, she volunteered at the Singapore Art Museum, Asian Civilisations Museum and Singapore History Museum as a docent.

Melanie is the author of the picture book series, The Adventures of Squirky the Alien, which picked up the Crystal Kite Award (Middle East/India/Asia division) in 2016. She has also published Imaginary Friends: 26 Whimsical Fables for Getting on in a Crazy World , a collection of illustrated short stories.

Find out more about Melanie's work here.

Melissa Gay is currently the Senior Deputy Programme Director of the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism Programme Office. She oversees the management of the Programme Office and its initiatives. The Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism supports proposals that encourage bilingualism and the learning of our Mother Tongue Languages as living languages and a lifelong endeavour.

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.

Mohamed Imran Mohamed Taib is director of Centre for Interfaith Understanding (CIFU); co-editor of Budi Kritik anthology; and an advocate and trainer for interfaith and intercultural dialogues. His writings on religion and society have appeared in Channel NewsAsia, Today, The Straits Times and South China Morning Post. 

Nur'afifah is a mother, educator and author who is highly passionate about children and books. She enjoys reading, storytelling and interacting with young children. She believes that books are life-changers and hopes to spark this love and joy of reading in the young hearts. 

Nur'afifah ialah seorang ibu, pendidik and penulis yang sangat meminati kanak-kanak dan buku. Dia gemar membaca, bercerita dan berinteraksi dengan kanak-kanak. Dia percaya yang buku mampu mengubah kehidupan dan pemikiran seseorang dan berharap dapat menjentik minat dan sayang terhadap buku dalam diri kanak-kanak.

Panna, an ex-librarian, is a full-time caregiver and a part-time professional storyteller. She discovered the power of stories through a personal transformation and believes they play an integral part in everyone's life. Having worked as a collection specialist, she has extensive knowledge of children’s and young adult literature. 

Pippa Chorley grew up in England and studied English Literature and Creative Writing at university. She is trained as a primary school teacher and loves to write stories that make children giggle and think outside the box. Counting Sheep is the first of three rhyming story books written about the adventurous little girl Sam who loves to solve problems! Pippa currently lives in Singapore with her husband and children.

Priti Sharma Devata is an associate lecturer at Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) where she teaches children’s literature and Singaporean literature. She is also an editor of children’s books at Epigram Books.

Sadaf Siddique is a co-founder of KitaabWorld, an online platform for the discovery and distribution of South Asian children and young adult literature. With a focus on curated content and community outreach, KitaabWorld seeks to address social issues in the South Asian community and beyond.

Sakinah is currently pursuing her Master in Early Childhood Education and is an avid food enthusiast. Her passion for picturebooks was ignited when she joined Star Learners to craft their literature-based curriculum. Inspired by her aesthetic transaction with picturebooks, she continues to empower educators in appreciating children’s literature.

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.

Find out more about Sarah's work here.

Vidhya is a primary school teacher who enjoys working with children to provide rich language experiences that will develop their love for the language while equipping them with social emotional skills. As a book lover, she particularly enjoys children's literature and believes that stories is an effective teaching tool that captivates children's attention, brings learning to life and creates platforms for teachable moments.

Srividhya Venkat is a children’s author, performance storyteller and former kindergarten teacher. She has written several picture books, including The Clever Tailor which was the co-winner of the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award 2019 for the Middle East/India/Asia region. Srividhya strongly believes in the power of books and loves to create and share stories about our big, beautiful world.  

Find out more about Srividhya's work here.

Writer-coach Su-Ann, author of 3 “read-aloud drama” books featured at AFCC 2016, has coached more than 30 primary school young authors, leading to the publication of 9 books written by children for children, supported by the National Heritage Board and Urban Redevelopment Authority, Singapore.

With over 27 years of experience in the Singapore film and television industry, Tan Chih Chong has amassed a broad spectrum of award winning works with international broadcasters and partners in factual entertainment, magazine, comedy, drama and feature film projects including the highly successful film, Forever Fever. 

Tanya Wilson has 20 years experience creating content for some of the world’s biggest brands and government bodies. Her newest project EYEYAH! uses art and design to facilitate social-emotional development in children. Just under a year after it’s launch, EYEYAH! activity books are being used in local schools as a tool for child-led learning.

Vanithamani Saravanan was formerly an 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

Zainap Osman is an Associate Librarian with the National Library Board where she oversees adult programmes.  She also conducts Malay in Minutes for speakers of non-Malay. In her free time, she enjoys reading non-fiction. She holds a Masters degree in Tesol with a keen interest in sociolinguistics and pragmatics.