Moderators

Charles Santoso loves drawing little things in his little journal and dreams about funny, wondrous stories.

He is the creator of Happy Hippo and has illustrated many books, including I Will Read to You by Gideon Sterer, Dear Unicorn by Josh Funk, Finding Muchness by Kobi Yamada, the New York Times bestseller Odder, and Wishtree books by Katherine Applegate, Mighty Muddy Us, and Ida, Always by Caron Levis, which was mentioned in the New York Times as “an example of children’s books at their best”.

Faraha has been emceeing and presenting since 2019. She fell in love with the ability to put smiles on faces through words. She is known for her personability and ensures that every event is an unforgettable memory for everyone.

Lee-Ling (Stephanie) is a Singapore historian and author. She is a partner of The History Workroom LLP, researching and creating history-related content for exhibitions, workshops and publications. Her books, Habibah: Story of an Island Girl, and Adventures of Admiral Zheng He are inspired by Southeast Asian history.

Joyceline See Tully is a Singaporean children’s book author with a penchant for local wildlife. Singapore lore and glorious food. She has written several children’s books including Tiger Tales, Road Safety with Kay and Bear Bear, Attack at the Mall and The Runaway Car, and co-authored The Little Singapore Book. After working in publishing for more than 25 years as a journalist and magazine editor, she now teaches part-time at a local university and is working on her next children’s book.

Wen-yi Lee is a Clarion West Workshop alum from Singapore whose short fiction has appeared in venues like Lightspeed, Uncanny, and Strange Horizons, as well as in various anthologies, including Epigram Books' Fish Eats Lion Redux. She likes writing about girls with bite, feral nature, and ghosts. Her debut novel, The Dark We Know, is forthcoming from Gillian Flynn Books in August 2024. Find her on socials @wenyilee_ and otherwise at wenyileewrites.com.  

Low Ying Ping is the author of two middle grade fantasy series, Mount Emily and Prophecy of the Underworld. She has also written a three-volume English adaptation of the Chinese classic, Journey to the West, for younger children. Her books have won the Singapore Book Awards and were shortlisted for the Hedwig Anuar Children’s Book Award and the Popular Readers’ Choice Award.

Melanie is an award-winning author of the graphic novel series Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma, the picture book series, The Adventures of Squirky the Alien, and the travel guide series Out & About in Singapore. In addition, she has edited children’s books such as Hurry, Murry! and the How to be Human picture book series. She is also a part-time communications lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences. 

Pippa Chorley, award-winning children’s author of Counting Sheep, Out of the Box and Stuffed!, grew up in a picturesque village in England. Trained as a primary school teacher, Pippa loves to write in rhyme to encourage children’s natural curiosity for words and explore the rhythm of language. Pippa’s stories inspire 'out of the box' thinking and lead children on adventures into imaginary worlds filled with possibilities.

Priti Sharma Devata is the Managing Editor at Epigram Books. She also edits fiction and nonfiction picture books, early readers and middle-grade novels. She has more than 21 years of experience teaching and developing language and literary courses at the tertiary level. Her areas of focus have been children’s literature and postcolonial literature.

Dr Woo Yen Yen is an innovative educator and cultural designer who bridges creative methods and pedagogy. With a wealth of experience across various mediums including print, film, mobile technology, and stage, she specializes in crafting dynamic learning experiences that are both captivating and educational. Yen Yen’s work has been published or screened in multiple venues, including Netflix, HBO, the App Store, Google Play Store, Singapore Airlines, Tokyo International Film Festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival, Smithsonian Institution, Brooklyn Museum of Art, and National Museum of Singapore. She holds a doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University and has taught in New York, Taiwan and Singapore. She is currently Programme Leader, MA Arts Pedagogy and Practice at LASALLE | University of the Arts Singapore. Follow Yen Yen on IG @yenyendimsumwarriors

Xu Haina is a children's book author and a reading promoter. She moved to Singapore in 2017 and is engaged in special education, children's books and painting creations. She published eight picture books in the series of children’s mental growth in Singapore from 2022 to 2023. Among them, Why Didn't They Listen to Me and The Day the Cell Phone Disappeared won the Popular Readers' Choice Book Award in 2022 and 2023 respectively in Singapore. 

Zed Yeo (Benedict Yeo) likes writing stories. He is a bestselling writer and a recipient of the National Arts Council’s Presentation and Participation Grant. He has written fifteen books, which include the picture books of Saurus Series, the How to be Human series, as well as YA novel Half Ghost. He has had the privilege of participating as a speaker and judge at notable literature events including the Asian Festival of Children’s Content, Young Writers Festival and National Schools Literature Festival.