Singapore, 9 August 2025: Penguin Random House Southeast Asia (PRH SEA) is proud to launch City of Stories: A Penguin Celebration of Singapore, a commemorative campaign celebrating Singapore’s 60th year of independence through the lens of literature, landscape, and film. This multi-platform initiative brings together readers, writers, and culture enthusiasts in honour of Singapore’s rich literary past and vibrant creative future.
At the heart of the campaign, there are two initiatives:
Playback: Our Singapore Stories- A flagship event blending cinema and literature in collaboration with The Projector, an independent cinema in Singapore. Penguin presents a special screening of Ilo Ilo (2013), the award-winning film by Anthony Chen that captures the heart of Singaporean life on 23 August 2025 at the Golden Mile Tower. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring authors Josephine Chia, Neil Humphreys, Dawn Cher, Theresa Devasahayam, and actress Yeo Yann Yann, who stars in the film. The conversation will be moderated by Singaporean host and social media personality Fauzi Aziz.
This panel spotlights celebrated authors and cultural voices whose work reflects the textures of the Singaporean experience — its hopes, challenges, and ongoing evolution. This exciting collaboration bridges literature and cinema, inviting audiences to explore how stories — on the page and screen — shape the way we see ourselves and our nation.
Tickets are now available for purchase and registration here.
The Bookmarks of Singapore- Penguin unveils the Bookmarks of Singapore, a curated literary map that shows how Singapore is embedded in literature. Custom designed by Tay Guan Hin, a Singaporean creative visionary, renowned speaker, and author of Collide (published by Penguin in 2024), where he envisions landmarks of Singapore as bookmarks, a clever and playful testament of the vibrant literary history of Singapore. This unique map celebrates the books and voices that have emerged from every corner of the island, reinforcing the idea that Singapore’s national narrative is best told not by a single story, but by many.
People can discover the map in prominent bookstores in the city, win attractive giveaways on Penguin’s social media pages and have a chance to embark on a literary tour exclusively designed and organised by Everyday Tour Company (ETC Singapore). This tour is an immersive experience designed to take readers across the city in a celebration of words and place.
Commenting on the occasion, Nora Nazerene Abu bakar, Vice President & Publisher, PRH SEA, says, ‘Since 2019, Penguin SEA has been proud to publish powerful Singaporean voices that reflect the depth and dynamism of this city. As Singapore turns 60, we’re equally proud to celebrate six years of being a truly glocal publishing house—rooted in the region, with stories that resonate far beyond. Our books continue to capture the pulse of Singapore—its people, its past, and its possibilities.’
We warmly invite everyone to come join us in celebrating 60 years of Singapore and the vibrant literary heritage it has to offer. Join us this August and September to walk, read, and remember Singapore — one story at a time.
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About Penguin Random House SEA (PRH SEA)
Penguin Random House SEA was established in 2018 to discover and publish local and international voices across English-language adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction formats for Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei, and Myanmar. As part of Penguin Random House, the world’s largest trade book publisher, the publishing house is also dedicated to its mission of nourishing a universal passion for reading by connecting authors and their writing with readers. Headquartered in Singapore, Penguin Random House SEA brings the spotlight on local authors from the region and simultaneously open the Southeast Asian market to diverse international titles. It is home to several popular books, award-winning and bestselling, like The House of Little Sisters by Eva Wong Nava, The House on Calle Sombra: A Parable by Marga Ortigas, The American Boyfriend by Ivy Ngeow, Mistbound by Daryl Kho, My Lovely Skull and Other Skeletons by Tunku Halim, The Heart of Summer by Danton Remoto, My Mother Pattuby Saras Manickam among others.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Saumya Jha
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