See the image on the top, the one that resembles a cross between a Ishihara colour plate and a Yayoi Kusama art piece? That’s the cover of a new anthology by Ethos Books titled Lines Spark Code. This poetry anthology occupies a curious point in Singapore’s education landscape.
Somewhere along the way—I shan’t bore you with the history primer—people started coming around to the idea of introducing Singapore literature in Singapore classrooms. What seemed like a no-brainer sure took a long while to gain traction. A whisper led to a grumble, then a rumble, a nudge, and before long there was an outpouring of sentiment calling for Singapore literature to take its rightful, albeit overdue, place at the table. Lines Spark Code is part of this call to action. For a poetry anthology geared towards pre-tertiary students, Lines Spark Code is actually quite accessible. Editors Christine Chia and Aaron Lee have done a commendable job gathering established names and emerging voices in this collection. Think of it as a sampler platter: you get a nibble of (nearly) everything the menu has to offer. Which brings me to my role in this anthology. My role is admittedly trivial. Together with other contributors, I was asked to talk about my poem “House of Cards” to a room of teachers, students, education ministry officers and museum staff at Victoria Junior College on 30 August. I don’t talk much about my work these days. Yet, in fielding questions about “House of Cards” (When you used the word “Eden”, did it strike you that… Your poem applies to the US housing bubble and Houston floods, you know that?), I gained new insight on my piece. Language leads to overdetermination, and poetry is its apotheosis. With Lines Spark Code, Ethos Books has brought writers and readers round a campfire of words. We feed the flames with an idea or two and watch as passions ignite.
Here’s to more enlightening conversations. To find out more about Lines Spark Code, visit: www.ethosbooks.com.sg/products/lines-spark-code Or if you are curious about my other poems, visit: www.ethosbooks.com.sg/products/bitter-punch
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