Singapore Press : Book Fair 2018 rekindles the joy of reading

With the theme 'Reading City', this year's Singapore Book Fair, organised by Singapore Press Holdings' Chinese Media Group (CMG), will continue to promote the joy of reading and make reading a part of our lives.

By holding the event at the two new venues, the organisers aim to transform the two iconic venues in the Singapore's Civic District into a place where books and creative culture flourish.

Finance Minister Mr Heng Swee Keat will be the Guest of Honour at the Opening Ceremony on 25 May.

Highlights of Singapore Book Fair 2018

In line with CMG's objective of promoting Singapore's creative talent, one unique feature of this year's SBF is the use of recyclable carton materials to build the exhibition booth spaces, which are designed by local company Paper Carpenter.

The main visual designs of this year's SBF are illustrations by CMG's visual executive artist Wilson Lee. The designs are adapted from a comic strip he created for the book fair. The fantasy comic story -- 'Journey Without Maps', depicts the adventures of a young adult as he flips through a long forgotten story book. The comic is being published in Lianhe Zaobao over five Sundays from 15 April to 13 May 2018.

Capitol Piazza is the main exhibition area where all the book publishers will gather to showcase their latest publications. It is divided into four zones:

Main Stage @ Plaza: Talks, books sharing sessions and performances will be held at the main stage. Surrounding the stage will be booths peddling books and merchandises.

Books Galore @ Capitol Theatre:More than 30 book publishers will offer a wide selection of English and Chinese books of different genres to suit readers of all age and interests.

Kids Zone @ B1: Children's books and workshops will be featured at the Kids Zone.

Lifestyle Workshops @ B2 Space: Handicrafts, lifestyle products and workshops such as wine, sake or tea appreciation will be held here.

The lawn at CHIJMES will be the creative culture zone, where works of local creative designers can be found. Visitors can also enjoy movies related to literary works and music performances of local singers in the evenings.

Books sharing and signing
Book lovers can look out for the launch of new titles at SBF 2018. SPH's custom content solutions arm, Focus Publishing, will be launching 11 books produced by CMG newsrooms and radio stations. These Chinese language books range from wealth management, China politics, essays, prose to inspirational.

The Straits Times Press will also be organising book sharing and signing sessions of several new books at the fair. These new books include From Kid to King by Marc Lim, The Mermaid Who Became A Champion by Rohit Brijnath, The Swing of Things by Andy Chen, Use Your Head by Felix Cheong, Retire Smart by Lorna Tan, 99 Rules for Dads by Shan Wee, Lee's Lieutenants and Travails of Trailing Spouse by Stephanie Suga Chen.

Held in conjunction with Lianhe Zaobao Literary Festival, SBF will be organising sharing sessions with well-known authors including Chinese novelist Ge Fei and renowned translator Lin Shaohua.

Other exciting talks and sharing sessions will feature veteran broadcaster and F&B entrepreneur Robert Chua, celebrity chef Chen Hong, Singapore singer Ruth Kueo Miaoru, travel writer Yap Seow Choong and more.

Literary and Heritage Trails
For the first time, literary and heritage trails will be organised as part of the fair. Local writers Yap Seow Choong, Lee Kok Leong and Lim Jen Erh will bring visitors to different parts of the Civic District to understand more about historical buildings, heritage streets and new sights, and share interesting stories about Singapore's past.

Homegrown muralist Yip Yew Chong will also lead visitors on a trail to look at his murals and talk about the inspirations behind his creations.

Lifestyle Workshops
Visitors to the fair can also pick up handicraft skills from Paper Carpenters' craftsmen to create their own stationery holder using cardboard materials or learn how to make their own leather namecard holder under the guidance of leather artisan Choo Pi. They can also attend workshops on tea appreciation with Tea Bone Zen Mind as well as sake and draft beer appreciation.

Ms Loh Woon Yen, Managing Editor of Chinese Media Group, SPH, said: 'We are holding this year's Singapore Book Fair at two new venues which are rich in heritage and culture with the hope of creating a reading oasis in the heart of our city. We want to enrich the reading experience with more engaging activities such as a literary stroll in the Civic District, an array of talks and sharing sessions on varied topics and interests, movie screenings, concerts by local artists, and even handicraft workshops for the creative ones. We hope that these diverse activities will re-awaken and rekindle the joy of reading.'

SBF 2018 has gotten the support of Perennial Real Estate as the Event Partner.

Ms Annie Lee, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Singapore) of Perennial Real Estate, said: 'Perennial is pleased to collaborate with SPH as an Event Partner for the Singapore Book Fair 2018. Hosting the well-established literary event at Capitol Singapore and CHIJMES, both of which are iconic heritage developments in close proximity to each other in the Civic District, is most befitting of the event's stature and educational value. With unique offerings such as one of Southeast Asia's largest single screens at Capitol Theatre and wide-open lawn spaces at CHIJMES, coupled with a plethora of dining options and amenities at both venues, they provide ideal settings to hold exciting core and fringe activities to attract and engage the crowd. In addition, Capitol Singapore and CHIJMES' strategic location in the heart of the city centre dovetails well with the theme of the fair and their excellent transportation connectivity facilitates outreach to visitors across all walks of life and age groups.'

Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, a sponsor of SBF 2018, will be supporting the event with $60,000 worth of book vouchers to over 1000 children from low-income families. Each child will be given S$50 worth of book vouchers to purchase books and education materials. These children are beneficiaries from self-help groups including the Chinese Development Assistance Council, Yayasan Mendaki, Sinda and the Singapore Eurasian Association.

Singapore Book Fair is also supported by International Chinese Culture Exchange Federation.

Singapore Book Fair Pre-Event Sale on Z-Shop
SPH's Chinese Media Group e-commerce platform Z-Shop is launching a pre-event books sale on its website https://zshop.zaobao.sgto allow the public to enjoy up to 30% discount on books and merchandise from exhibitors, as well as Focus Publishing, a subsidiary of SPH. The pre-event sale is from 23 April to 17 May.
Event Information

Venue: Capitol Singapore and CHIJMES

Dates: 25 May(Friday) to 31 May(Thursday)

Opening Hours: 11.00am - 10.00pm(Event closes at 8.00pmon 31 May)

Admission: Free

Website: http://bit.ly/sgbookfair2018

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/sgbookfair/

https://www.instagram.com/sbookfair/

Hashtag: #sgbookfair

Please see attached Chinese media release.