I see my students’ stories, poems, comics and scripts start from wisps and fragments. They build and watch the works take shape and figure out what to do when they wobble, falter and fall. They nudge, coax and cajole these works of art into existence. Writers have to be nimble, adaptable and hardy. It’s a constant juggle to live in their minds and in this world. They cope with bouts of exhilaration, anxiety, frustration and acceptance. They live to craft what they hope are worthwhile stories. Each time they write, they go through this again and again. Their works form a trail they will follow as they evolve as writers.
Each year, Literary Arts students create and write original works in diverse and imaginative voices. Class of 2021 student Lauren Chian named this the language of unspoken universes. Each year, I am inspired and humbled by my students’ writing. Lallang celebrates and showcases our Literary Arts students.
Tan Cheng Hung
Lallang Editor
LALLANG’S 2023 EDITION FEATURES THESE NEW WORKS:
One-Act play scripts from Year 1 students where they write monologues and dialogues to tell a story on a theatre stage.
Short stories where Year 2 students create myriad characters and worlds.
Short Film Screenplays where Year 3 students contemplate contemporary local issues.
Young Adult Novel opening chapters from Year 3 students where teenage protagonists tell their universal stories set in diverse worlds.
Fiction Podcast Scripts where Year 4 students layer storytelling with dialogue and sound design.
Personal Essays from Year 4 students who share stories from their lives.
Poetry where students speak their truths and experiment with form, sounds and language.
ABOUT LALLANG
Lallang is one of the most common native grasses in Singapore and Southeast Asia. It is a versatile, practical and hardy plant that spreads quickly, has many uses and endures in challenging conditions. To us, this name is a metaphor with a local flavour and emphasises the faculty’s aim for our students to use their culture and heritage in their writing, to craft meaningful local, Asian experiences and narratives.
The word “lallang” comprises LA (Literary Arts) and lang (language). We like the word play which links our artform to language, our foundation and toolbox.
ABOUT FACULTY OF LITERARY ARTS
The Faculty of Literary Arts started life in SOTA in 2016. That year, we welcomed 19 students to our pioneer batch. In 2023, we now have 133 Literary Arts students.
Literary Arts is a six-year Specialised Arts programme where students learn to critically appreciate a range of literary works from the point of view of a writer, and create their own original works. Our students explore literary forms such as prose, poetry and drama, and different writing forms which include short stories, novels, play scripts, comics, story podcast scriptwriting, screenplays and creative non-fiction.
FACULTY
| Faculty Head | Janet Liew |
| Teachers | Aswani Aswath Marc Nair Marcus Ong Tan Cheng Hung Adeline Yeo |
| Lallang Editor | Tan Cheng Hung |
2023 STUDENT EDITORS
Elizabeth Lee En
Leonny Margaret Ong
Quek Chie
Wong Jun Yi
Naomi Chio
Surabhi Deshpande
Renee Kong
Alessia Occhipinti
Pandora Pang
Laura Tan
Durva Gautam Kamdar
Victoria Khine
Julian Kan