What We Know and What

It has been the pleasure of the editors to have been a part of this online magazine. The poems featured in this issue are the last that we have selected from the many, many excellent ones written for SingPoWriMo 2019.

We began our foray into digital publication of the SingPoWriMo anthology with “The Lines We Navigate”, where we explored the physical and psychological borders that shape our respective worlds. We then moved to our second issue, “The Bonds We Cannot Break”, to look at the relationships and connections that tether us to this world. We are thankful for all the support and encouragement we have received from all of you and would like to congratulate once again all the poets who have allowed us to showcase their craft. 

We are now proud to present the final issue, “We Are Mythic”, where we explore, through SPWM poems and our features,  the myths we tell, that we love, that we hate, that we believe in despite our better judgement, or that we don’t, despite our desire to. Myths have long been used to explain phenomena mere human logic could not and have inspired traditions or entire bodies of cultural practices that have persisted to this day. 

In modern times, myths are often seen as works of the imagination and fancy, built upon a grain of truth and used to inspire, inform and entertain at best. At worst, they are crafted and maintained as instruments of persuasion and influence, to be wielded against pliable masses.

The poems featured in this issue engage with myths in all its variants: folklore, misinformation, the imaginary, the popular notions widely believed by everyone but that may not be quite there in its veracity. The poets have written about modern urban mythological creatures, magical realism, horror myths, the myths we tell ourselves, modern mythological characters, or some cocktail with everything in it. Some have refreshed older myths while others may have attempted to create myths of their own design. 

All have engaged with their imagination. All have done so with an individual sense of aesthetics that we admire.

In this issue, we also have features we are excited to share: Stephanie Chan goes on a quest to rediscover art spaces that we have lost, devoured by time, rent, and urban redevelopment. Marc Nair writes his own origin story; a must-read for anyone looking to venture into an artform or a platform they’re not familiar with. We’re also really chuffed by Deborah Emmanuel’s op-ed on the mythic quality of Singaporean artists plying their trade in our Lion City. Finally, with April just around the corner, Stephanie Chan has squeezed out some useful tips and tricks from veteran SPWM-ers (themselves a rather mythical bunch).    

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been a part of this from day one: Josh, Charlene, Daryl, Andy, Michelle, all the junior mods for their excellent work, all SPWMers, and, of course, you, our readers, who have been helping us like and share this on your various social media platforms (we see you). 

Please enjoy this last issue, let us know what you think, and prep yourself for April, where we will see you again!

/ Issue ③ , themed “We Are Mythic”, contains the following poems:

  • "cryptids” by Sarah Mak

  • "Field Notes on Southeast Asian Urban Demographics" by Ng Yi-Sheng

  • “hekatonkheires” by Benzie Dio

  • “Good Hulijing” by Andy Winter

  • “Speculation is a story I haven't bought just yet” by Crispin Rodrigues

  • “the merlion” by Alexis An Yee Low

  • “the harvest and the woods” by Ally Chua

  • “REVELATIONS” by Ng Yi-Sheng

  • “JUDITH WITH THE HEAD OF HOLOFERNES” by Ang Shuang

  • “Skull of large carnivore, late Paleolithic” by Jerome Lee

  • “小明 ‘Xiao Ming’” by Lucas Cheng

  • “Bukit Timah Man Files His Property Tax” by Crispin Rodrigues

  • “THE ONES WHO WALK AWAY FROM KANDANG KERBAU” by Ada Ngo

  • “PICK UP STYX” by Low Kian Seh

  • “Nobody” by Jack Xi

  • “Self Portrait as Bukit Timah Monkey Man” by Rodrigo Dela Peña, Jr.

  • "Bukit Timah Monkey Man Speaks" by See Wern Hao

  • "29.5 THESES" by Margaret Devadason

  • "Ritual" by Jerome Lim

  • “lucid communication” by Shalani Devi

  • “convert a non-believer / to ikea” by Charlene Shepherdson

  • “delhi and mumbai both wake up / to no notifications” by Harnidh Kaur

  • "begetting" by Benzie Dio

  • "OH, HOW EASILY IT TAKES TO SPREADS" by Min Lim

2019.3Daryl Qilin YamForeword