KITAAB

The thought of home is imbued with bliss and pain, comfort and guilt. In all its manifestations— whether it makes us or breaks us—home nurtures a tender, heartbreaking beauty. A lived space, it shapes our life experience. But more importantly, the people we share our home with transform the meaning we seek in a place that is hopefully our refuge. 

     In this anthology, we ask what constitutes “home” in Singapore. In a country of seeming impermanence and blink-and-it- changes scenarios, what kinds of homes do/have we lived in? And what are the gender relations within these homes? In noticing that which is transient, do we miss out on what is permanent—the relationships that make rooms or houses into homes? We seek to portray the diversity of voices that Singapore homes clamour with—from settled generations to immigrants to migrants, to those who stopped here for long enough to make it their home for a while. In the situation the world is currently thrust into, we are spending most of our time at home. But do we find this a welcoming situation or something to tolerate, or instead a predicament that pushes us to the brink of circumstances we are only yet beginning to decipher?

     The well-worn spaces of the home can both maintain as well as subvert gendered notions. Do they uplift all genders’ dreams or border on the edge of a nightmare? What are those lines that are drawn so restrictively in our minds? Can we overstep them now and then at the risk of upsetting the status quo? Does that collection of rooms we name “home” quietly absorb gendered meaning? In our conversations and actions with those who make up our family, what are those unnamed feelings that we battle with in our heads? Or is it, conversely, here that we find our rest?

     Singapore at Home: Life across Lines calls for an urgent reflection on everyday life in the island-state, on the pleasures and frustrations that the word “home” embodies. We ask for short stories—perhaps even your own story in a fictionalized format, a reimagining of gender within the home, how home can come with gendered undertones, and your own interpretation of questions you may find resolution to as you write.

About the Editors

Pallavi Narayan is both a creative and academic writer, as well as a visual artist (photography and watercolour with pen-and-ink), with publications in anthologies and journals. A PhD in English, she has worked extensively in trade, academic and art book publishing in Singapore and India. She has spoken at various literary platforms including the Singapore Writers Festival, Singapore Book Publishers Association and National University of Singapore. 

Iman Fahim Hameed is a researcher with an avid interest in writing and social sciences. Her first published work “Colomboscapes” appears on We Are A Website (2017). She conceptualised and directed her first project Ungender Home in 2018 to explore gendered spaces though multiple artforms. This anthology builds upon her original concept.

Guidelines and Format

We invite writers above 21 years of age to contribute short stories (no poetry, no non- fiction). Your short story should ideally be between 2,000–3,000 words. Email anthologypni@gmail.com for enquiries and submissions. The deadline is 30 September 2020. Publication of the anthology is anticipated in early 2021.

• We ask for original, unpublished work to give this anthology its due space in Singapore literature and will publish at least 40–50 short stories.
  
• The call is open to all writers resident in Singapore or who have resided there in the past. Please include your bio in your covering email, and when and where you live(d) in Singapore (the second will remain confidential unless you expressly request for it to be mentioned). Your submission should be in the form of a Word document (.doc or .docx) in 12-point Times New Roman and double-spaced. Your subject line should read: Your name_Submission to Singapore at Home Anthology

• Writers whose stories are accepted for publication will be informed on a rolling basis. We may contact you with suggested changes if we would like to include your short story.
• Send us your best submission. This is a labour of love which is intensely personal to us as well. A strong plot, interesting character development, tightly drawn scenes, gripping dialogue will naturally get our attention.
  
• We accept simultaneous submissions but do let us know immediately if your work has been accepted elsewhere if you haven’t yet heard from us.
• We are happy to consider new writers and fresh voices. What we are really interested in is good stories.