In a world inundated by all kinds of texts that can be scanned almost as soon as they’re produced, and that as quickly shimmer away into oblivion, I am overjoyed to sit and read Rodrigo Dela Peña, Jr.’s much anticipated first full-length collection Aria and Trumpet Flourish.

Even while observing the necessary ceremonies that we must accord our living, the poet never forgets “time’s swift tumble,” the “tar-spackled road” or its “hairline cracks.” Unlike the ostentatious noise made by certain kinds of musical and other fanfare, the voice in these poems sings always out of a sense of urgency underwritten by love.

In this collection marked by masterful clarity and dexterous handling of forms (including ghazals, villanelles, abecedarians, and epistolaries), we glimpse monks walking the roads, crowds in the hellish circle of an MRT station at the end of the day, and the ghost of Jose Rizal in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. The poet recalls boyhood breakfasts fortified with bile and innards; and, for all his wandering, turns again and again to little towns and dusty barrios with homely names where a jukebox plays in a noodle shop called Tres Hermanas. He promises us: “This is my devotion: to account for the world’s bounty, its finite grace.// To exalt the flourishing it contains, to ache for what is taken away” (from “Compline”).

These are poems I will want to accompany me through the ordinary and other emergencies of everyday life; through the rest of the year, and beyond. In them, I might hope to learn more about the chrysalis’ secret—how, from its gold wreck of discarded laments, a dying self might help to birth a new one.

- Luisa A. Igloria, author of The Buddha Wonders if She is Having a Mid-Life Crisis (Phoenicia Publishing, Montreal, 2018); Ode to the Heart Smaller than a Pencil Eraser (Utah State University Press, 2014); Juan Luna’s Revolver (University of Notre Dame Press, 2009), and other books

NUS Press

Everyday Modernism: Architecture and Society in Singapore ◎Jiat-Hwee Chang and Justin Zhuang

$65.00

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Everyday Modernism is the first comprehensive documentation of Singapore’s modern built environment. Through a lens of social and architectural histories, the book uncovers the many untold stories of the Southeast Asian city-state’s modernization, from the rise of heroic skyscrapers, such as the Pearl Bank Apartments, to the spread of utilitarian typologies like the multi-storey car park. It investigates how modernism, through both form and function, radically transformed Singapore and made its inhabitants into modern citizens. The most intensive period of such change happened in the 1960s and 1970s under the rise of a developmental state seeking to safeguard its new-found independence. However, the book also looks both earlier and later, from between the 1930s to the 1980s, to cover a wider range of histories, building types and also architectural styles, expanding from the International Style and Brutalism and into Art Deco and even a touch of Postmodernism.

The book’s 33 essays are richly illustrated with some 200 archival images and drawings as well as more than 90 contemporary photos by architectural photographer Darren Soh. It covers the beginnings of Singapore's modern landscape, including its first condominium, columbarium, flatted factory, and pedestrian overhead bridge, amongst others. But the book is also interested in endings, investigating how modern buildings have changed over time, and been adapted for new uses or even threatened with redevelopment today. By examining the evolution of the once exceptional into the typical and by learning how abstract spaces become lived places, the book traces how modernism has become part of everyday life in Singapore.

"A captivating journey through Singapore's modernist heritage buildings and structures, from commercial to residential to civic. The elegant combination of text and the stylish and comprehensive photographic documentation makes this a major contribution to modernist architecture literature."

- Donald McNeill, Professor of Urbanism, School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney

"Singapore's "Everyday Modernism" - an all-embracing planned environment stemming from its dynamic post-1959 nation-building drive, and vividly documented in this book - resoundingly refutes the fallacy that the essence of modern architecture lies in iconic individualism rather than consistency and social purpose."

- Miles Glendinning, Professor of Architectural Conservation, University of Edinburgh

"For the quality of a modern living environment the architecture and landscaping of the everyday is far more important than the presence of architectural icons. And if the goal of modernism is to create a better future for all, Singapore truly has much to offer as this informative publication shows."

- Hubert-Jan Henket, Founder and Honorary President of DOCOMOMO International

Jiat-Hwee Chang is associate professor at the Asia Research Institute and the Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore.

Justin Zhuang is a writer and researcher, and co-founder of Singapore-based writing studio In Plain Words.

Darren Soh is an award-winning photographer.

Landmark Books

Food Republic: A Singapore Literary Banquet

$32.00

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Food Republic is a generous serving of Singapore's food culture: from the making and eating of food, to the sale and hawking of it, our love and hate of it, and the effects of its consumption and deprivation.

Food has always been our safe space, our comfort zone: a place where we could freely engage in heated arguments about the best nasi lemak, the most fragrant cendol and whether the standard of the stall has dropped or not. Yet this anthology, featuring more than one hundred literary explorations of our food and food culture, also shows that when people write about food, they often aren't just talking about food but usually about something else, closer to the heart. Or the bone.

Curated from previously published work and selections from an open call, the poems, fiction and non-fiction in Food Republic range from the passionately realised to tantalisingly surreal. Think of it as a buffet, a banquet, an omakase, a smorgasbord, a nasi padang spread, a thali or a rijssttafel – we hope we've assembled one to your taste. Come. Eat.

Some Contributors: Arthur Yap, Leong Liew Geok, Edwin Thumboo, Toh Hsien Min, Wong Phui Nam, Shirley Geok-lin Lim, Koh Jee Leong, Lee Tzu Pheng, Joshua Ip, Margaret Leong, Alvin Pang, Catherine Lim, Ng Yi-Sheng, Amanda Lee Koe, Alfian Sa'at, Wong May, Gopal Baratham, Desmond Kon Zhicheng-Mingdé, Yong Shu Hoong, Aaron Maniam, Hamid Roslan, Daren Shiau, Boey Kim Cheng, Theophilus Kwek, Cyril Wong and Jennifer Anne Champion

Sharen O

I Bit Off More Than I Can Chew◎Sharen O

$29.00

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Synopsis

A Pep Talk for Overachievers with ADHD Ever felt like your brain's running on panic, potential and pure guesswork? You're not alone – and you're definitely not broken.

This punchy, ADHS-friendly guide by neurodivergent educator Sharen Ong is your permission slop to slow down, reset, and laugh a little while figuring things out. Whether you're melting under your calendar, drowning in "shoulds", or procratinating with pride, this book gets you.

It's part pep talk, part toolkit, and part "you are not lazy" sticky note – all wrapped in humour, honesty, and real strategies that actually work for ADHD brains.

Inside, you'll find:

For the burned-out, high-functioning chaos crew
The perfect gift for your ADHD bestie (or yourself)
Read it in one sitting or 37 – no pressure

About the Author

Sharen has 15 years of experience helping neurodivergent students, especially those with ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia, navigate a world that wasn't built for their brains. She's passionate about creating frameworks that actually works – so students can thrive, not just survive.

When she's not leading support initiatives, for the SEN (special education needs) community at a university, Sharen enjoys making complex topics a little less complicated, whether through workshops or collaborative projects. Her goal? To turn the chaos of life into something that makes sense (or at least seems like it does).

When she's not working, you'll find her juggling 21 browser tabs, sipping her sixth cup of coffee, or laughing at her own ADHD moments (because let's be honest – there's always something). I Bit Off More Than I Can Chew is her first book, written to help others who often feel like they're holding it all together with nothing more than a to-do list and a prayer (or a song, maybe).

Poon Yew Fai

Shaolin and You◎Poon Yew Fai

$36.00

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Evocative and detailed, poetic and reflective, "Shaolin and You" takes a plunge into the pugilistic and epic world of Shaolin, bringing readers on a colourful journey to discover an ancient craft rooted in history and tradition. A tribute and celebration of Shaolin Kung Fu, "Shaolin and You" delves into its history, origins, little complexities and lessons through a delightful feast for the senses - where chapters are stuffed with snippets of art, photographs, poems, anecdotes and illustrations of all things Shaolin.

Author's Bio

Poon Yew Fai started practising pencil drawing as a serious hobby only after entering the workforce, despite having a love for it while growing up in Singapore. He also enjoys Hong Kong action, Kungfu and Wuxia films, especially those from the mid-1980s to 1990s - widely considered to be the golden age of Hong Kong action films. Yew Fai considers his blending of graphite drawing with digital effects an ongoing personal experiment, and is never quite sure how his next Kungfu artwork could turn out. Shaolin Musings is his first self-published collection of Kungfu artworks.

Faction Press

Signals in the Noise: Notes on Penang, Malaysia and the World◎Ooi Kee Beng

$28.00

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About the Book

Malaysia is no easy country to analyse, or even to understand. With so many narratives about the country, its peoples, and its histories, the noise generated — both online and off — can be as deafening as that of any rave party.

Since 2019, Malaysians have lived through a unique period in the country’s history. Amid the Covid pandemic and its many challenges, Malaysia experienced three prime minister changes, and countless other political dramas and plot twists.

Signals in the Noise is not just a book on politics, though. Moving with ease between different sociopolitical and socioeconomic discourses, this collection of Ooi Kee Beng’s columns and commentaries — published between 2019 and 2023 — showcases more than ever his talent as a historian and philosopher, alongside his prowess as a political scientist. This wide-ranging collection is a must-read beginner's guide to Malaysian politics. It also highlights Ooi’s love for his hometown of Penang, his concern for the environment, and how the arts define a society and its perceptions of the world.

About the Author

Dato’ Dr Ooi Kee Beng is Executive Director of Penang Institute. He entered think tank work in 2004 and was Deputy Director of Singapore’s ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute in 2011-2017, where he remains attached as Visiting Senior Fellow. His homepage can be found at wikibeng.com.

Faction Press

Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves: Lost Tales from the Philippine Colonial Period◎Lio Mangubat

$20.00

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About the Book

A country’s history is like a jigsaw puzzle. The bigger picture of how a country and its people came to be can be pieced together through multiple narratives, perspectives, and stories. In Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves, Lio Mangubat reaches back into the depths of colonial archives and brings to life long-lost stories that would otherwise have been footnotes in Philippine history.

Featuring 13 essays inspired by his podcast series The Colonial Dept., Mangubat spins tales of galleons, triads, fickle spirits, long-lost maps, and the secret history of otters. In these pages, learn about how the entire country became mad for baseball; how Mexican fighter pilots flew dangerous missions over the Philippines during World War II; or how American occupiers fell victim to a mysterious illness called “Philippinitis".

Beyond revisiting days gone by, Mangubat also connects the threads of each story to the wider tapestry of world history — and how these can unspool even up to our current time. A masterful storyteller and podcaster, he proves that the past can loom larger than the present.

Praise for Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves

"Mangubat appears, more than anything, deeply invested in cultivating a joyful exploration of the country’s past."

Mekong Review
"Mangubat links past and present, knows a good character when he sees one, and writes engagingly .... Short-story collections are often a prelude for something longer: perhaps Mangubat can be the one to write a Filipino history that resonates with a wider English-speaking public. Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves is proof that there’s more than enough material."

Asian Review of Books
"We are, all of us, made of stories, Mangubat reminds us. Our families’ and individual lives’ tales are irremovable from the tidal wave of local and global stories. No story is too small, no person too inconsequential, as we all have parts to play in the never-ending drama of nation building."

Ex Libris Philippines
"For all intents and purposes, every chapter of Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves is a masterclass in RRL (Review of Related Literature)-writing, with Mangubat normalizing the practice for an enriched hold of history.While we see the same technique in the succeeding chapters, every page always surprises us as the author turns something we already know into its head and digs deep into the recesses of the past."

Esquire Philippines
"Philippine history is bursting at the seams with politics, intrigue, and momentous events. With thousands of islands and several entry points serving as bases for business and exchange, there's no doubt these exchanges have resulted in byproducts that have left a mark on the culture. Author Lio Mangubat's podcast-turned-book Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves mines these many cross-cultural meetings and engagements to make unraveling the archipelago's past one entertaining ride."

SPOT.ph
"Silk, Silver, Spices, Slaves tackles a wide range of topics, some peculiar and others a marvel to ponder."BusinessWorld

About the Author

Lio Mangubat is the creator of Philippine history podcast The Colonial Dept., which features long-lost stories from the country's past under Spanish, British, American, and Japanese rule. He is currently editor in chief of publishing house Summit Books, and is based in Manila. Follow him on Instagram at @liomangubat and @thecolonialdept.

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