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Vogue Singapore
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Vogue Singapore
Jemimah Wei on building a writing life
Does the great Singapore novel exist? If you ask Jemimah Wei, the answer is that it doesn't matter. 'I don't believe that there has to be one defining Singaporean novel,' she says. 'That type of thinking is competitive and not generative. It leaves no space for anyone else. It also reflects a Western obsession with hierarchy and power that I don't believe we need to subscribe to. I think we can afford to not only open the door, but to hold it open.' Wei has been careful to reiterate that her debut novel is a Singaporean story—not the Singaporean story. An intertwining tale of two sisters and their unconventional bond , The Original Daughter traverses time and space. Yet, it remains viscerally rooted to its core material: the poignant, everyday textures of life in working-class Singapore. Its characters are palpably real—as easy to root for as they are to rail against. A decade in the making, it's a novel cut straight from Wei's soul. A breathtaking literary debut, the release has already racked up a string of accolades, from being named a National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 honoree to a Good Morning America Book Club pick. Chanel jacket, necklace and shoes; top and skirt, stylist's own. Lenne Chai At the time of our conversation, it is barely a week from the book's official launch on 6 May. How does this moment feel for Wei? 'The most accurate way I can describe it is the feeling is too big to step into. It might be a feeling that I haven't had yet. There isn't one word to describe it.' On launch day, Wei go on to do a reading at Yu & Me Books, the first fully Asian American-owned bookstore in New York City, followed by a fireside chat where she shared more about her journey as a first-time author. The latter was hosted by none other than acclaimed writer (and one of Wei's literary heroes) Roxane Gay, who also wrote the blurb for Wei's novel. 'A lot of my friends from Singapore flew in for this. They've been hearing about this book for such a long time and they're all excited to celebrate,' Wei says gratefully. 'It almost feels like a wedding.' Wei may have put the polish on The Original Daughter in the US, but the novel first took root in the depths of her mind as a young adult living in Singapore—sprouting from her concerns about the future. This is plain to see in Wei's prose—from her portrayal of the mind-numbing pressures of Singapore's education system to her reflections on the premature class-consciousness we develop under the looming idea of meritocracy. Even when sweetened with a welcome dose of nostalgia, her writing feels unmistakably live. 'I knew that I had to try and become the writer that the book needed me to be.' 'I wanted the book to be true to a specific experience in Singapore. One of the big concerns throughout my adolescence was witnessing boundaries of class and how they could solidify or become porous,' Wei muses. 'As a society, how do we account for people who fall between the cracks?' 'A big part of the book deals with the stress of being in the Singaporean education system, which is quite difficult to write because studying is boring to read about. If you think about the external visual of studying—you're struggling at your desk, then going to sleep, waking up, maybe crying, then going to school—it's not very interesting, yet it's important to represent accurately on the page. So a lot of the challenge, craft-wise, was to motivate those scenes in a way that would keep the reader interested.' The reason why the novel took nearly 10 years to complete, then, was Wei's innate desire to push her writing to a higher level. 'I started writing the book in my early 20s, when I wasn't in control of my craft the way I am now. So even though the skeleton of the book did not change—the big things that happen in it were always going to happen—I knew that I had to try and become the writer that the book needed me to be.' Chanel jacket; top and pants, stylist's own. Lenne Chai Wei's obsession with the art form of writing has long been on simmer. Millennials in Singapore might recognise her from her past life as a host on digital platforms like Clicknetwork and E!. As one of the country's earliest online breakout stars, it might have been news to her audience that, alongside her glamorous media job, she spent every spare hour writing. 'There's no other way to say it, those days I used to feel demented,' she laughs. 'I would wake up at 5.30am to go into the co-working space where I was renting a desk, and write for three hours before starting my freelance media work.' A turning point came during a 10-week creative writing masterclass taught by Malaysian writer Tash Aw, which Wei describes as a light bulb moment. 'It was the first time I had seen someone from our region successfully be a working writer. Tash had been on the Man Booker Prize long list twice. It made me realise—maybe this was actually possible.' This sparked a deep contemplation on what it would mean to build a life devoted to writing. 'When you're spending time in a room with writers, writing becomes a muscle. My growth during those 10 weeks felt exponentially greater than anything I had experienced before,' she says. Two years later, Wei pulled the trigger on her commitment to the writing life by moving to New York City to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing at Columbia University. At the end of her MFA came another life-changing moment: she received the Wallace Stegner Fellowship from Stanford University—one of the most prestigious writing residency positions in the US. The most magical thing about this, in Wei's eyes, was that they were essentially hiring her to write full time for two years. 'That's the beautiful thing about writing—you write to understand.' 'When I was living in Singapore as a freelancer, planning my schedule around my writing was difficult because I never had foresight into what the next month would look like. My time was dictated by the opportunities that came my way but also the things I say yes to. So even if I wanted to set aside time to write, would I be able to say no to a job, which would pay the bills, to stare at my manuscript instead?' The Stegner, Wei reveals, was the first time in her career she knew that she had a reliable source of income for two years to come. 'It created this psychological safety for me that made it possible to take The Original Daughter past the finish line.' I ask what it was like writing something so intimately tied to her hometown while being so far from home. Did her imagined audience for the book change? It was quite the opposite, Wei attests. 'Going farther from Singapore solidified my vision that this novel had to be read by a Singaporean audience. I remember thinking to myself that even if the whole world loved it, I would still be heartbroken if people at home were like, 'This sounds like she's writing to an American audience, right?'' This manifested in Wei's writing through a deliberate pull back on explaining her local references. 'During my MFA, I read so many books written by American authors filled with references that I didn't know prior. It didn't reduce my enjoyment of those books. I felt the need to do the same for The Original Daughter ,' she says. 'Of course, it is helpful for the reader if you scaffold their understanding a little bit because, at the end of the day, your job is to keep the reader engaged. So I would meet the reader at a certain point, and if they don't go beyond that to make a leap of understanding, I'm not going to spoon-feed. I don't think it's that difficult to guess what a void deck is—it's literally in the name,' she adds with a chuckle. So, I ask half-jokingly, when can we expect her next book and what will it look like? 'I don't think that I have it in me to write a book that's not about Singapore in some way,' she says. 'Even if I set a book in a galaxy far, far away, Singaporean sensibilities and considerations will still bleed into it in some form. 'One of the things I've been thinking about recently is what it means to live in community with each other and go through a big crisis. I've also always been concerned with the idea of freedom and agency. I don't mean it in the sense of 'Yes, freedom is great and we should all move towards it'. What does individual freedom mean? What agency do we have over our personhoods while living in society? 'That's the beautiful thing about writing—you write to understand. Writing serves a testing realm for certain questions, which then becomes a controlled environment where these questions can be explored.' She breaks herself out of reverie with a wave of her arm and a chuckle. 'But hopefully, the next book will not take nine years. I think the first one has taught me a thing or two.' Welcome to Vogue Dialogues, a new series by Vogue Singapore in which we spotlight key writers, poets and literary voices driving change for good through groundbreaking work. Vogue Dialogues is presented with the support of Chanel. A long-standing patron of arts and culture around the globe, Chanel has deep roots in the literary world, led by key initiatives like The Literary Rendezvous at Rue Cambon which brings together writers to discuss important themes like female empowerment. With their support of Vogue Dialogues, Chanel joins Vogue Singapore in celebrating our local and regional literary scene, as well as amplifying the voices of Asian and female writers all around the world. Associate lifestyle editor Chandreyee Ray Director of photography Lenne Chai Gaffer Timothy Lim Sound Jenn Hui Chia Camera assistant Kinleung Lau Post-production AMOK Production Producer David Bay Styling Nicholas See Hair Winnie Wong Make-up Victoria Hwang The June issue of Vogue Singapore is available online and on newsstands now.
Straits Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
The Straits Times Weekly Bestsellers May 24
Fiction: The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei. PHOTO: WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON 1. (1) The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei 2. (-) The Emperor Of Gladness by Ocean Vuong 3. (3) Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins 4. (4) Fearless by Lauren Roberts 5. (6) Lost Souls Meet Under A Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura; translated by Yuki Tejima 6. (-) What Gives Us Our Names by Alvin Pang 7. (-) Rewind It Back by Liz Tomforde 8. (-) Welcome To The Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum; translated by Shanna Tan 9. (5) King Of Envy by Ana Huang 10. (-) The Vegetarian by Han Kang Non-fiction: Elevate Your Assets, Elevate Your Wealth by Kelvin Fong. PHOTO: BOOK BAR 1. (1) Elevate Your Assets, Elevate Your Wealth by Kelvin Fong 2. (2) Why Palestine? Reflections From Singapore by Walid Jumblatt Abdullah 3. (-) The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins 4. (3) Atomic Habits by James Clear 5. (7) The Courage To Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga 6. (6) The Psychology Of Money by Morgan Housel 7. (-) The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt 8. (-) Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams 9. (-) The 48 Laws Of Power by Robert Greene 10. (-) The Strangely Singaporean Book by Stanley Tan and Antoinette Wong Children's: National Geographic Kids Almanac 2026 by National Geographic Kids. PHOTO: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 1. (2) National Geographic Kids Almanac 2026 by National Geographic Kids 2. (-) Dog Man 13: Big Jim Begins by Dav Pilkey 3. (4) Agents Of S.U.I.T: Wild Ghost Chase by John Patrick Green 4. (-) Ten Minutes To Bed: Little Unicorn by Rhiannon Fielding 5. (-) Every School A Good School by Ng Ziqin 6. (-) The Five Foot Way Detective by Joshua Chiang 7. (-) 2 Mothers In A HDB Playground by Arthur Yap; illustrated by Adia Tay 8. (-) Beware The Sunda Slow Loris And Other Singaporean Fables by Chen Junhua; illustrated by Chan Shu Yin 9. (-) Just A Little Mynah: The Noisiest Tree by Evelyn Sue Wong; illustrated by Dhanendra Poedjono 10. (-) Don't Call Me Cute! by Ashton Wu This is The Straits Times' compilation of bestseller lists from Kinokuniya, Epigram, Wardah Books, Book Bar and Afterimage bookstores. More on this Topic The Straits Times Weekly Bestsellers May 10 Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
The Straits Times Weekly Bestsellers May 17
Fiction: The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei. PHOTO: WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON 1. (1) The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei 2. (-) You And Me by Jang and Fox 3. (5) Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins 4. (6) Fearless by Lauren Roberts 5. (2) King Of Envy by Ana Huang 6. (9) Lost Souls Meet Under A Full Moon by Mizuki Tsujimura; translated by Yuki Tejima 7. (-) Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi , translated by Geoffrey Trousselot 8. (-) The Housemaid by Freida Mcfadden 9. (-) Powerless by Lauren Roberts 10. (-) Babel by R.F. Kuang Non-fiction: Elevate Your Assets, Elevate Your Wealth by Kelvin Fong. PHOTO: BOOK BAR 1. (1) Elevate Your Assets, Elevate Your Wealth by Kelvin Fong 2. (2) Why Palestine? Reflections From Singapore by Walid Jumblatt Abdullah 3. (9) Atomic Habits by James Clear 4. (-) Net Positive by Paul Polman 5. (-) Hope: The Autobiography by Pope Francis 6. (4) The Psychology Of Money by Morgan Housel 7. (-) The Courage To Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga 8. (-) Prisoners Of Geography by Tim Marshall 9. (-) Thinking, Fast And Slow by Daniel Kahneman 10. (-) Fifty Secrets Of Singapore's Success by Tommy Koh Children's: The Incredible Basket by Quek Hong Shin. PHOTO: KINOKUNIYA 1. (8) The Incredible Basket by Quek Hong Shin 2. (-) National Geographic Kids Almanac 2026 by National Geographic Kids 3. (-) Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber 4. (6) Agents Of S.U.I.T: Wild Ghost Chase by John Patrick Green 5. (-) Dog Man 2: Unleashed by Dav Pilkey 6. (-) Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter 7. (8) Sly The Fly by R.S. Robbie; illustrated by Debbie Yuen and Jessley Sim 8. (-) Secrets Of Singapore: Changi Airport by Lesley-Anne Tan and Monica Lim; illustrated by James Tan 9. (-) Elephants Live Upstairs! by Melissa Ong; illustrated by Javon Chan 10. (-) The Mango Tree by Hidayah Amin This is The Straits Times' compilation of bestseller lists from Kinokuniya, Epigram, Wardah Books, Book Bar and Afterimage bookstores. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Condé Nast Traveler
13-05-2025
- Condé Nast Traveler
Growing Up in Singapore's Changi Airport
As a Singaporean, nothing gets my national spirit quite as fired up as gushing about our beloved Changi Airport—Changi, for short. So let me begin: It has been named the best airport in the world a dozen times by various rankings, including Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards, and it's even been named one of the world's cleanest airports, so believe me when I tell you that this place sparkles. In Changi, space is not limited to those who can pay for it. Although private lounges and Bib Gourmand restaurants abound, travelers can find plenty of open seating, power outlets, and nap chairs angled in such a way that one's sleeping visage can be hidden from the rest of the world. Whenever anyone tells me they've passed through Singapore, I grab their arm and demand to know if they've seen Changi's Rain Vortex—the world's tallest indoor waterfall circled by a massive forest valley that hums hypnotically to calm the tired, hungry, and overstimulated. When they nod yes, I let go, as if I planted the man-made rainforest myself, down to every last shrub. The author, pictured here at Changi's Rain Vortex, returns again and again to Singapore's airport—and not just to fly. Jemimah Wei Singapore's Changi Airport regularly tops lists of the world's best airports for its activities, beauty, and efficiency. UCG/Getty Images I grew up near Changi, and therefore, in it. Ever since I was a child, before I even left the country for the first time, the airport represented free air-conditioning, clean toilets, and Wi-Fi—all publicly accessible 24 hours a day. Thanks to our public transit system, it's efficiently connected to the rest of Singapore—an easy enough commute given the country's small size. Here, heading to the airport feels no different from going to the mall. Growing up, I would sit cross-legged on the floor of Changi's viewing gallery, where travelers could watch planes take off and land, and where I sought refuge from the equatorial heat while reading a book. I constantly campaigned for my parents to host my birthday dinners there. Sometimes, I would even slip into sweaters and pretend I was jet setting to a cold-weather country for a vacation instead of just the intensely climate-controlled airport fifteen minutes away from my house. For much of my schooling life, my friends and I would ride the bus to the airport after class and camp out overnight in one of the 24-hour cafés to study. We'd make a single cup of coffee last for hours, much to the chagrin of the baristas, then take turns watching each other's bags as we ducked out to drink soya bean milk in the cheaper staff canteens (accessible via a word-of-mouth path through the parking lots). As sophisticated globe-trotters traipsed past us with their Rimowa suitcases and coordinated sweats, it felt as if my friends and I were living parallel, secret lives. Even though we were sharing the same physical space, breathing the same air as these temporary interlopers, our version of the airport was totally different. A private world hidden in plain sight. Years later, as an adult, I regularly returned to Changi airport. I could be found on a near-daily basis in the recently renovated Starbucks duplex, where I wrote the bulk of my debut novel, The Original Daughter. I had an office then, one I rented in the city center for the precise purpose of finishing my book. Yet again and again, I found myself back at the airport. And no matter how many times I did, the first step through its glass doors invariably calmed me. I felt cocooned in familiarity, steadied and ready once more to confront the most significant undertaking of my life. Travelers flitted around admiring Changi, but their movements focused, not distracted me. As they committed their version of the airport to memory, I too wove my own invisible world into permanence. It's something that amuses many of my friends. After all, airports are primarily transitory places. They're designed to be a temporary hammock for the international traveler—not a place to nest in. Yet for me, and I suspect, many Singaporeans, our relationship to the airport is an emotional one. Our country is relatively young; it turns 60 this year. It has been renovated, redone, and rebranded by progress many times over. As a nation smaller than the size of New York City, every square foot's purpose in Singapore has to be constantly reevaluated, and no space's future is guaranteed. The stories of my parents' childhood are anchored only to their memories and my imagination, the physical landmarks of their past ceded to ever more efficient architectural structures. The schools they attended no longer exist, shut down due to declining class sizes; some campuses have been transformed into office skyscrapers. The giant indoor playground where I celebrated my childhood best friend's fifth birthday was long ago razed to accommodate a shopping mall; the shophouse where I worked my first grown-up job as a copywriter is now the boutique hotel The Clan. There is a sentimental cost to constant innovation, and Singaporeans know this better than most. For writer Jemimah Wei, Singapore's Changi Airport is a third place, time capsule, and source of national pride. Jemimah Wei In its design principles, Changi Airport reflects Singapore's personality as 'a city in a garden'—and so it's an airport in a so, writing a Singaporean novel set in our contemporary history has been one way for me to immortalize this ephemeral version of my home. It is fitting, then, that much of the book was written in Changi, this transitory space that has somehow managed to become my country's most permanent fixture. Now that I live between Singapore and the United States, my love for this airport has deepened exponentially. Each time I leave my past life in search of a future one, I know I will be able to return to Changi, even if nothing else remains. How can I explain the comfort this brings me? When I tell you of my love for the world's best airport, this is what I mean too.
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
Jemimah Wei talks debut novel, 'The Original Daughter'
Author Jemimah Wei discusses her debut novel and "GMA's" May Book Club Pick, "The Original Daughter."
