31/07/2025
Last Sunday, we had our From Walden to Woodlands reunion at the National Library Singapore as part of Poetry Festival Singapore 2025 — we can hardly believe it’s been ten years since our book launch! We also had the opportunity to welcome the new second edition of the poetry anthology 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, which includes a new section entitled 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩, based on environmental themes.
As we reflected during our editors’ panel discussion (with Wai Kit Ow Yeong, Muzakkir Bin Samat, and Angelia), 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘞𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 wasn’t just an anthology of nature poems. It was a ground-up, home-grown youth initiative which helped to plant seeds for a movement that is still going strong — promoting environmental awareness through eco-poetry in the Singapore literary scene. 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 upholds this spirit by promoting this message to a whole new generation of readers today, reminding us to cultivate a deeper appreciation for the beauty of everyday moments.
It was heartening to catch up with all the members of our organising team! We’ve kept in touch over the years, but it’s been a while since we’ve properly met up. Also it was lovely to listen to all of our readers share (in-person / via video) their poem contributions to 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘞𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 and/or 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴: Aaron Maniam, Marc Nair, Farheen Mukri, Gilbert Koh, Jee Leong Koh - Poet, Leonard Ng, Ann Ang, Kamaria Buang, and Euginia Tan (and also a shout-out to Benjamin Ong for his poem ‘Selasih’).
We’re grateful to Ethos Books for co-organising this reunion with Poetry Festival Singapore — and thanks to all readers and contributors to both anthologies, as well as all who joined and/or supported our event. May we continue to foster a deeper connection between our communities and the natural world, and may our poems serve as a catalyst for meaningful conversations and actions for years to come.
