The National Library Board’s (NLB) annual signature Read! Fest, returns from 25 June to 18 July 2021 after a hiatus last year, with exciting new online programmes designed to reinvigorate the love for reading and learning among Singaporeans.
Themed Reboot, participants can look forward to more than 60 programmes including literary trails, reading sessions, installations and panel discussions with international and local speakers.
Image source: Screengrab from YouTube / National Library Board
To kickstart the seventh edition of Read! Fest, Minister for Communications and Information, Mrs Josephine Teo will be sharing her video message on the theme Reboot, alongside four local and regional authors such as Aaron Lee (moderator for Keep Going: Staying True to the Creative Process), Okky Madasri (author of Kerumunan Terakhir), Chow Teck Seng (moderator for Understanding the Impact of AI through Science Fiction) and Cho Dharman (author of Sool).
The close-to-6-minute video will be launched digitally on 25 June 2021, 11.00 am, via NLB’s Facebook page, National Reading Movement’s Facebook Page, and Public Libraries’ Facebook page concurrently, to mark the official start of Read! Fest 2021.
Image source: iStock
12 English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil books will be featured as this year’s Read! Fest recommended reads. These books present new perspectives on living in the 21st century especially during these uncertain times.
The English books are available in both physical and eBooks formats; while the Chinese, Malay and Tamil books are available as physical books in our public libraries.
Availability of these books can be checked through the National Library Board mobile app. (https://mobileapp.nlb.gov.sg/) We hope these books can provide creative and alternative approaches to life as everyone adapts and embraces change.
One of the main highlights of this seventh edition festival will be the interactive self-guided literary trails located at three sites – West Coast Park, East Coast Park and the ground floor Plaza of the National Library Building. Titled “The Curious Adventure of The Salaryman”, these trails will be accessible to the public from mid-July to September.
Participants will be able to journey through an immersive reading experience by scanning the QR codes of physical markers at these sites to activate the storyline and its sensory elements.
National Library Board has also organised island-wide reading activities such as the Read for Books charity drive and the Big Book Giveaway to share the gift of reading with the less privileged and to raise awareness of reading and learning.
Image source: iStock
“Since the launch of Read! Fest in 2014, we have been heartened by the incredible response from the public, with about 780,000 participants. The sixth edition of Read! Fest in 2019 alone attracted close to 300,000 participants.” said NLB’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ng Cher Pong.
“This festival supports our National Reading Movement where we hope to get everyone to Read More, Read Widely and Read Together. This year, we are excited to engage with our patrons through a mix of interactive literary trails, and programmes. We hope to reach out to more patrons in the comfort of their homes and encourage them to come and read with us to find new inspiration in this pandemic,” added Mr Pong.
Patrons can view the full line up of programmes for Read! Fest 2021 and sign up at www.go.gov.sg/readfest21. More details of Read! Fest 2021, the 12 books and highlights of the programmes are available in Annexes A, B and C.