NLB launches two-month festival to promote reading
SINGAPORE — Ten-minute “bite-sized” theatre performances adapted from works by local writers, and a horror literary trail based on places mentioned in a Tamil novel.
These are just two of the 175 programmes organised by the National Library Board (NLB) for their annual Read! Fest, which started yesterday.
The festival this year is part of the National Reading Movement, a new five-year initiative to promote reading.
Minister of Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim was present at the launch at the National Library Building, where he vowed to read more as part of the pledging campaign, another initiative under the National Reading Movement.
The movement, first announced in April, encourages the nation to read more by making more time for it. For example, NLB has worked with the Land Transport Authority to decorate one train on the East-West Line with book covers and corresponding QR codes. After scanning the codes, commuters will be directed to a Web page where they can borrow an electronic version of the book to read on their phones.
The movement also aims to bring more focus on mother-tongue materials. Activities include the literary night trail for Tamil-speaking participants where they will venture into places mentioned in a local Tamil horror book by Suriya Rethna.
For the Malay-speaking community, ‘Gig Puisi’, a poetry gig will showcase performances by musicians, authors and also impromptu audience participation.
Meanwhile, NLB has organised several evening programmes on weekdays to connect to working adults. “Bite-sized theatre” is a half-an-hour performance session which features two 10-minute theatre plays and will run every three weeks starting Wednesday at the Central Public Library.
The plays are adapted from selected stories by local authors such as Dave Chua and Stephanie Yen.
There are also activities for children such as improvised theatre performances, craft workshops and storytelling sessions.
The two-month long festival and pledging campaign will culminate with the inaugural National Reading Day on July 30, where the public can go to the public libraries to participate in reading activities. From this year, it will fall on the last Saturday of every July.
