JOSEPHINE'S DREAM IN SINGAPORE

Such joy to hear news of the continuing success of our SWWJ member in Singapore, Josephine Chia first  listed in the 1992 Ian St James Writing Competition.

Josephine has been our girl in Singapore now since moving there from the UK some years ago. It is our Society's loss as she was our Council member and regular attendee of all our wonderful gatherings in London and Weekend Schools held in English universities. 

Josephine commented:  'I`ve a long-standing love affair with the English Language. Ever since I encountered it, its rhythm and poetry, its nuances and extensive vocabulary entranced me no end. Learning the English Language was my Open Sesame password to the world outside my little attap-thatched hut village or kampong. Until then I was a frog under a coconut shell, living the illusion that life under the coconut shell was my entire world. English was the magic wand which swept away my limitations, opening vistas of knowledge to me and later, the wealth and treasures of English Literature. I learnt of adventure, dramas, love and loss which inspired me to write my own stories. Without my mother, her determination and tenacity to send her daughter to school, this brave new world would have been lost to me. 

'To be able to live your dream, you need to hope. Throughout the years where it was impossible for me to dedicate my time to writing, I lived in hope. I scribbled in the closet. I continued dreaming. Then circumstances changed and I was given a choice, to have more and not write or to have less and write. I chose the latter and have never looked back. My journey in writing synchronised with my search for meaning in life and spiritual truths. So I`ve begun to live my dream. Without you, my readers, students, publishers and supporters, this would not have been possible so thank you very much for bringing joy into my life!'

Josephine's thirteen books have met great success worldwide and particularly in Singapore where she spent her childhood. Her last two books published in 2019 are for Young Adult Big Tree in a Small A Pot & Children’s Queen of the Sky. See book covers.  Big Tree won the Singapore Publishers Award in Oct 2019. One of her books Kampong Spirit was translated into Malay this April. The book launch was cancelled due to Covid 19. She runs creative writing workshops in singapore and nurture other aspiring writers. Josephine's adult books are being read by local book clubs.