Ng Swee San

Swee San teaches undergraduate screenwriting at various institutions as well as an MA class in Creative Writing. She has written for prime-time TV shows such as Code of Law (3 seasons), The Pupil (2 seasons), Tanglin. Her feature-length play Marriage of Inconvenience was staged by TheatreWorks in 2004. Subsequently, TheatreWorks commissioned her to write a number of plays for schools and community. She has written three children’s picture books (one published, two to be launched in 2019, fingers crossed) and edited a series of children’s picture books for the Singapore Navy.

From Missing
Balik Kampung 2A: People and Places, 2013

“Caw, caw, caw” filled the Balestier sky and crows swooped down fearlessly, even aggressively, to peck at rubbish. They bombed their droppings with scornful shrieks, as if to warn trespassers off their picnic ground. When Ma got ‘hit’, Seng said it was good luck and a small fortune would soon come Ma’s way. Ma said she didn’t believe in superstitious nonsense but despatched Seng to buy 4D, just in case.

The first night at Mandalay, Hui heard strange metallic clanging coming from the kitchen. Hui hurried to get Bong and Joo, who each grabbed an umbrella eagerly, keen to apprehend a burglar. After some excited yelling, Seng came to investigate. He laughed and pointed to the rubbish chute. Their upstairs neighbours were disposing trash. Joo muttered that he had to buy pesticide to get rid of cockroaches and rats. Seng said there was a cheaper way. He tied some pandan leaves on the cover handle of the chute.