GREAT WOMEN OF OUR TIME 2019
ARTS & MEDIA
FROM LEFT:
Pooja Nansi, 37
Director, Singapore Writers Festival
A poet, teacher and current director for the Singapore Writers Festival, Pooja wants to demystify the literary arts. “A lot of Singaporeans I encounter feel reading and writing or literature is cheem or difficult or not relevant to their lives, but I believe that literature should be accessible and relevant to everyone regardless of gender, class, race or age,” she says. Acutely aware that women writers often get pigeonholed into writing just women’s stories, Pooja encourages those who want to pursue a career in the arts to rock the boat a little, saying “have an opinion about things, and take a seat at that table”.
Tan Kheng Hua, 56
Actress-Producer
Curiosity may have killed the cat but for Kheng Hua, it is what fuels her zest for life. “I am always innately curious about people and why people do the things that they do and make the decisions they make. This curiosity, paired with my interest and love for acting, is a match made in heaven,” says the award-winning thespian who was cast as the fiercely protective immigrant mum, Kerry Chu, in 2018’s breakout hit Kheng has since signed to three different international agents who will ensure that audiences both locally and abroad get to enjoy much more of
