Synopsis:

Death is not a topic that’s often discussed, but it’s an inevitable reality of every human life. Without a strong support system, those facing this crisis of existence may find themselves feeling lost and overwhelmed - struggling to find the light.

During this period of intense vulnerability, palliative care provides medical, financial, and emotional support for the individuals affected and all who are close to them. Care for the spirit in particular is important to sustain hope during this long journey.

In our open call, we received over 800 poetry submissions about mortality from people living all across the Asia Pacific. In this collection, we gather and present the best 111 entries in 11 languages, translated into English to reach as wide an audience as possible. We hope this anthology provides a sense of comfort, connection and catharsis for everyone involved in the palliative care journey.

About the editors:

JOSHUA IP is the Singapore Literature Prize-winning author of two volumes of poetry from Math Paper Press: making love with scrabble tiles (2013) and sonnets from the singlish (2012). He won the Golden Point Award for Prose in 2013 and was runner-up for poetry in 2011. He has co-edited two poetry anthologies: A Luxury We Cannot Afford (2014) and SingPoW- riMo 2014: The Anthology (2014) and is working on his first graphic novel, Ten Stories Below. He organized the inaugural Singapore Poetry Writing Month in 2014, and the first Singapore Manuscript Bootcamp in 2015.

RAJITA JAYANTHAKUMAR is an English teacher who has worked across Australia and Singapore, teaching literature, poetry and textual interpretation. She has performed spoken word poetry in Singapore, including at the Esplanade for National Day. She also regularly competes in short story writing competitions organised by the Australian Writers Centre, in alignment with her passion for fiction and creative writing. An avid reader of poetry and fiction, she would rarely turn down the opportunity to sip a cappuccino while burying her nose in a good mystery novel.

ZARIS AZIRA is a freelance content writer, copyeditor, and full-time arts manager at Sing Lit Station. Her articles have appeared in DesignTaxi, Business Insider, and various websites under Times Publishing Limited. Her non-fiction piece ‘Love you forever, Nan’ was published in Grandmother’s Garden and Other Stories, an anthology about dementia published by Hachisu in 2012. In her spare time, she writes poetry and dreams of ways to honour her late mother and grandmother, both of whom passed away after experiencing the benefits of palliative care.