Three estranged sisters take a pilgrimage to India. A self-described “modern woman” teaches a creative writing class to Sikh widows. A young girl searches for clues in her mother’s cooking. In 1971, a teenage girl disappears from her home, coming back a different person.

Intrigued? Those are the stories of award-winning Singaporean novelist Balli Kaur Jaswal, author of four books: Inheritance, Sugarbread, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows and, most recently, The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters. Her work has been devoured both locally and internationally – with Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows selected as the March 2018 pick for Reese Witherspoon’s bookclub, Hello Sunshine.

AWARE will be hosting Balli on 4 July for a conversation about her latest work, as well as the feminist ideas that underpin all her writing, with its focus on sexuality, gender roles and race. The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters follows the three estranged Shergill Sisters from Britain to India, in a quest to carry out the last rites of their mother. Copies of the book (as well as of Erotic Stories, for the uninitiated!) will be on sale at the event.

We are huge fans of Balli’s work, and her mission to illuminate fresh perspectives with Singaporean literature. Join us for a fun (and snack-filled) evening!

About the Speaker:

Balli Kaur Jaswal’s books have been recognised in Singapore as well as internationally. Her second novel, Sugarbread, was shortlisted for the Epigram Books Fiction Prize. It was also a finalist for the 2018 Singapore Literature Prize. Her third novel, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, was released internationally by Harper Collins. Since then, translation rights to the novel have been sold in countries such as France, Brazil and China. Her writing has appeared in publications such as The New York Times and Harper’s Bazaar.

Balli is currently pursuing a PhD at Nanyang Technological University, where she has also taught Creative Writing.

Register now!