A MALAYAN VISION: Call for Short Historical Fiction Featuring Lim Chin Siong
Deadline: Dec 1, 2023
Payment: USD100.00
In Singapore and beyond, there has been a quickening of interest in the anticolonial and socialist struggle of the 50s and 60s after the publications of archival research by historian PJ Thum and of the Eisner-winning graphic novel The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye by Sonny Liew, among other works. The undisputed leader of this historical struggle was the student activist, trade unionist, and politician Lim Chin Siong (LCS), who organised the largest social movement in Singapore to fight for democracy, freedom, and justice. Although this movement ultimately failed, it opens a window into an alternative future for Singapore, Malaysia, and the rest of Asia—a window that creative writers with their imaginative powers can help us look at and through.
Together SUSPECT and New Naratif call for new short historical fiction featuring Lim Chin Siong as a minor but vital character (1,500-5,000 words).
The social struggle was not about LCS alone but was instead the joint effort of those named and unnamed in history. However, LCS provides a concrete point of interest. Making him a minor character in the story expands the space for unusual plots, original viewpoints, and surprising settings. For example, we’d love to read stories with his wife Wong Chui Wan, also an activist, as the protagonist; or stories from the perspectives of his anti-colonialist and socialist colleagues such as James Puthucheary and of cultural workers such as Linda Chen Mong Hock; or stories narrated by as-yet-unnamed workers involved in the struggle. Ultimately, we are not interested in one-dimensional depictions of LCS—whether hagiographic or otherwise—but in the emotional and political truth that a good short story should and could embody.
Informational resources about LCS and his historical period, and counterfactuals (“What if…”) for creative inspiration are provided below. A good work of historical fiction does not have to adhere to what actually happened but may explore what could have happened if circumstances were different. Writers are welcomed to explore far beyond what we have provided.
The deadline for submissions is Friday, 1 December, 2023. Stories will undergo an editing process that includes developmental and stylistic editing as well as a review of historical accuracy and fact checking. Accepted stories will be paid USD100.00 and published online in both SUSPECT and New Naratif from May 1, 2024 onwards. The publications will be accompanied by author interviews, podcast recordings, reading events, and group discussions. If we receive a sufficient number of excellent submissions, Gaudy Boy will publish them as a print anthology.
Submission Guidelines
This call for submissions is open to everyone. You do not have to be a Singaporean or Malaysian.
Submissions must be written originally in English and previously unpublished. Blogs, social media, and other online platforms constitute publication.
Each submission is to be between 1,500 and 5,000 words. It must include a title and the correct pagination.
Email Jee Leong Koh at jkoh@singaporeunbound.org cc pitches@newnaratif.com with a brief cover letter in the body of your email and the story attached in PDF or MSWord format.
Your name, mailing address, and email address should not appear anywhere in your story. Instead, they should be given in your cover letter in the body of your email.
You may submit more than one story.
No simultaneous submission to other journals, please.