States of Unease: From Critique to Collective Imagination

LIVESTREAM AVAILABLE HERE: https://www.youtube.com/live/6e779_ibpjw
SOLD OUT AS AT 26 JUNE. Please fill in this form to be placed on the wait list.

This event is co-presented by Academia SG and Ethos Books. Refreshments provided as part of the Ethos Nights series.

How can we make space for multiple conceptions of the good life?

What is a good society, and how can we make space for multiple conceptions of a good life? In their work, academics, artists, and activists regularly critique the status quo. They point to the gaps between ideal and reality in contemporary Singapore—the ways in which there is an uneasy space between formal achievements and on-the-ground realities. While critique is necessary and valuable, they do not always lead to alternative visions of an ideal society and good lives. This public forum is an invitation to connect critique of the past and present with imaginations of the future—to contemplate both a vision of a good society and pathways for getting there.

Panel 1—States of Unease:
Cheng Nien Yuan (Performance scholar, educator and dramaturg)
Paul Tambyah (Academic and politician)
Ng Kok Hoe (Social policy researcher)
Yeo Kang Shua (Architectural historian and conservation academic)

Panel 2—Imagining, collectively:
Teo You Yenn (Sociologist)
Cherian George (Professor of media and politics)
Pooja Nansi (Poet, performer and educator)
Mohamed Imran Mohamed Taib (Interfaith advocate and independent researcher)

Moderators:
Kok Heng Leun (Theatre practitioner)
Anthea Ong (Public educator, author and former Nominated Member of Parliament)

📅: 24 July 2026 (Friday)
🕒:  7:30pm-10.00pm (Registration starts at 7pm. Please arrive early to register.)
📍: Stephen Riady Auditorium (1 Marina Blvd, #07-01, Singapore 018989)
[Nearest MRT station is Raffles Place MRT Station and Downtown MRT Station.]
🎟️Tickets are $16.35 (inclusive of GST). Please present your email order confirmation during registration. Please note that this event has free seating.

Join us for an evening of conversation featuring two thought-provoking panels with diverse voices, followed by an extended audience dialogue where questions, reflections, and perspectives can be shared.

The springboard for our Public Forum is Teo You Yenn’s latest release Unease.

Our Stories, on Rotation: Conversations at Gardens

Our Stories, On Rotation returns for its third edition—an intimate afternoon of books, conversations and connection, celebrating the stories and lived experiences that shape the place we call home.

Rotate among discussion tables, each centred on a different book with a short reading and conversation prompt. Whether the book is familiar or entirely new to you, each table offers a welcoming entry point. As you move from table to table, you'll encounter new perspectives, connect with fellow readers, and spend time with narratives that invite us to listen more closely to one another.

🗓️ 8 Aug 2026 (Sat)
🕒 4.00–5.30pm
📍 Plain Vanilla Serangoon Gardens (55 Serangoon Garden Way, Singapore 555951)
🎟️ $19.62 (incl. GST) (Kindly present your order confirmation email upon registration)

Your ticket also includes a Mango Vanilla Chiffon Roll (slice) and any beverage on the menu 🍰☕

Through memoir, poetry, fiction and essays, we'll celebrate the richness of stories from Singapore—lingering with reflections on creativity, memory and everyday wonder that invite us to see our communities and shared home with renewed attention.

Titles on rotation include:
• Ayam Buah Keluak and the Art of Writing
• Little Things: An Anthology of Poetry (Second Edition)
• What Give Us Our Names
• Eating Chilli Crab in the Anthropocene

This gathering takes place at Plain Vanilla Serangoon Gardens, home to the community bookshelf we've built together. Join us for an afternoon of shared stories, thoughtful conversation and something good to eat.